In a country as large and eclectic as the United States, where you live has a massive impact on your quality of life. State and local governments play a significant role in the economy, contributing nearly 15% of the national gross domestic product and more than 20 million jobs, according to a March 2024 report from the Department of the Treasury. But across the country, those numbers can translate to wildly varying living standards for Americans.
Most of America's major metropolises—from San Francisco to New York City—face specific infrastructure struggles. Many cities lack proper preparation for climate catastrophes, as evidenced by the July 2025 flooding that killed two and drenched subway stations in New York and New Jersey. Then there are mounting concerns about housing and cost-of-living affordability, which may have helped democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani win the Democratic primary election for New York mayor in June 2025. And to top it off, there's the ever-present issue of health care access, which could become even more pressing after President Donald Trump slashed federal funding for Medicaid by passing his "big, beautiful bill" in July 2025.
It's no wonder that so many Americans are stressed, and certain cities have residents who are more on edge than others. WalletHub's data-based breakdown of the most and least stressed cities in the U.S., which was released in July 2025, showed Detroit, Cleveland, and Baltimore as having the most anxiety in the air. Without giving away their placement on the list below, we'll just note that those three cities are also on the list of the worst-run cities, and there's no question that poor city management can exacerbate the above-mentioned problems.
Time will tell whether these struggling cities can change. In the meantime, Stacker listed the 20 worst-run cities in the U.S. using the 2025 edition of WalletHub's Best- and Worst-Run Cities in America, released in June 2025. Cities are ranked by their overall operating efficiency, which is determined by the quality of services and total budget per capita. Data is up to date as of Sept. 7, 2025.
The factors used to determine the overall quality of city services rank and score comprise weighted average scores in six key categories: financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, infrastructure, and pollution. Scores for each category were evaluated based on 36 relevant metrics, such as average life expectancy, violent crime rate, quality of roads, and Moody's city credit rating.
Read on to see the worst-run cities in the U.S.
