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Otero rated least livable among Colorado counties

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Otero was ranked Colorado’s worst county to live in, according to a Wall St. 24/7 analysis of regions with the poorest quality of life within all 50 states.

Otero recorded a five-year population change of negative 2.5 percent. Its poverty rate was estimated at 22.9 percent, while the share of adults with bachelor’s degrees was 17.7 percent, 24/7 Wall St. reported. 

Average life expectancy at birth in Otero is 76.4 years.

The analysis used U.S. Census Bureau numbers, as well as data from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, to examine these counties’ poverty rates, average life expectancy and the share of the population with four-year college degrees. Counties with populations under 10,000 were excluded from the analysis.

The counties identified in the study were largely left out of the general prosperity the United States as a whole experienced in recent years, 24/7 Wall St. said.

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Worst Counties to Live in by State

Rank

County

State

5-year Population Change

Poverty Rate

Adult Bachelor's Degree Attainment

Life Expectancy (Years)

1

Wilcox

Alabama

-6.7%

31.9%

12.0%

72.2

2

Bethel Census Area

Alaska

4.5%

27.0%

12.6%

74.3

3

Apache

Arizona

0.0%

35.9%

11.5%

74.3

4

Phillips 

Arkansas

-9.8%

33.0%

11.3%

71.3

5

Lake

California

-0.4%

22.8%

15.3%

75.8

6

Otero

Colorado

-2.5%

22.9%

17.7%

76.4

7

Windham

Connecticut

-1.2%

11.1%

24.4%

79.0

8

Kent

Delaware

6.4%

13.0%

23.5%

77.5

9

Union

Florida

-0.6%

21.4%

8.3%

67.6

10

Ben Hill

Georgia

-1.9%

30.4%

10.2%

73.6

11

Hawaii

Hawaii

5.9%

17.4%

28.6%

80.2

12

Owyhee

Idaho

-0.8%

23.3%

9.7%

78.7

13

Saline

Illinois

-2.2%

20.6%

16.4%

74.9

14

Switzerland

Indiana

1.0%

19.7%

8.7%

76.5

15

Lee

Iowa

-2.7%

16.3%

15.7%

77.5

16

Wyandotte

Kansas

3.8%

21.4%

16.7%

75.4

17

McCreary

Kentucky

-2.5%

41.0%

7.6%

76.3

18

Madison Parish

Louisiana

-4.1%

36.4%

13.4%

71.6

19

Piscataquis

Maine

-2.7%

18.7%

17.8%

78.0

20

Baltimore

Maryland

-0.1%

22.4%

30.4%

72.1

21

Hampden

Massachusetts

1.1%

17.2%

26.5%

78.9

22

Lake

Michigan

1.1%

25.0%

11.4%

76.8

23

Wadena

Minnesota

-1.3%

15.0%

12.9%

78.8

24

Holmes

Mississippi

-4.9%

46.5%

10.7%

71.0

25

Pemiscot

Missouri

-5.2%

28.5%

12.0%

72.0

26

Roosevelt

Montana

7.1%

29.1%

15.5%

71.2

27

Dakota

Nebraska

-1.6%

16.8%

12.6%

78.4

28

Nye

Nevada

-1.2%

17.3%

11.5%

74.1

29

Coos

New Hampshire

-2.3%

13.3%

18.3%

78.2

30

Cumberland

New Jersey

-1.2%

18.8%

14.4%

76.6

31

McKinley

New Mexico

1.3%

37.5%

10.8%

78.4

32

Bronx

New York

5.0%

29.7%

19.4%

78.7

33

Robeson

North Carolina

0.2%

29.2%

12.8%

73.7

34

Rolette

North Dakota

4.6%

32.4%

20.7%

73.0

35

Adams

Ohio

-2.1%

23.8%

12.1%

75.2

36

Choctaw

Oklahoma

-1.3%

31.0%

12.5%

73.3

37

Malheur

Oregon

-2.0%

25.2%

13.2%

78.4

38

Philadelphia

Pennsylvania

2.9%

25.8%

27.1%

75.5

39

Providence

Rhode Island

1.0%

16.7%

27.8%

79.3

40

Marlboro

South Carolina

-4.3%

26.6%

8.9%

72.0

41

Oglala Lakota

South Dakota

0.0%

51.9%

12.4%

66.8

42

Grundy

Tennessee

-2.9%

28.5%

11.0%

72.5

43

Zavala

Texas

3.4%

36.2%

7.6%

77.9

44

San Juan

Utah

3.3%

28.4%

17.3%

79.0

45

Orleans

Vermont

-0.9%

14.2%

22.0%

79.4

46

Petersburg

Virginia

-0.6%

27.6%

17.5%

72.2

47

Adams

Washington

3.7%

23.1%

13.6%

79.2

48

McDowell

West Virginia

-10.3%

34.9%

4.9%

70.3

49

Adams

Wisconsin

-3.8%

13.0%

12.5%

77.8

50

Uinta

Wyoming

-0.9%

14.9%

17.4%

77.4

Source: 24/7 Wall St.