Being singled out as the nation’s poorest city is bad enough. But to be named the most violent, too? That’s the lot of Camden, New Jersey.

The community recently gained the distinction of being the most impoverished in the United States, with 42% of its population living in poverty. The city also suffers from 18.6% unemployment.

“I don’t think there’s an example in American history that has the poverty level that Camden has,” Alan Berube, deputy director at the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program in Washington, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It’s a question of whether Camden can function again.”

In addition to its terrible economic situation, Camden was listed as the “most dangerous” urban setting in the country by CQ Press. Last year, 67 murders occurred in the city of 77,000. It also had the highest rate of rape and, perhaps not surprisingly, robbery.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Amid Crushing Poverty and Crime, Camden Fights On (by Claudia Vargas, Philly.Com)

Camden No. 1 Again... (Philly.Com)

Camden, N.J. Passes Reading, Pa. as Poorest U.S. City (by Katherine Scott, 6abc.com)

2012 City Crime Rate Rankings (CQ Press) (pdf)

Reading, Pennsylvania, Leads Nation’s Cities in Poverty Rate (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

Anonymous Businessman Hands Out $100 Bills in Poorest U.S. City (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)

St. Louis Worst City for Crime; Colonie, NY the Safest (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)