There are lots of people who throw the term ‘ghetto’ around. But where is the actual ghetto in California?
How do you decide if a place is ghetto or not? You ask the internet. According to the Urban Dictionary, a ghetto is defined as:
“urban; of or relating to (inner) city life” and “poor; of or relating to the poor life.”
Using that criteria, it’s not hard to scrape the internet, run some scientific data on where ghettos might exist in a state and then put out a list.
After analyzing all cities with a decent amount of people in them, we came up with this list as the most ghetto places in California:
- Oakland (Photos)
- Sacramento (Photos)
- National City (Photos)
- Compton (Photos)
- San Bernardino (Photos)
- Richmond (Photos)
- Westmont
- Stockton (Photos)
- Commerce (Photos)
- Oasis
Read on below to see where your town ranked.
What ghetto criteria did we use?
In order to rank the most ghetto places in California, we had to determine what criteria defines a ghetto city or neighborhood.
Since a ghetto is defined as a poor area, we used income levels, crime and education levels as a guide to determine where the most broke citizens of a state live.
Additionally, the staples of inner city life include cheap and discounted retail outlets.
We started by making a list of every place in California with more than 5,000 people based on the 2013 American Community Survey. That left us with over 600 places in the Golden State.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using Yelp and Area Vibes, this is the criteria we used:
- Household income levels
- High school graduation rates
- Number of convenience stores
- Number of drug stores
- Number of discount stores
- Crime
Note: For the sake of getting reliable numbers, we counted places within a city’s border, as well as within a short driving distance.
All of these results are listed in a per capita basis. Meaning number of stores per person in a state. Additionally, high school graduation rates are determined by looking at the total number of people who live in a city, not the current graduation rate of an area’s high schools.
For more California reading, check out:
1. Oakland
Income: $51,684
High school: 78%
Crime: 23rd highest in CA
Drug stores: 45th
If there is any doubt as to whether or not Oakland is the most ghetto city in the state, look at the numbers. It’s just about in the top 20 for danger, residents earn far below the state average in income levels, and almost 1 in 4 people here never graduated high school.
Other numbers that stand out: more than 10% of residents of Oakland are without jobs, and there are a high number of drug stores within city limits. According to studies, one common theme that all ghetto cities have are high number of drug stores and convenience stores.
2. Sacramento
Income: $50,661
High school: 79%
Crime: 44th worst
Convenience stores: 40th most
This may or may not come as a surprise, but Sacramento is really ghetto. It’s almost as dangerous as Oakland (relatively speaking in comparison to the rest of the state), and residents earn less than they do in Oakland.
The high number of convenience stores in Sacramento is also a sign of the ghetto times.
Twitter seemed to agree:
“From living in Sacramento I learned to the way to tell when you’re in the ghetto is when people have fences around their front lawn too.”
And then this:
“I swear I thought Oakland was ghetto, but Sacramento is on a whole nother level.”
3. National City
Income: $38,798
High school: 65%
Crime: 82nd worst
Being the 82nd most dangerous place in the state may not sound that intimidating, but keep in mind, we looked at almost 650 cities here. Frankly, this San Diego suburb is pretty dangerous and pretty broke, too.
The folks who live here barely earn enough to keep their lives together, and just about 1 in 3 residents didn’t finish high school.
There are also a really high number of discount stores and drug stores in National City, both signs of inner city life.
4. Compton
Income: $42,335
High school: 57%
Crime: 37th
Compton has notoriously been ranked as not only one of the most ghetto cities in the nation, but certainly in the Los Angeles area. When nearly 1 in 2 people drops out of high school, and crime is off the charts high, what you’ve got is a real ghetto.
For years, pop culture has featured Compton as the prototypical ‘ghetto’ in music, movies and television shows. Although things have changed here (murders and gang activity is down), it might just take another decade before this one-great city can remain off of lists like this.
5. San Bernardino
Income: $39,097
High school: 64%
Crime: 47th worst
While Compton’s has worst years are seemingly in the rear view mirror, San Bernardino’s worst years seem to be at the next exit. This city has gotten worse and worse over time. You might be surprised to hear that San Bernardino is ‘only’ the 47th most dangerous city in the state.
Frankly, a majority of the residents here are broke and uneducated. And it seems that government corruption here has such a stranglehold on the community that it’s going to take a community activism effort to get this place turned around in the other direction.
And that doesn’t seem like it’s coming any time soon.
6. Richmond
Income: $54,657
High school: 77%
Crime: 29th highest
Richmond is a small city just north of Oakland and Berkeley on the San Francisco Bay. Like Oakland, the residents of Richmond deal with high crime, low income levels and a relatively uneducated population.
According to the Contra Costa Times, Richmond is heading in a positive direction, and weekly killings that were once the norm are no longer the case. Richmond’s police Captain Mark Gagan told the Times that what has turned the tide here is “above-average involvement in the community.”
7. Westmont
Income: $31,110
High school: 65%
Crime: Highest in the state
Last year, the Los Angeles Times called South Vermont Avenue in Westmont ‘LA County’s Death Alley.’ There are more killings in Westmont than in any other place in L.A. County (and that’s saying a lot). And Westmont is the most dangerous place in the state.
Residents here barely earn enough to get by on a daily basis, and 1 in 3 dropped out of high school. It’s truly a dangerous, scary (and quite sad) place in California.
Where is Westmont? Wedged between Inglewood and Compton. Ghetto central.
8. Stockton
Income: $47,236
Crime: 14th highest
High school graduation: 70%
Stockton has received more than its fair share of bad press lately. A few years back, Forbes called it the most miserable place in the nation.
You might not realize it, but Stockton has the 14th highest crime rate in California. There were 32 murders here just two years ago, and if you spent a year within Stockton city limits, statistically, you’d have a 1 in 83 chance of being killed, raped or attacked.
Not a fun place at all.
9. Commerce
Income: $51,022
High school: 48%
Crime: 5th most
Discount stores: 20th most
We continue on the ‘south central’ area of Los Angeles with Commerce, a smallish city just outside of downtown L.A. Crime is just about as bad in Commerce as it is in Westmont. And more than half of residents are high school dropouts. We’ve been combing through a lot of data for this site, and that’s one of the highest dropout rates we’ve seen.
There are also a very high number of discount stores in the Commerce area, which is a sign of inner city life.
10. Oasis
Income: $24,971
High school: 22%
Crime: 10th highest
Oasis might be the most ghetto place in California you’ve never heard of. The graduation rates of residents are as low as you’ll see in the nation, and just about everyone here lives below the poverty line. It’s a truly poor, dangerous ghetto.
Where is this hidden jungle? It’s actually not a city, but a census designated place in Riverside County right on the banks of the Salton Sea, just south of La Quinta.
Trust us, you’re not missing anything.
There You Have It
If you’re measuring the locations in California where there are a high number of poor and uneducated residents, and where there are a high number of discounted shopping stores, this is an accurate list.
Additionally, here are the least ghetto places in California:
- Coto De Caza (Pop. 15,041)
- San Diego Country Estates (Pop. 10,044)
- Rossmoor (Pop. 10,294)
- Alta Sierra (Pop. 6,782)
- Lake Wildwood (Pop. 5,547)
We also wrote about the drunkest cities in California if you didn’t happen to see it. Click here to read it.
Who wrote crappy article? Sacramento more ghetto than Stockton? You must be very uppity to think so. Sacramento has a HUGE music and arts scene. There are booming 4 and 5 star restaurants. A new arena is being built… it’s beautiful and you ranked it more “ghetto” than Compton or Stockton? That made me laugh out loud. I suggest you get back into your Hummer and drive back to Laguna Beach. Sorry we don’t meet your standards. Barf.
Sacramento’s ghettos are bigger than the whole city of Stockton.
All of this is completely inaccurate. I’m only freaking out because your “facts” are whack.
Im from Sacramento, currently live in Los Angeles. Sacramento is not ghetto! Yes, every city have their less than desirable neighborhoods. Every city near L.A or the Bay area should be on the list before Sacramento. This article makes for good entertainment, you cant believe everything you read on the internet
You must have been down there awhile. #2 is pretty close
Thank you! I was born and raised in Sac and spent 3 years in L.A. (hated it/80% dumpy,celebrated my departure to Seattle) The guy who wrote this story obviously doesn’t know much.
This story is pure garbage. Sactown #2? it shouldn’t even be on this haphazardly written piece,Socal has an incredible amount of poverty/outdated infrastructure,massive homeless population,serious crime/immigration problem (think that sprawling garbage dump Los Angeles),and i should know,i spend several years living in that disaster (and celebrated my departure to Stunning Seattle),the television lies,BIG TIME.
This is the worst not accurate and commerce not ghetto. 1 in cali and anywhere is san bernandino then other once. Whoever wrote this is a retard and who believed it is bigger retards.
Anyone knows #1 is san bernandino. This person on crack and the next person who believes as well. Lol funny crack heads around cali read this or mental ppl
Lol wow reading this is like looking at a retard.
This guy is an idiot…obviously some girl in Sacramento broke his heart and now he had a vendetta.
You Californians are too stupid to realize satire at its finest. Stay out of Oregon, please.
Because it was not funny satire. And you can keep Oregon
Funny how just about every comment on this article is penned by an illiterate. Before you criticize a person’s work, perhaps you all should go on back to grammar school and learn to read and write. Maybe then you’ll understand that statistics don’t lie. Besides mental midgetry, the fact that most of you have never even left your “hood”, make your opinions on this absolute bullshit. Rather than set the record straight, you’ve managed to reinforce the writers point. Thanks for messing up your hometown for the rest of the residents.
Why isn’t Moreno Valley included, that is more dangerous than Compton.
San bernandino is my hometown I just noticed it the most dangerous place to live in California
Oakland is in the top 5 most dangerous cities in the United States
…Now, you can tear a building down, but you can’t erase a memory…These houses may look all-run-down, but they have a value you can’t see. Living Colour; Open Letter to a Landlord.
I think those stats need to be updated. Have you seen the real estate prices in the Bay Area? Oakland, Richmond, Sac… I think it’s impossible to live in the Bay Area on $50k or be unemployed. A more interesting article would not be about the “ghetto” but about the vast homeless encampments that are swelling in SF, LA, etc… What’s the point of living in a multi-million dollar house if there are homeless encampments on your street? Is that not “ghetto”?
Stockton is dangerous hands down. Maybe some other rural areas are just as bad. Sacramento is a police town. All other cities have their areas.
Which one are you crack head or mental??
Baldwin Park, that’s all I’m going to say
Thanks for everyone’s opinions n ones who hv actually lived in Sacramento. Who really know the facts bcause I am seriously considering moving there ive lived in GA all my life n i dont really believe it can b any more ghetto than waynesboro GA. Where I live. Im looking forward to moving to California Im almost 50 yrs old n just always wanted to live in cali but a smaller town thats affordable. Thanks for everyone’s opinions.
I personally have been up and down the state and moval and San Bernardino are by far the worst danger – wise. Please get your facts straight before you start talking about our state like that. Your probably not even from Cali low key. Probably one of them dumb country niggas
Hesperia may not be the anus of the world, but it’s pretty close.
I live in Northern California & the entire SF Bay Area region is a free range prison at this point. All “urban” centers are saturated with people who can barely read or speak in full sentences. The welfare state & lower school standards in conjunction with Prison “reforms” has decimated the state. Smart people moved out & the non-functioning/criminal populace who are enabled by their progressive overlords remain. When you read through these comments you see the typical denial & delusional protestations. We’re not ghetto! Um, yes, yes you are.
Oakland is still, unfortunately, considered the most dangerous city in California. The most dangerous part in the state? Very likely it’s the Sunnydale Projects. Just google it.
You guys live in Cali what about Inglewood Compton and watts are they still on the stay as far away as you can list just wondering I’m not from Cali
what about Compton Inglewood and watts are they still on the stay that as far away as you can list just wondering I’m not from Cali
Sad to say but Chico is getting pretty bad too. It’s safe and lovely but the majority of the population is complacent in their poverty. Sad thing these people are reproducing like rats. They live in filth,off the tax payers$ which pay for their vices. CAs system really needs to change. I was a young single mom with no support system, didn’t live off the govt and earned a degree. There’s no excuses!!