(NEXSTAR) — Are you saving as much as you’d like? Keeping extra money in the bank for emergencies or expenses is one of the wisest things you can do but depending on where you live, it can be difficult.
Recently, personal finance outlet FinanceBuzz analyzed data for 125 U.S. cities with populations greater than 200,000 to rank them based on several metrics, including cost of living, median income and debt-to-income ratios. The cities were then ranked based on ease of saving to difficulty — and California owned the top 10 worst cities, with only one being outside of the Golden State.
And they’re not just the major cities you might expect.
Coming in at number one in FinanceBuzz’s ranking of the U.S. Cities Where It’s Hardest To Save Money is Oxnard, California. The Ventura County city is the no. 1 “worst” city nationwide when it comes to saving money. FinanceBuzz notes Oxnard’s high cost of living, in addition to having one of the five worst mortgage-to-income ratios nationwide and one of the five worst debt-to-income ratios of any city on the list.
Here’s a look at the full bottom 10.
RankCityMedian incomeMortgage as % of incomeDebt-to-income ratioMedian credit card debt1.Oxnard, California$46,19163%2.51$2,6842.Santa Ana, CA$41,86165%1.966$2,4803.Moreno Valley, CA$47,89850%3.124$2,8164.Riverside, CA$50,64852%2.51$2,9985.San Bernardino, CA$40,11959%2.51$2,5006.Anaheim, CA$49,46770%1.925$2,6657.Chula Vista, CA$61,94257%2.042$3,5088.Honolulu, Hawaii$51,66855%2.285$2,8269.Los Angeles, CA$54,25168%1.925$3,06810.Fontana, CA$93,89456%2.226$3,010
In addition to Oxnard, other California cities rounding out the top five “worsts” are Santa Ana (second), Moreno Valley (third), Riverside (fourth) and San Bernardino (fifth).
FinanceBuzz explains that “many of the same factors” are the reasons for these cities being ranked how they are, as California is generally more expensive than many other states. The outlet explains that though Moreno Valley has a slightly more affordable cost of living, its debt-to-income ratio is among the worst seen from any city on the list.
Nationally, Toledo, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, nabbed the no. 1 and no. 2 spots, respectively. FinanceBuzz found Toledo to have the second-lowest cost of living of all cities, not to mention having low rent and mortgage costs compared to income.
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