A recent review identified the top US cities that people should move out of but, for different reasons, are staying put. This is by analysing factors such as personal income, crime level, air quality index, unemployment rates, searches for “Moving out of [city],” population change from 2020 to 2024 as well as the cost of living index.
The assessment indicates that Camden, New Jersey, tops the ranking with the highest crime level at 87.5 and the second-highest unemployment rate as of July at 4.7 percent, making it the mist unattractive area to live in.
On another measure, Springfield, Massachusetts, has the highest cost of living index at 148.4.
The review comes from the firm Rocket Moving and this examined all 50 states and their cities, using seven key factors to identify why residents should consider moving out. The analysis considered annual personal income, crime rates, air quality, unemployment, population change, cost of living, and Google searches for “moving out.”
Each factor was weighted based on its perceived impact, with crime rates and population change given the highest importance.
The composite score for each city was calculated by multiplying the standardized values by their respective weights and scaling them from 0 to 100 using Min-Max scaling. The final rankings reveal the cities where residents are most likely to consider leaving based on financial, social, environmental, and public sentiment factors.
The main outcomes were:
| State | City | Level of crime | Air Quality Index | Unemployment Rates as of July (%) | Population Change from 2020 to 2024 | Cost of Living Index | Composite score |
| New Jersey | Camden | 87.50 | 52 | 4.70 | 53 | 114.1 | 100.0 |
| Ohio | Cleveland | 73.77 | 75 | 4.50 | -10,199 | 94.0 | 98.5 |
| Illinois | Rockford | 82.09 | 55 | 5.20 | -1,019 | 90.8 | 98.3 |
| California | Stockton | 84.91 | 46 | 4.90 | -172 | 134.5 | 97.8 |
| Missouri | St. Louis | 84.32 | 59 | 3.80 | -7,186 | 88.4 | 95.4 |
| Colorado | Pueblo | 75.09 | 17 | 3.90 | -23 | 105.5 | 95.0 |
| Hawaii | Honolulu | 51.63 | 42 | 2.90 | -9,017 | 179.0 | 94.7 |
| Georgia | Macon | 86.23 | 42 | 3.40 | -3,364 | 91.0 | 92.5 |
| Maryland | Baltimore | 86.84 | 56 | 2.80 | -6,659 | 119.5 | 92.1 |
| Massachusetts | Springfield | 85.82 | 48 | 3.50 | 649 | 148.4 | 91.4 |
According to the table, third spot goes to Rockford, Illinois, takes third place with a composite score of 98.3, just slightly behind Cleveland. It shows a high crime rate of 82.09 and the highest unemployment rate among the cities at 5.2 percent. Additionally, Rockford has a relatively high number of Google searches for “moving out,” at 200,200, the second-highest on the list, which shows the residents’ inclination to move out of the city.
Stockton, California, ranks fourth with a composite score of 97.8, primarily driven by the highest number of searches for “moving out” at 487,200. While Stockton has a higher personal income level of $3,218,470 compared to other cities on the list, it still struggles with a high crime rate of 84.91 and a high cost of living index of 134.5.
St. Louis, Missouri, places fifth with a score of 95.4. It shares similar crime levels with Stockton at 84.32 but has a comparatively lower unemployment rate of 3.8%. Despite this, the city experienced a significant population decrease of 7,186 people, highlighting a consistent trend of residents choosing to relocate, likely due to ongoing social challenges and moderate economic conditions.
Overall, the range of factors are complex. High crime rates and unemployment offer leading reasons for moving to some areas, yet other factors like community ties or affordable housing also function keep people in place.
