The 10 Worst Places To Live In Florida For 2023

The 10 Worst Places To Live In Florida For 2023

You have to work pretty hard to get 1/10 on our SnackAbility score, but Pahokee, the worst place in Florida, found a way. Situated about an hour west of West Palm Beach on the banks of Lake Okeechobee, Pahokee has too many problems to count.

The poverty rate sits at 35.2%, the unemployment rate is a woeful 23.6% (the worst in Florida), and those that do have jobs aren’t exactly swimming in cash. The median household income in Pahokee is $30,753.

Violent crime is high, and the high school dropout rate is the 4th worst statewide.

It’s a real shame, too, because Pahokee has some truly magnificent spots, like Pahokee State Park, an excellent spot for fishing, boating, camping, and hiking around Lake Okeechobee.

Look, we didn’t name Opa Locka one of Miami’s worst suburbs without good cause. Home to fast food joints, Kmart, Big Lots, and plenty of gas stations, Opa Locka is not anyone’s definition of an aesthetically-pleasing place to live.

The city had the 2nd highest overall crime rate in Florida over 2021, which makes sense in a place with a poverty rate over 40%. In fact, the median household income of $27,734 ranks as the 2nd lowest in Florida.

If Opa Locka has one saving grace, it’s that it offers easy access to Miami, so you’ve got things like Dolphin Mall and Zoo Miami is just down the road.

A PBS documentary entitled “Murder of a Small Town” covered Belle Glade back in 2015. It delt with the city’s decline into high unemployment, crime rates, and drug use over the past few years, all of which contributed to Belle Glade ending up as Florida’s 4th worst place.

With all that going on, it’s no shock that the population, employees, median household income, and median property values are all going down in Belle Glade. And those drops are compounding already horrible issues; Belle Glade has the 9th lowest median household income in Florida at $32,963.

Belle Glade’s unemployment rate of 14.0% is the 2nd worst in Florida as well, and with the 2nd highest high school dropout rate statewide, the city isn’t exactly setting itself up for success in the future.

Situated between Jacksonville and Gainesville, Starke ranks as Florida’s 5th worst place to call home.

Starke does have Kingsley Lake, a perfectly-circular lake that’s popular for fishing and swimming. While this and plenty of state parks make for many pleasant places for outdoorsmen and women, Starke itself is pretty light on fun stuff to do (unless you count Walmart or Piggly Wiggly).

What’s even more problematic than Starke’s high poverty rate is the fact that the median household income here dropped by a whopping 20% over the year, down to $43,339. That, and a crime rate that’s nearly double the national average.

From Miami’s south we turn to North Miami, Florida’s 8th worst place to live. For starters, North Miami’s overall crime rate is 90% higher than the national average.

And if you are hurt, you might have to contend with significant medical expenses out-of-pocket, considering North Miami has the 3rd highest rate of uninsured residents anywhere in Florida.

Beyond that, housing is quite pricey for a place where over 20% of the population is below the poverty line, and 1 out of 12 people is out of work.

One thing to note: North Miami did score a 10/10 SnackAbility score for its awesome amenities, like The Ancient Spanish Monastery and nearby Oleta River State Park, a truly beautiful spot that may help you forget you live in Florida’s #8 worst city overall.

We’re taking our first trip to the Florida Panhandle to reach the state’s 9th worst place to call home, Marianna. Like a few places on this list, Marianna offers quite a bit for those who like to spend their time outdoors.

There are miles of spring-fed rivers, ponds, and lakes, and the Florida Caverns State Park is a truly one-of-a-kind site.

That’s all great — if you’re just visiting Marianna. The local economy is in shambles, with a 5% drop in employees over the last year. The median household income is the lowest in Florida at $27,427, and the poverty rate is nearly 40%.