The 10 Worst Fort Worth Suburbs For 2022


We used science and data to determine which Fort Worth suburbs are the real pits.

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Not everyone is cut out for city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Fort Worth.

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 science and data 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't expect all 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.

Here are the 10 worst suburbs around Fort Worth for 2022:

  1. Forest Hill
  2. Everman
  3. Cleburne
  4. Reno
  5. Sansom Park
  6. White Settlement
  7. Cockrell Hill
  8. Keene
  9. Blue Mound
  10. Duncanville

What's the worst suburb of Fort Worth? Forest Hill ranks as the worst suburb of Fort Worth for 2022 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.

Editor's Note: If you see a slight difference between the worst in state rankings and this suburb ranking, it's because of the methodology. We needed a way to include more places, so we eliminated crime and commute times as criteria for this analysis.

For more Texas reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Fort Worth Suburbs To Live For 2022

We'll get the ball rolling with Forest Hill, the absolute worst place to live around Fort Worth according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, Forest Hill beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the 2nd worst in the Fort Worth area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks 5th 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 Forest Hill.

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.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 12,964
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $47,308 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.9% (2nd highest)
Median Home Value: $111,300 (5th lowest)
More on Forest Hill:  Data | Photos

Forest Hill, TX

Welcome to Everman. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 11.2 miles to Fort Worth. Income levels here are the 3rd lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $48,007 a year, which doesn't go a long ways even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,232
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $48,007 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 11.9% (highest)
Median Home Value: $104,900 (2nd lowest)
More on Everman:  Data | Photos

Everman, TX

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Fort Worth suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Cleburne 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 drop out rate is poor compared to other Fort Worth suburbs.

But at least there are nice parks to bring the kids during the day.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 30,812
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $51,475 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (2highest)
Median Home Value: $130,200 (8th lowest)
More on Cleburne:  Data | Photos

Cleburne, TX

If you live in Reno, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 14th lowest Fort Worth suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 8th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Fort Worth. Remember, we looked at 60 cities for this study.

Reno is about 17.2 miles to downtown.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 3,106
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 2)
Median Income: $61,591 (14th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 8.2% (8th highest)
Median Home Value: $151,300 (13th lowest)
More on Reno:  Data

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 $92,900. To put that into perspective, in Southlake, the median income is $223,621, which is the best in the area.

Sansom Park has an unemployment rate of 5.94% which ranks 12th worst.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 5,593
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Median Income: $55,465 (7th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.9% (12th highest)
Median Home Value: $92,900 (lowest)
More on Sansom Park:  Data

White Settlement has 17,716 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 11.186657368665736%.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 17,716
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Median Income: $50,203 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (20th highest)
Median Home Value: $126,800 (7th lowest)
More on White Settlement:  Data | Photos

White Settlement, TX

Ah, Cockrell Hill. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Fort Worth.

It's the place with the 19th most out of work residents in the Fort Worth metro area (5.14%).

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 4,200
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Median Income: $58,137 (11th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.1% (19th highest)
Median Home Value: $109,200 (3rd lowest)
More on Cockrell Hill:  Data | Photos

Cockrell Hill, TX

Keene is a city about 26.7 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. Keene has the 3rd most uninsured people, worst incomes, and has the 42nd highest unemployment rate (3.29%) in the entire Fort Worth metro area.

Homes only cost $141,900 for a reason. That's cheap for Fort Worth standards.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 6,456
Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 1)
Median Income: $44,105 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 3.3% (42nd highest)
Median Home Value: $141,900 (10th lowest)
More on Keene:  Data | Photos

Keene, TX

Source: Public domain

If you absolutely have to live near Fort Worth, then Blue Mound might be a place for you to consider as it's only the 9th worst Fort Worth suburb.

About 5.94% of residents are out of work.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 2,317
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 4)
Median Income: $54,167 (6th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.9% (13th highest)
Median Home Value: $111,000 (4th lowest)
More on Blue Mound:  Data

Rounding out the ten worst Fort Worth suburbs to call home is Duncanville.

Located 26.8 miles outside the city, Duncanvilles is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 4th highest unemployment rate (9.05%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 39,096
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $57,614 (8th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 9.0% (4th highest)
Median Home Value: $164,800 (17th lowest)
More on Duncanville:  Data | Photos

Duncanville, TX

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Fort Worth for 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2016-2020, 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 drop outs
  • High poverty
  • High rate of uninsured families

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Fort Worth.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have 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 lookin' at you, Forest Hill. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the worst of the worst. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The areas around Fort Worth where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2022

Well there you have it -- the worst of the 'burbs surrounding Fort Worth with Forest Hill 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
  • Highland
  • Coppell

For more Texas reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Fort Worth Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 Forest Hill 12,964 $47,308 $111,300
2 Everman 6,232 $48,007 $104,900
3 Cleburne 30,812 $51,475 $130,200
4 Reno 3,106 $61,591 $151,300
5 Sansom Park 5,593 $55,465 $92,900
6 White Settlement 17,716 $50,203 $126,800
7 Cockrell Hill 4,200 $58,137 $109,200
8 Keene 6,456 $44,105 $141,900
9 Blue Mound 2,317 $54,167 $111,000
10 Duncanville 39,096 $57,614 $164,800
11 Grand Prairie 193,835 $69,171 $174,300
12 Arlington 397,269 $63,351 $188,100
13 Springtown 3,059 $58,929 $146,000
14 Irving 240,475 $66,567 $196,500
15 Lake Worth 4,932 $74,792 $148,300
16 Alvarado 4,282 $57,653 $141,800
17 River Oaks 7,653 $58,696 $117,800
18 Cedar Hill 48,337 $75,715 $189,700
19 Weatherford 32,110 $68,184 $202,800
20 Joshua 7,818 $57,883 $196,400
21 Crowley 15,972 $76,677 $162,500
22 Azle 12,950 $76,924 $181,300
23 Venus 4,027 $85,938 $176,200
24 Ponder 2,394 $73,971 $214,900
25 Watauga 24,487 $75,648 $156,600
26 Farmers Branch 42,659 $73,695 $210,600
27 Lewisville 107,740 $67,026 $232,800
28 Hurst 38,783 $64,441 $209,000
29 Euless 56,334 $67,181 $213,700
30 Willow Park 5,585 $101,048 $257,600
31 Pantego 2,479 $66,250 $251,000
32 Richland Hills 7,999 $64,038 $157,600
33 Benbrook 23,337 $73,945 $199,300
34 Kennedale 8,393 $79,928 $224,000
35 Justin 4,125 $88,594 $225,100
36 Burleson 47,151 $77,329 $198,200
37 Carrollton 137,319 $82,345 $267,100
38 North Richland Hills 70,585 $75,563 $232,200
39 Grapevine 54,151 $94,363 $338,700
40 Hudson Oaks 2,613 $115,938 $325,100
41 Roanoke 8,810 $100,888 $341,300
42 Saginaw 23,835 $89,533 $184,800
43 Bedford 49,145 $71,644 $234,700
44 Annetta 3,178 $139,552 $305,400
45 Hickory Creek 4,716 $121,913 $326,100
46 Northlake 3,182 $92,750 $435,900
47 Dalworthington Gardens 2,192 $111,979 $418,400
48 Mansfield 71,419 $102,388 $279,200
49 Aledo 4,767 $109,303 $268,900
50 Corinth 21,881 $104,239 $269,900
51 Double Oak 3,099 $167,000 $493,500
52 Flower Mound 78,854 $139,703 $376,500
53 Keller 46,885 $149,342 $412,800
54 Colleyville 26,766 $171,485 $567,600
55 Trophy Club 11,904 $155,635 $444,800
56 Haslet 2,276 $151,458 $439,500
57 Argyle 4,278 $190,500 $514,400
58 Coppell 41,494 $128,476 $414,000
59 Highland 19,012 $146,177 $599,700
60 Southlake 31,684 $223,621 $697,000

How Is Your Town In ?

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst suburbs around Fort Worth.
 Worst