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Knoxville on list of 'least livable' cities in U.S.

Knoxville got negative marks for a high poverty and crime rate, but props for the number of residents with a college degree.

Knoxville — While many who live here may disagree, Knoxville made the list of 50 least desirable cities to live in.

24/7 Wall St looked at a wide range of quantifiable factors that can impact quality of life in a given area to compile the list.

They created an index with measures in eight categories -- crime, economy, education, environment, health, housing, infrastructure, and leisure -- to identify the 50 worst cities to live in.

The worst cities, according to the list, span the country from the South to the Midwest and from New England to the Pacific coast.

Here's what they say about Knoxville, which came in at 36:

Population: 186,238
Median home value: $128,000
Poverty rate: 25.4%
Pct. with at least a bachelor's degree: 35.1%

About one in every four Knoxville residents live in poverty, well above the 14% share of Americans and the second highest poverty rate of any large city in the state. Poorer areas often struggle with crime, and in Knoxville, both violent and property crimes are more than twice as common as they are nationwide.

While the city struggles with low incomes and higher crime rates, the home of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville also has some positive attributes common in college towns. For example, 35.1% of residents have a bachelor's degree, a larger share than is typical nationwide. Additionally, the city has a greater than average concentration of bars and restaurants than the United States as a whole.

Detroit topped the least livable cities list, followed by Flint, St. Louis, Memphis, and Cleveland.

You can see the full list here.

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