Watch CBS News

Danville Named 10th Worst U.S. City To Raise Kids

CHICAGO (CBS) -- People in downstate Danville are not happy, after the place they call home was named the 10th worst city in the country to raise a family.

The ranking comes from the financial news company 24/7 Wall Street, which listed statistics including Danville's 36.1 percent pre-school enrollment rate, and 78.7 percent high school graduation rate.

The listing also noted 65.6 percent of Danville's population has access to parks and recreation centers, and pointed to the city's high crime rate:

"A relatively dangerous place, Danville, Illinois' violent crime rate of 780 incidents of murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault for every 100,000 residents is more than double the corresponding national rate. High crime can be closely tied to poor economic conditions, and in Danville, 6.7% of the labor force is unemployed, one of the higher unemployment rates among U.S. metro areas."

Community leaders in Danville disagreed with the listing.

Vicki Haugen, president of Vermilion Advantage, a regional chamber of commerce, said crime is a national problem, not just a Danville problem.

"With respect to the whole crime situation, you know I think everybody in Every Town, USA, is really frustrated at the fact that society is deteriorating. A lot of us have lost our moral compass and that's contributing to that," she said.

Fairbanks, Alaska, was ranked as the worst place in the nation for raising children. To read the entire list of cities 24/7 Wall Street ranked as the 25 worst for raising a family, click here.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.