Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Ohio?
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 Ohio – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Ohio 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 Buckeye State:
- East Cleveland (Photos)
- Cleveland (Photos)
- Manchester (Photos)
- Bethel (Photos)
- Greenfield
- Cincinnati (Photos)
- Dayton (Photos)
- New Lexington (Photos)
- Hillsboro (Photos)
- Whitehall (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, The Village Of Indian Hill is the happiest place in Ohio.
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 Ohio
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Ohio, 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 Ohio with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 343 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 Ohio’.
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. East Cleveland
Population: 17,619
People Who Own Their Home: 22.17%
Married Adults: 22.11%
2. Cleveland
Population: 392,114
People Who Own Their Home: 34.16%
Married Adults: 25.58%
3. Manchester
Population: 2,127
People Who Own Their Home: 42.33%
Married Adults: 39.53%
4. Bethel
Population: 2,734
People Who Own Their Home: 43.28%
Married Adults: 43.4%
5. Greenfield
Population: 4,666
People Who Own Their Home: 41.87%
Married Adults: 40.88%
6. Cincinnati
Population: 297,117
People Who Own Their Home: 31.84%
Married Adults: 27.73%
7. Dayton
Population: 141,776
People Who Own Their Home: 38.09%
Married Adults: 26.92%
8. New Lexington
Population: 4,889
People Who Own Their Home: 45.9%
Married Adults: 44.44%
9. Hillsboro
Population: 6,570
People Who Own Their Home: 47.45%
Married Adults: 44.88%
10. Whitehall
Population: 18,383
People Who Own Their Home: 33.43%
Married Adults: 35.56%
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 Ohio reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Most Ghetto Cities In Ohio
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Ohio
- These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Ohio
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Ohio
City | Rank |
---|---|
East Cleveland | 1 |
Cleveland | 2 |
Manchester | 3 |
Bethel | 4 |
Greenfield | 5 |
Cincinnati | 6 |
Dayton | 7 |
New Lexington | 8 |
Hillsboro | 9 |
Whitehall | 10 |
Trotwood | 11 |
Euclid | 12 |
East Liverpool | 13 |
Youngstown | 14 |
Kent | 15 |
Bedford Heights | 16 |
Lima | 17 |
Zanesville | 18 |
Hamilton | 19 |
Akron | 20 |
North College Hill | 21 |
Kenton | 22 |
Warrensville Heights | 23 |
Lorain | 24 |
Nelsonville | 25 |
Chillicothe | 26 |
Canton | 27 |
Toledo | 28 |
Ashtabula | 29 |
Springfield | 30 |
Roseville | 31 |
Bellaire | 32 |
Camden | 33 |
Alliance | 34 |
Portsmouth | 35 |
Middletown | 36 |
Maple Heights | 37 |
Williamsburg | 38 |
Lisbon | 39 |
Columbus | 40 |
Warren | 41 |
Mansfield | 42 |
Mount Healthy | 43 |
Waverly | 44 |
Bowling Green | 45 |
Marion | 46 |
Lakewood | 47 |
Baltimore | 48 |
Painesville | 49 |
Blacklick Estates | 50 |
Circleville | 51 |
Wellston | 52 |
Cheviot | 53 |
Sandusky | 54 |
Wilmington | 55 |
Norwood | 56 |
Uhrichsville | 57 |
Lodi | 58 |
Urbana | 59 |
Hebron | 60 |
Athens | 61 |
Steubenville | 62 |
Utica | 63 |
Conneaut | 64 |
New Carlisle | 65 |
Forest Park | 66 |
Fairborn | 67 |
Campbell | 68 |
Sebring | 69 |
Fremont | 70 |
Newark | 71 |
Fostoria | 72 |
Lancaster | 73 |
Bellefontaine | 74 |
Ada | 75 |
Logan | 76 |
Ravenna | 77 |
Greenville | 78 |
Springdale | 79 |
Mount Vernon | 80 |
Xenia | 81 |
Barberton | 82 |
Washington Court House | 83 |
New London | 84 |
Hicksville | 85 |
Lincoln Village | 86 |
Galion | 87 |
Elyria | 88 |
Garfield Heights | 89 |
Cambridge | 90 |
Bucyrus | 91 |
Pleasant Grove | 92 |
Struthers | 93 |
West Lafayette | 94 |
Willard | 95 |
Park Layne | 96 |
Marietta | 97 |
Northfield | 98 |
Northbrook | 99 |
Niles | 100 |
New Richmond | 101 |
London | 102 |
Batavia | 103 |
Eaton | 104 |
Burlington | 105 |
Parma Heights | 106 |
West Carrollton | 107 |
Piqua | 108 |
Rosemount | 109 |
Riverside | 110 |
Cleveland Heights | 111 |
Bedford | 112 |
Salem | 113 |
Covington | 114 |
Oberlin | 115 |
Milford | 116 |
Amelia | 117 |
Ironton | 118 |
Tiffin | 119 |
Ashland | 120 |
Massillon | 121 |
Port Clinton | 122 |
Martins Ferry | 123 |
Reading | 124 |
Jefferson | 125 |
Richmond Heights | 126 |
Girard | 127 |
Oxford | 128 |
Montpelier | 129 |
New Burlington | 130 |
Silverton | 131 |
Franklin | 132 |
Moraine | 133 |
Findlay | 134 |
Jackson | 135 |
Belpre | 136 |
Wheelersburg | 137 |
Mentor-On-The-Lake | 138 |
Perry Heights | 139 |
Portage Lakes | 140 |
Bryan | 141 |
Van Wert | 142 |
Delta | 143 |
Brooklyn | 144 |
Coshocton | 145 |
Fairfield | 146 |
Canal Fulton | 147 |
Geneva | 148 |
Vermilion | 149 |
Chardon | 150 |
Edgewood | 151 |
Barnesville | 152 |
Lebanon | 153 |
Groesbeck | 154 |
Mount Carmel | 155 |
Withamsville | 156 |
Madison | 157 |
Grafton | 158 |
Reynoldsburg | 159 |
Wellington | 160 |
North Madison | 161 |
Parma | 162 |
Defiance | 163 |
Sheffield Lake | 164 |
Napoleon | 165 |
Sidney | 166 |
Shelby | 167 |
South Euclid | 168 |
Cuyahoga Falls | 169 |
Crestline | 170 |
Navarre | 171 |
Creston | 172 |
Delaware | 173 |
Austintown | 174 |
Upper Sandusky | 175 |
Carrollton | 176 |
Willoughby Hills | 177 |
Celina | 178 |
Sharonville | 179 |
Huber Heights | 180 |
Wooster | 181 |
New Philadelphia | 182 |
Carlisle | 183 |
Berea | 184 |
Wauseon | 185 |
Trenton | 186 |
Rittman | 187 |
Mayfield Heights | 188 |
Norwalk | 189 |
Summerside | 190 |
University Heights | 191 |
Northgate | 192 |
Kettering | 193 |
Lagrange | 194 |
Finneytown | 195 |
Medina | 196 |
Fairview Park | 197 |
Englewood | 198 |
Eastlake | 199 |
Churchill | 200 |
Streetsboro | 201 |
Germantown | 202 |
White Oak | 203 |
Troy | 204 |
Willoughby | 205 |
Delphos | 206 |
Vandalia | 207 |
Waynesville | 208 |
Brook Park | 209 |
Wapakoneta | 210 |
Huron | 211 |
Shaker Heights | 212 |
Heath | 213 |
Clayton | 214 |
North Ridgeville | 215 |
Bellevue | 216 |
Brunswick | 217 |
Orrville | 218 |
Dover | 219 |
Marysville | 220 |
Oak Harbor | 221 |
Pataskala | 222 |
Miamisburg | 223 |
Boardman | 224 |
Harrison | 225 |
Forestville | 226 |
Broadview Heights | 227 |
North Olmsted | 228 |
Deer Park | 229 |
Pickerington | 230 |
Louisville | 231 |
Uniontown | 232 |
Northwood | 233 |
Fairlawn | 234 |
Willowick | 235 |
Rocky River | 236 |
Strasburg | 237 |
Middleburg Heights | 238 |
North Royalton | 239 |
Granville | 240 |
Monroe | 241 |
Brookville | 242 |
Stow | 243 |
Versailles | 244 |
North Canton | 245 |
Wadsworth | 246 |
Cadiz | 247 |
Hubbard | 248 |
Maumee | 249 |
Covedale | 250 |
Oregon | 251 |
Genoa | 252 |
Edgerton | 253 |
Olmsted Falls | 254 |
Ontario | 255 |
Plain City | 256 |
Ottawa | 257 |
Clyde | 258 |
Kenwood | 259 |
Green | 260 |
Aurora | 261 |
Rossford | 262 |
Wickliffe | 263 |
Apple Valley | 264 |
Bridgetown | 265 |
Lexington | 266 |
Strongsville | 267 |
Grove City | 268 |
Mayfield | 269 |
Sunbury | 270 |
New Franklin | 271 |
Seven Hills | 272 |
Loveland | 273 |
Tallmadge | 274 |
Champion Heights | 275 |
Centerville | 276 |
Tipp City | 277 |
Bluffton | 278 |
Canfield | 279 |
Cortland | 280 |
Sylvania | 281 |
Westlake | 282 |
Union | 283 |
Norton | 284 |
Blue Ash | 285 |
Mentor | 286 |
Avon | 287 |
Amherst | 288 |
Perrysburg | 289 |
Twinsburg | 290 |
Landen | 291 |
Gahanna | 292 |
Bexley | 293 |
Hudson | 294 |
Solon | 295 |
Hilliard | 296 |
Bainbridge | 297 |
Grandview Heights | 298 |
Beachwood | 299 |
Kirtland | 300 |
Avon Lake | 301 |
Delhi Hills | 302 |
Groveport | 303 |
Munroe Falls | 304 |
Beckett Ridge | 305 |
Lyndhurst | 306 |
Westerville | 307 |
Mason | 308 |
Waterville | 309 |
Richfield | 310 |
Mack | 311 |
Brecksville | 312 |
Howland Center | 313 |
Dent | 314 |
Northridge | 315 |
Columbiana | 316 |
Macedonia | 317 |
Springboro | 318 |
Beavercreek | 319 |
Canal Winchester | 320 |
Glendale | 321 |
Dry Run | 322 |
Bay Village | 323 |
Pepper Pike | 324 |
Sherwood | 325 |
Bellbrook | 326 |
Independence | 327 |
Montgomery | 328 |
Coldwater | 329 |
Monfort Heights | 330 |
Dunlap | 331 |
Powell | 332 |
Worthington | 333 |
Madeira | 334 |
Wyoming | 335 |
Dublin | 336 |
Upper Arlington | 337 |
Highland Heights | 338 |
Sugarcreek | 339 |
New Albany | 340 |
Silver Lake | 341 |
Orange | 342 |
The Village Of Indian Hill | 343 |