![Website Slaps Rockford With “Most Dangerous City” Label](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2021/07/attachment-gettyimages-1134293899-170667a-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Website Slaps Rockford With “Most Dangerous City” Label
Over the years, Rockford has been on the receiving end of all sorts of slings and arrows from different publications, and I don't know that it will ever stop. I'm sure they get their numbers correct, but sometimes it feels like we're being piled on.
The latest hit we're taking comes from a website called 24/7 Wall Street, a financial news and commentary site that covers the stock market, industry research and government policy. They also do some rankings lists, like the "50 Worst Cities To Live In."
Obviously, Rockford didn't fare too well on this list. Before breaking down some of the numbers 24/7 Wall Street came up with, here's what they looked at to make their determinations on the worst cities to live in:
24/7 Wall St. created an index with measures in eight categories — crime, economy, education, environment, health, housing, infrastructure, and leisure — to identify the 50 worst cities to live in. Not confined to a single region, the worst cities span the country from the South to the Midwest and from New England to the Pacific coast.
The good news for Rockford is that we're not the worst place to live. That honor, according to 24/7 Wall Street's index, goes to a city about 370 miles northeast of here, Detroit, Michigan. What more bad things can be said about Detroit that haven't already been said? That's what I thought. Let's move on. Number two on the list is Flint, Michigan, and third place goes to St. Louis.
Rockford has been ranked as the 16th worst place to live in the United States, but 24/7 Wall Street also says that we're the most dangerous city in Illinois:
The city of Rockford, Illinois, has an unemployment rate of 7.7%, the highest of any city in the state and well above the 4.9% annual U.S. jobless rate. The city also ranks as the most dangerous in the state, with a violent crime rate of 1,658 incidents per 100,000 residents in 2016 — which is more than four times the U.S. violent crime rate.
The week jobs picture and high crime likely depress property values in the city. The typical home in Rockford is worth just $89,200, less than half the median home value of $186,500 across the state.
32 Stunning Google Maps Pics Show Just How Much Downtown Rockford Has Changed
LOOK: Here is the richest town in each state
More From Rockford's New Country Q98.5
![Illinois Ranks in the Top 10 Laziest States](http://townsquare.media/site/723/files/2023/05/attachment-41.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Here’s How Much Illinois’ Bad Roads And Bridges Are Costing You Yearly](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2022/07/attachment-gettyimages-123201564-170667a.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![A City in Wisconsin Was Just Named America’s Best Place to Live](http://townsquare.media/site/721/files/2022/07/attachment-dave-hoefler-ys9Axg_lg7k-unsplash-e1658507427990.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![FBI Crime Stats: America’s Safest City Is 80 Miles From Rockford](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2022/07/attachment-gettyimages-108352444-170667a.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![New Study Crunches Numbers, Names Illinois’ Best Counties To Live In](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2022/06/attachment-attachment-gettyimages-1278763684-170667a.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Are We Really Bad Drivers In Illinois? New Study Has The Answer](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2022/06/attachment-gettyimages-182735385-170667a.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Website Travel Experts Call Out Illinois Suburbs For Being Snobby](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2022/05/attachment-gettyimages-BD7414-001-170667a.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Most Of Rockford’s Package Thefts Happen On These 2 Days Of The Week](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2022/05/attachment-gettyimages-1213024124-170667a.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Rockford Scores Big In “Best Places To Live” Report](http://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2022/05/attachment-George-Wulf-Facebook.jpg?w=980&q=75)