Arkansas has a lot of different types of landscapes, a lot of different kinds of cultures, and friendly people. Nevertheless, not every part of the state is a great place to live. There is a lot of crime, a lower standard of life, and not many job opportunities in some cities. 24 social and economic factors were used to create a weighted score that 24/7 Wall St. used to find the worst place to live in each state. In Arkansas, this sad title goes to Helena-West Helena.
What is West Helena and Helena?
Helena-West Helena is a township in Phillips County, which is in the eastern part of Arkansas. In 2006, Helena and West Helena, two towns that already existed, merged to form this new city. It is one of the smaller towns in the state, with about 10,000 people living there. Because it is on the Mississippi River, it has a long history of being an important port and trade hub for cotton and other agriculture goods.
Why is Helena-West Helena thought to be the worst place in Arkansas to live?
There are a number of bad things about Helena-West Helena that make it the worst place to live in Arkansas. These are the main reasons:
A lot of crime:
Helena–West Helena has one of the highest crime rates in the state and sometimes even the country. The FBI says that for every 100,000 people who lived in the city in 2019, there were 1,590 serious crimes and 3,304 property crimes. This means that you have a 63/100 chance of being a victim of a physical crime and a 30/100 chance of being a victim of a property crime. It also has a high murder rate; 18 people were killed in the city in the same year.
Low Quality of Life:
The standard of life in Helena-West Helena is not as good as it is in other Arkansas cities or the country as a whole. 38.4% of people in the city live in poverty, which is much higher than the 17.2% average for the state and much higher than the 12.3% average for the country. The median family income is also very low, at $24,441. This is less than half of the state median of $48,952 and a lot less than the national median of $62,843. Also, the city has a 9.4% jobless rate, which is almost twice as high as the 5% rate in the state and the 4.9% rate across the country.
Few Business Opportunities:
Helena-West Helena people don’t have a lot of economic hope. In the city, only 14.8% of adults have a bachelor’s degree or higher, while 23.4% of adults in the state and 32.1% of adults in the country have that level of education. Only 0.2% more jobs were added between 2015 and 2019, compared to 4.8% growth in the state and 6.3% growth across the country. Also, the median home worth is only $64,800, which is less than half of the state median of $136,200 and a small part of the national median of $240,500.
In conclusion
Helena-West Helena is named Arkansas’s least attractive place to live, mostly because of worrying signs about its economy and society. People who live in the city have to deal with high crime rates, a poor quality of life, and few job possibilities. Taking care of these problems is important for the city to attract people and companies, which will make it better overall. It’s bad that Helena-West Helena has the reputation of being the worst place to live in Arkansas until these problems are fixed.