Camden, Atlantic City make 'most miserable cities' list

Two South Jersey cities are among the most miserable places to live in the country, new rankings from Forbes say.

Camden comes in at number 13 on the magazine's 2013 list of America's 20 most miserable cities. Atlantic City ranks 15th.

The most miserable city, according to Forbes' rankings, is Detroit.

Forbes says it uses metrics for violent crime, unemployment, foreclosures, taxes and home prices, as well as quality-of-life factors like commute times and weather, to compile its list.

"New statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau labeled Camden the most impoverished city in the U.S. with 42.5 percent of residents living below the poverty line," Forbes wrote about the city. (The Inquirer took an in-depth look at poverty in Camden earlier this month.)

And in Atlantic City, declining casino revenues have contributed to a 14.4 percent unemployment rate, Forbes noted.

Indeed, it's been a tough year for the South Jersey cities.

Camden saw a record 67 homicides last year. Its unemployment rate was more than double the national average.

Pennsylvania has surpassed Atlantic City for the nation's largest gambling market after Las Vegas. And that was before Revel casino announced this week that it would file for bankruptcy.

No cities in the Philadelphia region made last year's list.

See the full list of this year's most miserable cities.