We used to work in Danville & lived nearby. We moved to Mississippi and it’s such a vast improvement from there. Let that sink in.

I’m here in Monroe, LA. It’s a criminals dream. Spineless DA & coward politicians make this the cesspool city to avoid. However, there are a large group of us busting our asses to hold these people accountable. Regular every day people are trying to make it better. But…..your assessment was pretty damn spot on. Love your content. Come to Monroe for a long weekend & I will show you enough stuff for it’s own episode. God Bless. Be safe

Thank you for providing such a depressing start to the weekend. On the other hand, one can rejoice at not living in one of these places.

I could be wrong, but I suspect that the majority of the violent crimes in Fairbanks Alaska are committed by people who know one another, as opposed to the more random "stranger on stranger" crimes you see in most big cities to the south in the contiguous states. I think that depression and cabin fever have a lot to do with it, along with the drugs.

"If you don't get killed by lead in the drinking water you could get killed by lead another way" 😂😂😂😂

Weird! I have relatives in all these towns. I wonder if that's the cause?

I used to dispatch ambulances in E.St.Louis. There were no lay-offs.

Visited Alaska last year; yeah, Fairbanks seemed pretty sketchy and depressing, which wasn't helped by some of the worst wildfire smoke I've ever seen. I think that smoke gave me either a cold or allergy attack (those can be hard to tell apart).

I always look forward to the videos here. Reliable, fair, solid foundation, educational, and informative. Always a great source of actionable data for weighing options. 👍

Hope all is well. I would like to suggest a video that covers the best states / cities for veterans or military retirees (like me) to retire to. I currently live in Military city USA (San Antonio) but would consider looking to be somewhere cooler and with more green areas and water. I know you frequently mention your time in the Army so this might be a good topic to share with your fellow veterans. And.... Veterans day is just a few moths away. Cheers

Born and raised in Danville. Was a nice area to grow up in. Mid 70-80's brought in the prison and the downside started. Then the state using it as a dumping ground for the Cabrini Greens trash some years back and that was the final nail in the headstone. Unfortunately they have a very useless mayor who doesn't want to change it. So Danville is doomed to only get worse...sad to say about where I grew up...But it's the Truth

Several items you didn't mention about East St. Louis: 1. In the 1980's the city could not pay a workers comp claim and the judge awarded the injured worker city hall as payment. 2. The police force at one time did not have any operating police cars. There was a murder of someone driving through town at night. Shot while stopped at a stop light. So the city removed the requirement to stop at a stop light. 3. During the 1970's as the town was in steep decline, a group of downtown businesses tried to get the state to buy their downtown property and build a new airport for the area.

I'm SHOCKED not one town from Mississippi made the list.

It's really sad how the water looked during the Flint, Michigan segment. Really gross. Great video!👍🏾

Briggs: People that are living in their vans... Me: Down by the ... Briggs: Theres no river... Me: Damnit!

Great videos! Do some on Canada too, please!

"there were beaches in the Normandy invasion that had lower rates of violence... " priceless... thank you for making me laugh, Briggs

I was thinking about Benton Harbor, Michigan. It's a place you roll up the windows and lock the doors when you must drive through town to get to St. Joseph, which is a very cool town on Lake Michigan.

My grandma is from Danville. They knew the Van Dykes. She used to talk about Dick VanDyke as if he was her friend from down the street.

The bright spot in this video was when you showed the picture of Allsup's in the Gallup segment. I grew up in New Mexico, and Allsup's chimichangas are one of the few things I look forward to when I visit.

I've grown up and lived in Saginaw for my entire life, I live in the township now but still have been in the area for 33 years. Saginaw is violent, but it's slowly getting better. People do honestly care and want to make this city great again. We are trying to change the perspective of outsiders and it's slowly getting there. A ton of investment is happening downtown due to us getting the OHL Memorial Cup this year and change is honestly good for this city. You just need to know where not to go at night, which is easy since I work and drive through most of those areas.

Was waiting for some town in New Mexico to pop up, and there it was at #4. Good ole Gallup. Lived there in the late 70s to mid 80s, and I think it's actually better now..well, maybe cleaner. Actually Gallup holds a special place in my heart. Met a lot of good folks there, but when I talk to inner city yutes from LA or Chicago who talk about how rough their neighborhood was, I kind of take it all with a grain of salt.

You need to visit Kinsington in Philadelphia. Biggest open air drug use area. It's the worst of the worst..

I can safely say that both Saginaw and Flint are depressing areas to live in because the workforce in both of those cities were reliant only on one industry. I'm surprised though that Warren and Youngstown Ohio weren't included on the list.

"I don't have the time or the crayons" 😂 gonna use that one...

Great video! Thanks Briggs.

Casper, Wyoming gets my vote. I've been all over the country and Casper is the worst place I've been. I spent a month there for work in 2017. The population at the time was 55,000. If you ever find out you only have six months to live, you should move to Casper because it will be the longest six months of your life. There's nothing there except a mostly empty, run-down mall. There aren't any good restaurants or shopping or recreation. There's no culture. There's a movie theater but I never saw any cars in front of it. The people seem depressed or at least complacent. I didn't meet anybody there who had any kind of interests or motivation or enthusiasm for anything. I don't know about the violent crime rate. I never saw any crime and there were very few homeless people, but I know the town has a huge meth problem. Most people there acknowledge it. I went to Cheyenne a few times just to get away from Casper for a while, but it isn't much better. It's basically just like Casper, only bigger. I'm normally a cheerful, optimistic person but it was hard not to let it bring me down. I was never so happy to leave a place. When I drove out of Casper the last time, it felt like Christmas. I was so happy and excited to be going anywhere else. Arriving in Denver felt like a dream. Cost of living is difficult everywhere now, including Denver, but I would rather be homeless on the street in Denver than in a big fancy house in Casper. Any time I get stressed or discouraged, I just remember that I'm not in Casper anymore and it makes me feel better.

Cant believe Cairo, Illinois wasn’t a part of this list.

I’ve been through Gallup, New Mexico multiple times and Monroe, Louisiana once. For Monroe, I made sure not to get off the Bus. Gallup, I’ve been been through by Bus and by Car. Didn’t get off the Bus in Gallup. The only time I ever exited a Vehicle was when I had to get Gas in Gallup. I sure as hell didn’t stick around. They both give off that vibe of “Nope, I ain’t sticking around”.

I visited Fairbanks about 20 years ago and it reminded me of a bigger version of Tahoe City... I can't imagine it having gone downhill so bad...

Thanks Briggs great video

I remember driving through East Saint Louis when I was a teenager and my uncle and I did a cross country road trip. We didn’t stop there. It looked like a battlefield. The same thing could be said about Baltimore. We were there during a garbage strike- I’m sure that didn’t help things I’m sure! Duluth wasn’t much different. I’m sure every place has nice neighborhoods- that’s just what I saw while driving through on vacation and I had limited time at each place. FYI- the most dangerous places in America are in rural areas. You can check the statistics on the internet.

As a Hosier I was disappointed that Gary didn't at least get honorable mention!

Really appreciated the “living in a van down by the river” joke when talking about Commerce 😂

Nice 👍 video, very interesting. I have been to Fairbanks once and it seemed OK, but that was a while ago. Commerce isn’t great but having lived in Los Angeles area, I’d live in Commerce before some of the other towns that are worse in the LA area and would definitely live in Commerce before I’d live in East St Louis or Flint which were further down the list. I hope New Mexico gets better, I really like the state and would consider retiring there but the problem is the places you would want to live Santa Fe and Taos are expensive and everywhere else just has crime rates higher than what I am comfortable with.

Thanks for the warnings.

Another one to add to the list... East Cleveland Ohio. It's so bad... Two cops just got arrested for stealing from people they pulled over and arrested. This was were I was raised. This is why I left the Cleveland area all together! 😂

Have to laugh. I had a BIL who lived in Gallup for 2 years and yeah, that was no garden spot. The poverty there is really unfortunate. Also had a sister who lived between Flint and Saginaw and also...just headed south with the demise of GM and so few jobs. Also, the governor and his govt aides screwed over Flint in handling the lead pollution issue...unconscionable and gov seal the fate of his defeat largely due to mismanagement like this.

Sorry to hear about Fairbanks, Alaska. I visited there once, and it was actually sunny and a warm 80 degrees that day. Kinda nice for Alaska. The Chena River is alright. Has a nice looking University.Our hotel downtown seemed okay. I didn't realize little Fairbanks was so ghetto. I would still visit Alaska and Fairbanks again. Nearby Denali National Park is so awesome.

I just heard that in Las Vegas a family of a coworker of mine locks themselves into their bedrooms at night, fearful of someone breaking into their house in a nice area of town. I wonder if Vegas will be in the video on larger towns. Another coworker mentioned bars on the windows of a family member's house in Tucson. Sounded like some NYC apartments.

I was surprised to see Danville Illinois on the list. Had relatives that lived there. Sorry to see that the city went downhill.😢

I'm surprized that Newburgh NY did not make the list.

Oakland, CA, AVOID this plague of a town with every fiber of your soul!! Military train medics here for the amount of high impact weapon injuries that Occur on Pulic streets!!!

@5:10. That was a funny one Briggs HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! It's that old soldier sense of humor in you kicking in.

Though Flint is indeed a dump, with a population of 81,252, it seems a bit high to be called a town.

definitely agree with Flint. My family grew up in the area and we always avoided Flint.

I was almost sent to Fairbanks AK to work! Luckily I avoided it for now. Monroe I have been through many times and it's just depressing.

Hey Briggs great video like always. Could you do a video on affordable places to live in New England?

Not surprised to see a town in Oklahoma on here, but I’m suprised it’s not McAlester. Used to go to Muskogee for some fairs (renaissance fair in particular) when I lived in Oklahoma.

The only city on the list I have been to is Muskogee Oklahoma. I've driven through there (not to there) many times. I've only stopped there at gas stations to use the generally filthy rest rooms, and maybe buy a soft drink. I don't like to leave my car parked at these establishments very long.

Wow!! Muskogee, Ok. That's the town from that great Merle Haggard song : "Okie from Muskogee" ..."where even squares have a ball"

How did Mississippi & Alabama towns escape being on this list?

I live 70 miles from Fairbanks. We have to make weekly (if we're lucky) trips to shop or see doctors. Fairbanks is a kinda ugly town. Alaska has advantages, though. Cheapest houses in the area are less than 70,000bucks (dry cabins, haul yer own water.) No income tax, no sales tax (mostly,) no or low property tax. Plus, with the PFD (google it) a poor family with 5 kids gets $10,000 to 20,000 a year. Subsistence hunting and fishing is common (get several hundred lbs of meat a year, 50 lbs of fish.) Poor folk can do OK here. Alas, booze and crack are way too common. (nuthin else to do in the winter they think.)

I had an Air Force friend from Pine Bluff. I went and visited her home and I thought it was great!. But again that was 30 years ago. How sad.

I live a stones throw from Monroe LA and I have to agree, it's a cesspool especially the south side. My daughter goes to college at ULM and all my Doctors are located there.

As a born and raised Shreveporter I thought Monroe was a quiet place the few times I visited. Seems that has REALLY changed.

My parents took me on a road trip to Las Vegas, NV back in 1992. On the way we passed through Gallup, NM. We had some of the best barbecue at a restaurant there. You could eat the bone because they smoke the ribs for so long. I don't remember the name of the restaurant unfortunately. It was very Native American oriented with all the different shops selling crafts.

Everywhere in the states cant be as bad as glasgow scotland i be happy move anywhere in us as long am away from uk

When you think about it, there are dozens of towns and areas in America that really,really suck.

As someone born and raised in Saginaw Michigan i agree that it sucks 😂 ive been in the Denver metro area for a decade almost and cant imagine what itd be like to move back home 😂

GREETINGS FROM THE PPRC GREAT VIDEO.DON’T THINK ANY OF THESE ARE GOING TO WORK FOR ME. 🇺🇸🍺🍺

How tf is gary Indiana not on this list

Hey. I see a glaring problem here. Flint has well over 50k. I thought that was one of the prerequisites of being on this list

Every state has it's bad towns but I'm surprised Louisiana didn't take more spots cause the criminals down here work overtime to keep the stats up.

Having spent some time in both, but never lived in either, I would pick Monroe over Pine Bluff any day. Monroe just doesn't seem as hopeless as PB...

I have very recently taken up bicycle touring on an ecargo bike. I also like Amtrak but the bike is the best way to feel the vibe of a general location. This technology came through right in time for me as I am 58 years old.

When I moved to flagstaff, Arizona we had to drove from indiana to Arizona. We stopped in Gallup,NM actually. The surrounding area is actually very pretty but yeah there's a lot of crime.

I lived in fairbanks for several years and I think it was a great town.

No surprise to me that Crime Bluff was in the top 5.

Always nice when my hometown does not make a list like this.

I totally agree on monroe. and the comments on my video were NASTY man!

Please, one about the States with the most car accidents. 😊

I don't even like stopping for gas in Gallup. That place has a bad vibe you can't miss.

Very true about Gallup NM I used to live there in ABQ NM and so it is how I know that it's bad out in Gallup NM. That was way back in the aughts too so I can only imagine how it is today given the new governor was just on the national news about gun laws and gun crimes. There's an upheaval over it now.

great again

Even sunny Florida has some really dreadful smaller towns ... and I mean dreadful: Belle Glade, Clewiston, Florida City, Opa Locka.

👍👍 but amazing

Did anybody catch that “Van down By the River “ Reference at 5:50😂 it’s so funny because my Dad was telling me about it and showed the video just the other day, he said it was something he used to watch when he was younger, and the fact that this video makes a reference to something I barely found a few days ago is mind boggling, gives me a sense of deja vu if that makes sense.

Good video - although, having grown up in NE Okla, I’m here to tell you Muskogee was a tough town back in the 70s. But wife protests Monroe is #1. “Everyone in Louisiana knows Shreveport is a much bigger dumpster fire than Monroe. They’re both dumpster fires, but Shreveport’s a bigger dumpster.”😊

Briggs I worked for USPHS/IHS as a Nurse Midwife at Chinle AZ on the Navajo Reservation & Gallup was where we had to drive to use an ATM or find a second rate movie! Ne ER was shot but shooting guns for recreational target practice was a new hobby I found living there! Weird? Yes!! Regards Geti

My idea of "cold" is any temperature under 20F. For that alone, I could not DO "Fairbanks". I've been to eight out of ten of the towns you mentioned, and I can vouch for their awfulness. I'm surprised Cairo, Illinois wasn't mentioned on your list. Cairo is even more appalling than East St. Louis. Danville, IL is a paradise next to Cairo. I don't know if you've done a video on Cairo, but it's well worth the visit if just to document what blatant racism and incredibly poor public planning can do to a town. I have a passionate interest in geography, and I really enjoy your videos.

No Camden, NJ?

I lived in LA and Orange County for more than 35 years, and Commerce wouldn't even make my top 20 for worst towns in that metro. Just look at a few of the towns that border Commerce that are worse. Bell Gardens, Maywood, Bell, Pico Rivera, and there are plenty of other towns like Lynwood, Compton, Huntington Park, Hawthorne, Lomita, Santa Ana, Basset, El Monte, and way too many more to mention. All of those places-Trash!

Gone south... like Antarctica south. I love that one Briggs!!!

Surprised Barstow California didn't make it on the list. Something like 300% violent crime rate, 30% live below the poverty line, and like 1 in 250 people are homeless.

I wasn’t surprised about most of these towns on the list. I knew that they all are very bad areas.

Just curious, what is your source(s) for this data? I didn't see it listed in the description.

A better metric than the percentages ( because violent crime is low in the US overall ), would be violent crimes per capita for the given town. Astonished at the price of homes in Alaska!

Did not expect Monroe to be #1

Nice

Shocking Illinois and Michigan have 2 each in the worst towns in the USA😂

Every time Briggs mentions train tracks as a negative: *cries in conductor*

The kid just moved to Sagnaw MI, on the west side. Paid 93,000 for it.

I love that song Saginaw, Michigan.

Know what briggs you should be given credit for replying to your comments. Most youtubers don't even bother. Kudos to you 💯

I have driven through most of these towns. Honestly, I stepped on it...I am quite sure I have never stopped in any of these dumps.

I’m surprised Benton Harbor, Michigan is not on this list

Not surprised by some. East St. Louis, Pine Bluff Ark, Gallup New Mexico, been to everyone of these places. Somewhat surprised by Muskogee Oklahoma, i know its poor, but never had issues. Very surprised about Commerce California, i have a semi regular pickup there back to Oklahoma. Wouldn't want to live there, but except for traffic, never had an issue with it

BOUGHT A HUD home in Cahokia Illinois (might just as well be E St Louis)on line in the early 2000s bought it for less than $1500 soldit for $3500- $4000 (can't remember) paid the agent $1000 did nothing to it .Bought some homes in Belleville Illinois (because there was a drum corps from there in the 70s that my group competed with very nice group),nearby Belleville has an ordinance when you sell a home all its systems must be up to current code .keeps the prices up but I was told by a city inspector IT KEEPS East St Louis and Cahokia from moving over to Belleville

A few videos back you mentioned a town in Indiana where the crime rate was so high, they stopped delivering mail. It didn't make the list??