These Are The 10 Most Miserable Cities In North Carolina

Do you live in one of the most miserable places in North Carolina?

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 North Carolina – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.

But, we were curious – which North Carolina 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 Tar Heel State:

1. Selma (Photos)
2. Roxboro (Photos)
3. Wadesboro (Photos)
4. Siler City (Photos)
5. Lexington (Photos)
6. Warsaw
7. Benson (Photos)
8. Elizabeth City (Photos)
9. Edenton (Photos)
10. Pineville (Photos)

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, Oak Ridge is the happiest place in North Carolina.

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 North Carolina

In order to rank the unhappiest places in North Carolina, 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 North Carolina with over 2,000 people.

We then ranked each place from one to 188 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 North Carolina’.

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. Selma

Population: 6,172
People Who Own Their Home: 28.28%
Married Adults: 34.95%

2. Roxboro

Population: 8,330
People Who Own Their Home: 29.88%
Married Adults: 28.42%

3. Wadesboro

Population: 5,711
People Who Own Their Home: 47.64%
Married Adults: 33.14%

4. Siler City

Population: 8,109
People Who Own Their Home: 45.74%
Married Adults: 38.96%

5. Lexington

Population: 19,029
People Who Own Their Home: 35.69%
Married Adults: 41.09%

6. Warsaw

Population: 3,162
People Who Own Their Home: 32.04%
Married Adults: 28.36%

7. Benson

Population: 3,435
People Who Own Their Home: 38.29%
Married Adults: 37.15%

8. Elizabeth City

Population: 18,343
People Who Own Their Home: 35.07%
Married Adults: 32.57%

9. Edenton

Population: 4,979
People Who Own Their Home: 32.56%
Married Adults: 37.71%

10. Pineville

Population: 7,855
People Who Own Their Home: 30.7%
Married Adults: 30.37%

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 North Carolina reading , check out:

• These Are The 10 Most Boring Places To Live In North Carolina
• These Are The 10 Worst Places To Live In North Carolina
• These Are The 10 Safest Cities in North Carolina

Detailed List Of Miserable Places In North Carolina