Illinois City Slammed as America’s Worst—Again

It's the crown that no city wants to wear, but yet again a place in Illinois has been designated one of the worst places to live in America and it really is a war zone at times.

If you're unfortunate enough to be in this Illinois place at the wrong time, you run the great risk of being a victim of violent crime. Wolfram Alpha says there are approximately 683 crimes every single year here and that's being conservative. Best Places says that the crime rate overall in this Illinois city is more than 4 times the national average. That's why when you look at the new US News and World Report Best Places to Live for 2025 and 2026, you will not see this Illinois place anywhere near the top of the list.

What Illinois city was rated as one of the worst places to live?

East St. Louis, Illinois is again at the rock bottom of the places you want to make your life. A century ago, this was a thriving metro area with tons of history and culture. Now, it's population is barely more than 17,000. The Illinois State Police have conducted many surprise crackdowns on violent crime in the East St. Louis area which resulted in 45 felony charges just a few weeks ago. A few months before that there were 79 criminal charges during an East St. Louis sting.

At times, it's like a war zone

It's not all bad news for East St. Louis, Illinois, though. The murder rate plunged to a 6-year low recently. The hope is with the new Illinois State Police focus on cracking down on violent crime there that the city might have a fighting chance to return to its former glory. We can only hope.