San Francisco, New York Still Among the Worst-Run Cities in America: Research

New research has found that New York and San Francisco are two of the worst-run cities in the United States , with the state of Idaho boasting two of the cities with the most operating efficiency.

Knewz.com has learned that the research analyzed the local leadership in 148 of the largest U.S. cities to tabulate these results.

The research, conducted by WalletHub, found that San Francisco ranked lowest in terms of long-term outstanding debt per capita and grabbed the last place in the overall ranking as well.

San Francisco was followed by yet another Californian city, Oakland. In comparison, the city of Nampa in Idaho ranked as the best-run city in the U.S., per WalletHub 's research.

To determine the operating efficiency of a city, the WalletHub service analyzed how well "city officials manage and spend public funds by comparing the quality of the services residents receive against the city’s total budget."

Using this analysis, WalletHub tallied the "operating efficiency" of 148 of the largest cities in America to determine which of them showcased the best management.

"We constructed a 'Quality of Services' score made up of 36 metrics grouped into six service categories, which we then measured against the city’s per-capita budget," the research explained.

The six categories, per WalletHub, are Financial Stability, Education, Health , Safety, Economy , and Infrastructure & Pollution.

Chicago ranked lowest on the list of the most financially stable U.S. cities and grabbed 127th place in terms of economy. Hartford, Connecticut , ranked the second worst city in terms of financial stability and was found to be economically worse off than Chicago in the research.

However, both cities scored high on the index of infrastructure and pollution, coming in 5th (Hartford) and 33rd (Chicago) respectively.

Detroit, which ranked lowest on the "Quality of City Services" scale despite ranking average (70 out of 148) on the "Total Budget per Capita Rank," was placed at the lower end of the financial stability spectrum, ranking 145 out of 148.

On the other hand, San Francisco ranked 24 on the list of cities with the best quality of service, although it was placed last on the total budget per capita list.

"The best-run cities in America use their budgets most effectively to provide high-quality financial security, education, health, safety, and transportation to their residents," commented WalletHub analyst Cassandra Happe.

"Many of the top cities also have a very low amount of outstanding government debt per capita, which can prevent financial troubles in the future."

While New York was placed 145 on the list of 148 major cities in terms of overall ranking by the research, the city boasted a ranking of 30 in terms of quality of city services. However, it grabbed 147th place in the "Total Budget per Capita Rank."

The city of Nampa, Idaho, bagged the top spot in terms of overall ranking, which the research attributed to the "extremely low" government debt level.

"The city’s long-term outstanding debt per capita is just $564 – compare that to the top cities where the number is in the $25k-$35k range. Nampa is also a safe city, with the sixth-lowest property crime rate and the 22nd-lowest violent crime rate in the country. On top of that, the city has the seventh-fewest motor vehicle fatalities per capita."

WalletHub also noted that the city has the median annual income growth in the U.S., at 17%.

Boise, also in Idaho, was ranked third in the list of best-run cities and according to the research, "has the third-highest forecasted 1-year change in the median home value, and a very high growth rate for the number of businesses."