These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In Illinois

Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Illinois?

According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Illinois – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

But, we were curious – which Illinois cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.

After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Prairie State:

1. Riverdale
2. Harvey (Photos)
3. Dolton
4. Chicago (Photos)
5. University Park
6. Robbins
7. Sauk Village
8. Phoenix
9. Calumet City
10. Cairo

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.

Oh, and by the way, Forsyth is the happiest place in Illinois.

Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.

If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.

How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Illinois

In order to rank the unhappiest places in Illinois, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.

So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:

• Percentage of residents with a college degree
• Average commute times
• Unemployment rates
• Cost of living
• % of married couples
• % of home owners
• Poverty rate

After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Illinois with over 2,000 people.

We then ranked each place from one to 403 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).

Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Illinois’.

If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.

1. Riverdale

Population: 13,278
People Who Own Their Home: 38.84%
Married Adults: 22.68%

2. Harvey

Population: 25,225
People Who Own Their Home: 34.78%
Married Adults: 26.19%

3. Dolton

Population: 23,262
People Who Own Their Home: 58.12%
Married Adults: 31.42%

4. Chicago

Population: 2,712,608
People Who Own Their Home: 38.58%
Married Adults: 34.7%

5. University Park

Population: 6,852
People Who Own Their Home: 48.29%
Married Adults: 24.25%

6. Robbins

Population: 5,221
People Who Own Their Home: 39.65%
Married Adults: 18.71%

7. Sauk Village

Population: 10,545
People Who Own Their Home: 54.67%
Married Adults: 33.13%

8. Phoenix

Population: 2,143
People Who Own Their Home: 44.31%
Married Adults: 25.19%

9. Calumet City

Population: 37,197
People Who Own Their Home: 50.67%
Married Adults: 31.17%

10. Cairo

Population: 2,688
People Who Own Their Home: 31.39%
Married Adults: 21.95%

There You Have It

Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Illinois reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Illinois
• These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In Illinois
• These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Illinois

Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Illinois