The 10 Best- and Worst-Run US Cities

Even before Tip O'Neill coined "all politics is local," urban leaders have tried to run their cities in ways that meet the most needs of the most constituents, all while staying on budget. WalletHub looks at the operating efficiency of 150 of the nation's biggest cities. For each city, the site looked at nearly three dozen metrics—everything from the quality of schools and hospitals to crime numbers, unemployment rate, and traffic congestion—then matched that against each city's budget per capita to come up with a ranking for the best-managed and worst-managed cities across America. Notable for its top slot in the "worst" category: Washington, DC. Let's start with the winners:

Best-run cities

1. Nampa, Idaho
2. Provo, Utah
3. Boise, Idaho
4. Lexington-Fayette, Ky.
5. Missoula, Mont.
6. Sioux Falls, SD
7. Durham, NC
8. Lewiston, Maine
9. Nashua, NH
10. Oklahoma City

Read on for the worst-run US cities.

Worst-run cities

1. Washington, DC
2. Detroit
3. New York
4. San Francisco
5. Gulfport, Miss.
6. Oakland, Calif.
7. Chattanooga, Tenn.
8. Flint, Mich.
9. Cleveland
10. Hartford, Conn.

Read how other cities fared here. (The 10 best big US cities to start a business in.)