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A Feb 4 report released by 24/7 Wall St has named Asbury Park among the top worst cities to live in across the nation.

In recent years, Asbury Park has been ranked among the best cities nationwide by Livability, Travel +Leisure, carrentals.com, USA Today, to name a few. Also, its beach has consistently landed on the top of the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium’s best of list and saw a three percent drop in crime last year, according to an annual report compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigations [FBI] released in January.

But according to the methodology behind the 24/7 Wall St list, the 1.4 square mile community was vetted against ‘a weighted index of 25 measures that fall into one of four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life, and community.’

The city was ranked 46 out of 50. Here’s what the report said:

Asbury Park’s Population is 15,830

The poverty rate is 30.4 percent [falling in the top 10 percent]

2017 violent crimes per 100,000 people is 1,361 [falling in top 10 percent]

And, the median home value is $335,500 [falling in the top 25 percent]

“Asbury Park is a relatively poor city along the New Jersey coast,” the report said. “The typical household in the city earns just $39,324 a year, about $18,000 less than the typical American household. Low income residents are strained further by the area’s high cost of living. Asbury Park is located within the broader New York City metro area, one of the most expensive regions of the country, and goods and services in the city are 22.4 percent more expensive than average.

“The city’s low incomes and a high cost of living likely contribute to widespread food insecurity in Asbury Park. Additionally, more than one in every three city residents have limited access to a grocery store or large supermarket.”

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