The 15 biggest US cities with the worst economies, ranked

Andy Kiersz

Aug 1, 2019, 18:34 IST

The 15 biggest US cities with the worst economies, ranked

Reuters

A sign is seen as a demolition crew removes the remains of a demolished home in Detroit. That city had the weakest economy among the 30 biggest US metro areas.

America's big cities are one of the main engines of the country's economy, but these 15 are relatively struggling.
We ranked the 30 biggest metro areas on five measures of economic health.
The cities at the bottom of the list tend to have higher unemployment and lower wages.
Detroit had the weakest economy, according to our metrics.
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America's big cities have an outsized role in the country's economic engine, but some urban areas are struggling when compared to their peers.

Business Insider looked at five measures of labor market and overall economic health for the 30 metropolitan areas with the largest populations: the unemployment rate, job-growth rate, per capita GDP, GDP growth, and average weekly wages. We combined those measures together to get an overall sense of economic health in the metro areas.

Detroit, which just hosted the second round of presidential debates for the Democratic party, had the weakest economy among the 30 biggest US metro areas, according to our metrics. The city and its auto-heavy manufacturing sector were hit hard by the Great Recession, and it's recovered more slowly than many other urban areas. However, there are signs of hope, with major local investors working to bring life back to the city, as detailed by Business Insider's Rich Feloni in 2018.

Here are 15 big metro areas with the weakest economies, ranked from best to worst:

15. Sacramento, California: The job growth rate of 2.4% was tied for ninth highest among the big metro areas, but the GDP per capita of $46,860 was the sixth lowest.

14. Orlando, Florida: The job growth rate of 3.1% was the second highest among the 30 biggest metros, while the GDP growth rate of 1.9% was the eighth lowest.

13. Cincinnati, Ohio: The average weekly wage of $1,087 was the eighth lowest, while the unemployment rate of 3.1% was tied for tenth lowest.

12. Miami, Florida: The average weekly wage of $1,096 was the ninth lowest among the big metro areas, and the GDP per capita of $48,212 was the eighth lowest.

11. Phoenix, Arizona: The unemployment rate of 4.0% was tied for second highest among the big metro areas, while the job-growth rate of 3.2% was the highest.

10. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota: The job-growth rate of -0.2% was the worst among the big metro areas, but the unemployment rate of 2.7% was tied for fifth best.

9. Chicago, Illinois: The unemployment rate of 3.5% was tied for ninth highest among the 30 biggest metro areas, while the GDP growth rate of 1.5% was the sixth lowest.

8. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The unemployment rate of 3.6% was tied for sixth highest among the big metro areas, while the GDP growth rate of 1.4% was the fifth lowest.

7. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: The job-growth rate of 0.8% was tied for fourth lowest among the big metro areas, but the GDP growth rate of 3.7% was the fifth highest.

6. Las Vegas, Nevada: The unemployment rate of 4.0% was tied for second highest among the big metro areas, while the job-growth rate of 2.9% was tied for third best.

5. Tampa, Florida: The per capita GDP of $41,224 was the second lowest among the big metro areas, and the average weekly wage of $1,021 was the fifth lowest.

4. Baltimore, Maryland: The unemployment rate of 3.6% was tied for sixth highest among the big metro areas, and the GDP growth rate of 1.0% was the third lowest.

3. St. Louis, Missouri: The GDP growth rate of 0.5% was the second lowest among the big metro areas, and the average weekly wage of $1,080 was the seventh lowest.

2. Riverside, California: The per capita GDP of $29,753 and average weekly wage of $909 were both the lowest among the 30 biggest metro areas.

1. Detroit, Michigan: The unemployment rate of 4.3% was the highest among the 30 biggest metro areas, and the job-growth rate of 0.5% was the second lowest.

Next Story Here's how we ranked the economies of the 30 biggest US metro areas