Are Some American Cities Becoming like Third World Countries?

When we think of what defines a “third world” country, here is a partial a list of identifiers:

• High Levels of Violent Crime
• Governmental Dysfunction or Corruption
• Homelessness and Urban Encampments
• Public Health Breakdown
• Economic Decline and Loss of Middle Class
• Education Decline
• Declining or Failing Infrastructure

Overall Decline in American Cities

Here is a list of cities that are the most frequently cited as becoming like third world countries by federal government agencies, HUD, EPA, Urban Institute, Brookings Institution and major news media outlets (WSJ, NYT, LA Times, Reuters, etc.). They are listed not in terms of which is the worst, but in terms of how frequently it is compared to third world conditions: