Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Georgia?
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 Georgia – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Georgia 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 Peach State:
- Fair Oaks (Photos)
- College Park (Photos)
- Panthersville (Photos)
- East Point (Photos)
- Clarkston (Photos)
- Forest Park (Photos)
- Richland (Photos)
- Hapeville (Photos)
- Fort Valley
- Scottdale (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, Skidaway Island is the happiest place in Georgia.
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 Georgia
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Georgia, 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 Georgia with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 195 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 Georgia’.
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. Fair Oaks
Population: 8,533People Who Own Their Home: 25.02%
Married Adults: 33.72%
2. College Park
Population: 14,019People Who Own Their Home: 18.25%
Married Adults: 22.24%
3. Panthersville
Population: 9,474People Who Own Their Home: 35.99%
Married Adults: 26.4%
4. East Point
Population: 35,070People Who Own Their Home: 32.65%
Married Adults: 24.59%
5. Clarkston
Population: 7,717People Who Own Their Home: 19.74%
Married Adults: 45.73%
6. Forest Park
Population: 18,783People Who Own Their Home: 35.85%
Married Adults: 32.3%
7. Richland
Population: 2,089People Who Own Their Home: 42.88%
Married Adults: 16.08%
8. Hapeville
Population: 6,611People Who Own Their Home: 27.96%
Married Adults: 28.74%
9. Fort Valley
Population: 9,448People Who Own Their Home: 34.39%
Married Adults: 23.7%
10. Scottdale
Population: 9,847People Who Own Their Home: 28.95%
Married Adults: 39.26%
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 Georgia reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Georgia
- These Are The 10 Snobbiest Cities In Georgia
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Georgia
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Georgia
City | Rank |
---|---|
Fair Oaks | 1 |
College Park | 2 |
Panthersville | 3 |
East Point | 4 |
Clarkston | 5 |
Forest Park | 6 |
Richland | 7 |
Hapeville | 8 |
Fort Valley | 9 |
Scottdale | 10 |
Forsyth | 11 |
Buena Vista | 12 |
Candler-Mcafee | 13 |
Brunswick | 14 |
Conley | 15 |
Rossville | 16 |
Swainsboro | 17 |
Union City | 18 |
Belvedere Park | 19 |
Barnesville | 20 |
Ashburn | 21 |
Albany | 22 |
Conyers | 23 |
Cedartown | 24 |
Stone Mountain | 25 |
Riverdale | 26 |
Sparks | 27 |
Monroe | 28 |
Monticello | 29 |
Jonesboro | 30 |
Tifton | 31 |
Gresham Park | 32 |
Cordele | 33 |
Lake City | 34 |
Lithia Springs | 35 |
Griffin | 36 |
Valdosta | 37 |
Reidsville | 38 |
Greensboro | 39 |
Statesboro | 40 |
Carrollton | 41 |
Dock Junction | 42 |
Thomson | 43 |
Abbeville | 44 |
Hardwick | 45 |
Manchester | 46 |
Lakeland | 47 |
Cumming | 48 |
Atlanta | 49 |
Redan | 50 |
Cochran | 51 |
Moultrie | 52 |
Marietta | 53 |
Lagrange | 54 |
Cairo | 55 |
Garden City | 56 |
Irondale | 57 |
Covington | 58 |
Chamblee | 59 |
Gainesville | 60 |
Nashville | 61 |
Americus | 62 |
Milledgeville | 63 |
Darien | 64 |
Dallas | 65 |
Jackson | 66 |
Savannah | 67 |
Norcross | 68 |
Sparta | 69 |
Lovejoy | 70 |
Hampton | 71 |
Doraville | 72 |
Lawrenceville | 73 |
Thomasville | 74 |
Vienna | 75 |
Fairburn | 76 |
Louisville | 77 |
Sylvester | 78 |
Blakely | 79 |
Palmetto | 80 |
Pelham | 81 |
Summerville | 82 |
Thomaston | 83 |
Rome | 84 |
Mcdonough | 85 |
West Point | 86 |
Waynesboro | 87 |
Bainbridge | 88 |
Fitzgerald | 89 |
Dalton | 90 |
Douglas | 91 |
Douglasville | 92 |
Waycross | 93 |
Austell | 94 |
Adel | 95 |
Dahlonega | 96 |
Lyons | 97 |
Commerce | 98 |
Jesup | 99 |
Mount Vernon | 100 |
Hawkinsville | 101 |
Country Club Estates | 102 |
Alma | 103 |
Alamo | 104 |
Winder | 105 |
Canton | 106 |
Lafayette | 107 |
Sandersville | 108 |
Fairview | 109 |
Vidalia | 110 |
Sylvania | 111 |
Dublin | 112 |
Villa Rica | 113 |
Camilla | 114 |
Eastman | 115 |
Washington | 116 |
Baldwin | 117 |
Eatonton | 118 |
Locust Grove | 119 |
Buford | 120 |
Cleveland | 121 |
Mableton | 122 |
Toccoa | 123 |
Lilburn | 124 |
Calhoun | 125 |
Stockbridge | 126 |
Powder Springs | 127 |
Vinings | 128 |
Helena | 129 |
Georgetown | 130 |
Oxford | 131 |
North Druid Hills | 132 |
Morrow | 133 |
Auburn | 134 |
Perry | 135 |
Duluth | 136 |
North Decatur | 137 |
Columbus | 138 |
Putney | 139 |
Montgomery | 140 |
Brookhaven | 141 |
Acworth | 142 |
Smyrna | 143 |
Kennesaw | 144 |
Gordon | 145 |
Madison | 146 |
Newnan | 147 |
Warner Robins | 148 |
Tucker | 149 |
Sandy Springs | 150 |
Hinesville | 151 |
Springfield | 152 |
Cartersville | 153 |
Snellville | 154 |
Maysville | 155 |
Sugar Hill | 156 |
Port Wentworth | 157 |
Grovetown | 158 |
Flowery Branch | 159 |
Lakeview | 160 |
Jasper | 161 |
Loganville | 162 |
Bremen | 163 |
Druid Hills | 164 |
Tyrone | 165 |
Temple | 166 |
Fort Oglethorpe | 167 |
Mountain Park | 168 |
Rincon | 169 |
Mcrae | 170 |
Richmond Hill | 171 |
Bloomingdale | 172 |
Fayetteville | 173 |
Dunwoody | 174 |
Leesburg | 175 |
Decatur | 176 |
Roswell | 177 |
Woodstock | 178 |
Jefferson | 179 |
Suwanee | 180 |
Kingsland | 181 |
Martinez | 182 |
Holly Springs | 183 |
Johns Creek | 184 |
Braselton | 185 |
Whitemarsh Island | 186 |
Grayson | 187 |
Peachtree City | 188 |
Centerville | 189 |
Alpharetta | 190 |
Milton | 191 |
Evans | 192 |
Pooler | 193 |
Wilmington Island | 194 |
Skidaway Island | 195 |