The suburbs of Fort Worth call to all types of people looking to escape city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Fort Worth to avoid all the hustle and bustle.
So the question arises: do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Fort Worth ‘burbs need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Fort Worth area if you will. Realistically, you can only expect some of the suburbs to live up to Fort Worth proper, although Southlake certainly tries.
Of course, not all suburbs of Fort Worth are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones.
We examined the 60 biggest suburbs of Fort Worth to find out the worst places to live. And while you won’t necessarily find them on the worst places to live in Texas lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Fort Worth in terms of quality of life.
The 10 worst suburbs around Fort Worth for 2023
Now don’t freak out.
What’s the worst suburb of Fort Worth? Everman ranks as the worst suburb of Fort Worth for 2023 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Fort Worth that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
Or, if you’re thinking of moving to elsewhere in Texas check out the best places in Texas overall or the worst.
And remember, there are some good places to live around Fort Worth too.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
For more Texas reading, check out:
The 10 Worst Fort Worth Suburbs To Live For 2023
/10
Population: 6,148
Median Income: $45,581 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 11.2% (highest)
Median Home Value: $122,300 (2nd lowest)
More on Everman:
We’ll get the ball rolling with Everman, the absolute worst place to live around Fort Worth according to the data.
And in the world of worst rankings, Everman beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the worst in the Fort Worth area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 2nd worst when it comes to home values.
But hey, at least it’s cheap to live there. But there’s a reason for that… it’s Everman.
You won’t feel bad about not having a great income for the area. There aren’t a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.
/10
Population: 13,797
Median Income: $50,100 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.5% (4th highest)
Median Home Value: $130,500 (5th lowest)
More on Forest Hill:
Welcome to Forest Hill. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.
This city is 9.5 miles to Fort Worth. Income levels here are the 4th lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $50,100 a year, which only goes so far even on a shoestring budget.
But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.
/10
Population: 2,960
Median Income: $65,714 (15th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.8% (14th highest)
Median Home Value: $158,600 (10th lowest)
More on Reno:
Back up the highway we go for the third worst Fort Worth suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Reno on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that’s an understatement.
In terms of numbers, it’s in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school dropout rate is poor compared to other Fort Worth suburbs.
But at least there are lovely parks to bring the kids during the day.
/10
Population: 6,254
Median Income: $46,497 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.8% (22nd highest)
Median Home Value: $162,600 (12th lowest)
More on Keene:
If you live in Keene, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 2nd lowest Fort Worth suburb for median household incomes.
Not only that, but this is the 22nd worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Fort Worth. Remember, we looked at 60 cities for this study.
Keene is about 26.7 miles to downtown.
/10
Population: 5,363
Median Income: $54,007 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.0% (12th highest)
Median Home Value: $108,400 (lowest)
More on Sansom Park:
Sansom Park has the distinction of being a Fort Worth suburb. Which means that’s about all it has going for it.
All snarkiness aside, Sansom Park has the lowest home values in the metro Fort Worth area, where the median price is $108,400. The median income is $239,833.
Sansom Park has an unemployment rate of 6.0% which ranks 12th worst.
/10
Population: 3,858
Median Income: $54,088 (6th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.7% (9th highest)
Median Home Value: $122,600 (3rd lowest)
More on Cockrell Hill:
Cockrell Hill has 3,858 residents that probably know it’s a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you’ve ever been there, you don’t need to look at the data.)
Incomes are towards the bottom, and the poverty rate sits at 8.809648662821184%.
/10
Population: 30,984
Median Income: $55,159 (7th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8% (50th highest)
Median Home Value: $139,200 (8th lowest)
More on Cleburne:
Ah, Cleburne. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Fort Worth.
It’s the place with the 50th most out of work residents in the Fort Worth metro area (2.83%).
/10
Population: 4,710
Median Income: $78,958 (28th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (8th highest)
Median Home Value: $163,600 (13th lowest)
More on Lake Worth:
Lake Worth is a city about 5.3 miles from Fort Worth, but Fort Worth probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a worse place to live. Lake Worth has the 19th most uninsured people, 28th worst incomes, and has the 8th highest unemployment rate (6.88%) in the entire Fort Worth metro area.
Homes only cost $163,600 for a reason. That’s cheap for Fort Worth standards.
/10
Population: 18,040
Median Income: $49,627 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (32nd highest)
Median Home Value: $137,600 (7th lowest)
More on White Settlement:
If you absolutely have to live near Fort Worth, then White Settlement might be a place for you to consider as it’s only the 9th worst Fort Worth suburb.
About 4.17% of residents are out of work.
/10
Population: 2,274
Median Income: $60,625 (9th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.5% (18th highest)
Median Home Value: $122,800 (4th lowest)
More on Blue Mound:
Rounding out the ten worst Fort Worth suburbs to call home is Blue Mound.
Located 5.1 miles outside the city, Blue Mounds is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 18th highest unemployment rate (5.47%), and poverty is far above the area average.
Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Fort Worth for 2023
To figure out how bad a Fort Worth suburb is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what suburbs have the least amount of those things.
It’s Saturday Night Science.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2017-2021, this is the criteria we used:
- High unemployment rate
- Low median household incomes
- Low population density (no things to do)
- Low home values
- A lot of high school dropouts
- High poverty
- High rate of uninsured families
We defined a suburb as any town within 30 miles of Fort Worth.
We also limited the analysis to places with over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 60 suburbs to evaluate around Fort Worth.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 60 in each category, where 1 was the “worst.”
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index, the “Worst Suburb near Fort Worth.” We’re looking at you, Everman.
We updated this article for 2023, which reflects our tenth time ranking the worst suburbs around Fort Worth.
Summary: The areas around Fort Worth where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2023
Well there you have it — the worst of the ‘burbs surrounding Fort Worth with Everman casting itself ahead of the pack.
As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Fort Worth aren’t all bad. Southlake takes the cake as the best place to live around Fort Worth.
- Southlake
- Coppell
- Highland
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Detailed List Of The Worst Fort Worth Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Everman | 6,148 |
| 2 | Forest Hill | 13,797 |
| 3 | Reno | 2,960 |
| 4 | Keene | 6,254 |
| 5 | Sansom Park | 5,363 |
| 6 | Cockrell Hill | 3,858 |
| 7 | Cleburne | 30,984 |
| 8 | Lake Worth | 4,710 |
| 9 | White Settlement | 18,040 |
| 10 | Blue Mound | 2,274 |
| 11 | Duncanville | 40,575 |
| 12 | Grand Prairie | 195,992 |
| 13 | Alvarado | 4,660 |
| 14 | Springtown | 3,051 |
| 15 | Arlington | 392,304 |
| 16 | Irving | 254,184 |
| 17 | Cedar Hill | 48,968 |
| 18 | River Oaks | 7,623 |
| 19 | Weatherford | 30,385 |
| 20 | Azle | 13,157 |
| 21 | Crowley | 17,977 |
| 22 | Richland Hills | 8,505 |
| 23 | Venus | 4,140 |
| 24 | Ponder | 2,665 |
| 25 | Lewisville | 110,077 |
| 26 | Hurst | 40,114 |
| 27 | Joshua | 7,722 |
| 28 | Farmers Branch | 36,091 |
| 29 | Watauga | 23,649 |
| 30 | Euless | 60,134 |
| 31 | Benbrook | 24,248 |
| 32 | Pantego | 2,543 |
| 33 | Kennedale | 8,342 |
| 34 | Burleson | 47,230 |
| 35 | Willow Park | 4,815 |
| 36 | Saginaw | 23,676 |
| 37 | Carrollton | 131,388 |
| 38 | Grapevine | 50,548 |
| 39 | Hudson Oaks | 2,024 |
| 40 | North Richland Hills | 69,817 |
| 41 | Justin | 4,441 |
| 42 | Bedford | 49,576 |
| 43 | Mansfield | 71,375 |
| 44 | Roanoke | 9,270 |
| 45 | Northlake | 5,294 |
| 46 | Annetta | 2,990 |
| 47 | Dalworthington Gardens | 2,372 |
| 48 | Aledo | 4,692 |
| 49 | Hickory Creek | 4,669 |
| 50 | Corinth | 22,216 |
| 51 | Double Oak | 3,020 |
| 52 | Flower Mound | 75,050 |
| 53 | Haslet | 2,296 |
| 54 | Keller | 45,190 |
| 55 | Colleyville | 25,827 |
| 56 | Argyle | 4,336 |
| 57 | Trophy Club | 12,659 |
| 58 | Highland | 18,913 |
| 59 | Coppell | 42,420 |
| 60 | Southlake | 30,754 |
This ranking is seriously flawed. For example. Cleburne, most people do not work in the suburb they live. I work in Fort Worth, make very good money and I am moving to Cleburne for the prices. This is a great thing since the northern suburbs and Fort Worth have over inflated home prices. Those home are truly not worth their value. I am looking for fair market housing, low crime and Cleberne offers both.
How do you determine drop out rate? Those that drop out from Everman High School or those that live there that dropped out of high school from wherever?
I agree with Justin’s statement. My husband and I have great jobs with UT-Southwestern. We moved in May, 2019 to an amazing home in 76108: White Settlement. We have wonderful neighbors and a home that we can afford. The property taxes are not horrible and it takes 13 minutes to get to the hospital district in Fort Worth. We shop in one of the swanky areas just next to us in 76106. I frankly can’t understand why people diss White Settlement. We came from Southern California which is MUCH worse.
Lake worth has every bussiness you could ever need with less then 5000 residents… and within a short drive from all the neighborhoods as its played out with the businesses in the center with neiborhoods around the edges, the traffic can buildup during rush hour due to it being the main way to azle etc. lakeworth schools have Northside children bused in making the free to all breakfast and lunch policy due to poverty, yet this program has shown to benefit all classes of students in acually eatting breakfast. I dont even live in lakeworth but find it amazing the amount of bussiness the town has been able to support as the city I live in has 44000 people and cant get any businesses to invest nor stay in bussiness when they do.
Cockrell Hill is a Dallas suburb. Cockrell Hill is surrounded Dallas not Fort Worth.