A Ranking of the Toughest Places to Live in the U.S.

There’s a quiet erosion happening on Oklahoma City’s South Side. Infrastructure fades: potholes deepen, streetlights flicker, and sidewalks crumble. While it doesn’t suffer extreme crime levels, the area is plagued by job insecurity, low wages, and a lack of opportunity.

Immigrant families—predominantly Latino—make up much of the population and face systemic language, legal, and access barriers. The housing stock is aging and often overcrowded. Yet there’s warmth here: panaderías, street soccer games, and block-wide family barbecues.