Even though Oklahoma is well known for its wide range of landscapes, rich cultural history, and friendly people, there are still some parts of the state that are not the best places to live. These areas have a number of obstacles that discourage both locals and tourists, such as high rates of crime, low salaries, inadequate educational options, and more.
This article explores the Oklahoman city that has gained the dubious distinction of being the least attractive place to live, supported by an extensive analysis of numerous variables and statistics.
The Standards
In order to determine which Oklahoman city is the least livable, we have carefully evaluated the following criteria:
- The term “violent crime rate” refers to the quantity of violent crimes—such as robbery, assault, rape, and murder—per 100,000 people.
- Property Crime Rate: This measures how many property crimes (such as auto theft, burglary, and theft of motor vehicles) there are for every 100,000 people.
- The percentage of the work force that is unemployed is known as the unemployment rate.
- Poverty Rate: This expresses the proportion of the populace that lives in poverty.
- Owner-occupied dwelling units’ median value is shown by the term “median home value.”
- Median Household Income: This indicates the city’s median household income.
The most recent information available from organizations like the FBI, the U.S. Census Bureau, and other trustworthy sources was included in our data sources. Based on these factors, we gave each city a score between 0 and 100, where 100 represents the least favorable outcome. The city that receives the highest score is arguably the worst place to live in the entire state of Oklahoma.
The Worst City
Idabel has achieved the dreadful distinction of being Oklahoma’s worst city to live in for the year 2023. Located in the southeast, close to the borders of Texas and Arkansas, Idabel is home to 6,879 people and has a dreadful 89.5 out of 100 rating.
Idabel has the dubious distinction of being the least desirable place in Oklahoma to call home for a number of reasons:
- At 1,301 violent offenses per 100,000 population, Idabel has the disgraceful distinction of having the highest violent crime rate in the state. This means that the likelihood of becoming a victim of a violent crime in Idabel is an astounding 1 in 77, significantly higher than the state average of 1,106 per 100,000 people.
- With 8,795 property crimes per 100,000 residents, the city also boasts the highest property crime rate in the state. This depressing data means that there is a startling 1 in 11 likelihood of experiencing property crime in Idabel, a much higher probability than the state average of 4,977 per 100,000 residents.
- In addition, 9.9% of Idabel’s labor force faces unemployment, making it the second-highest unemployment rate in the state. This percentage is far higher than the 5.4% state average.
- With a startling 35.7% of its people living below the poverty line, the city has the third-highest rate of poverty in the state, which is significantly higher than the state average of 15.6%.
- At a pitiful $54,800 for houses, Idabel has the lowest median home value in the state—much less than the $147,800 state average.
- To exacerbate the situation even more, the city’s median household income, at $30,833, is the fourth lowest in the state, well below the $54,449 state average.
In summary
Idabel is the least desirable place to live in the state of Oklahoma based on the strict criteria we’ve used. This city struggles with high rates of unemployment and poverty, poor incomes, declining property prices, and frighteningly high rates of crime.
Life in Idabel may have several positive aspects, including being close to nature and experiencing different cultures, but these are unfortunately eclipsed by the problems that are always present. Therefore, unless there is an extremely strong reason to do so, we are unable to suggest living in or visiting Idabel with a clear conscience.