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

In Camden, the shadows of lost industry still loom. Once a manufacturing hub, it now wrestles with some of the nation’s highest poverty and crime rates. Over 70,000 people live here without reliable access to healthcare, education, or even grocery stores.

Though redevelopment projects dot the waterfront, the benefits rarely trickle inward. Whole blocks feel forgotten—vacant homes, closed schools, and streets patrolled more by sirens than smiles. Camden’s challenges stem from decades of institutional failure, not the people within it.