Mobile, Ala., has started a charm offensive to convince outsiders that it is somehow a better city than statistics show, at least based on crime and other demographic measures. It is not.

A brief review of the literature:

From Business Insider:

Overall score: 62.4/100

Mobile dropped six spots in this year’s ranking. It ranked highest in terms of healthy behavior, at No.116. The index looks at lifestyle habits like smoking, exercise frequency, diet, and consumption of fruits and vegetables.

Results are based on phone interviews with a random sample of 353,563 adults in the U.S. Metro areas are based on the Metropolitan Statistical Areas defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

Source: Gallup Well-Being Index

From ABC News:

Bottom 11 Metropolitan Areas for Well-Being
Charleston, W.V. – 60.8
Huntington-Ashland, W.V., Ky., Ohio – 61.2
Mobile, Ala. – 62.4
Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas – 62.5
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, N.C. – 62.7
Fort Smith, Ark., Okla. – 62.9
Bakersfield, Calif. – 63.0
Evansville, Ind., Ky. – 63.1
Rockford, Ill. – 63.1
Spartanburg, S.C. – 63.4
Utica-Rome, N.Y. – 63.4

From Comcast:

5. Mobile, Alabama
5-year Increase in Violent Crime Rate: 137
Violent Crime per 100,000 (2005): 397.1
Violent Crime per 100,000 (2010): 534.1
Murders per 100,000: 7.4

Mobile is one of the poorest cities in the U.S. In 2010, more than 20% of the residents lived below the poverty line. In that same year, 12.8% of Mobile households earned less than $10,000. While certain types of violent crime, including murder and robbery, actually declined between 2005 and 2010, the total rate jumped by 35% because of a massive rise in cases of aggravated assault.

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