Forbes magazine has listed the 10 most miserable American cities in which to live, according to a modification of the "Misery Index" set forth by economist Arthur Okun: It combines each city's unemployment rate with its inflation rate; and, for good measure, Forbes considers miscellaneous factors that people tend to consider irritating, also.
Here is the list, in ascending order (with the acquisition of the #1 spot being a rather dubious honor):
#10: New York, New York
#9: Lake County, Illinois
#8: Stockton, California
#7: Warren, Michigan
#6: Vallejo, California
#5: Modesto, California
#4: Chicago, Illinois
#3: Rockford, Illinois
#2: Flint, Michigan
#1: Detroit, Michigan
Interestingly, after New York nailed down the #10 position, just three states--Illinois, California, and Michigan--divided up the rest of the pie.
Just a thought: Does anyone else notice a rather strong correlation here, between these states and a list of reliably blue states?
