Provo, Utah tops list of best-run cities in study by WalletHub
San Francisco drops equity grading program after backlash
The San Francisco Unified School District will not be moving forward with a controversial equity grading strategy that was proposed this week after significant backlash.
San Francisco has been ranked at the bottom of a new report by a financial services company ranking the best and worst-run cities in the country.
WalletHub reported it measured the "effectiveness of local leadership" by "determining a city’s operating efficiency." San Francisco came in 148th out of 148 cities studied.
"We can learn how well city officials manage and spend public funds by comparing the quality of the services residents receive against the city’s total budget," WalletHub Financial Writer Adam McCann wrote to explain the study.
The San Francisco skyline is visible on April 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
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Each city was given a "Quality of Services’" score based on 36 metrics that were grouped into six service categories, including financial stability, education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution. These were measured against the city’s per capita budget.
San Francisco was ranked at the bottom after making headlines previously for the mass exodus from the liberal city, declining enrollment in its public school system as well as skyrocketing housing prices.
Residents elected a new mayor last year, Daniel Lurie, who beat incumbent Democrat London Breed by a more than 10-point margin, 56% to 43%.
Daniel Lurie, left, has defeated incumbent San Francisco Mayor London Breed in the city's mayoral race. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AP/Jeff Chiu)
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The last election indicated a pivot away from soft-on-crime policies and lax policies on drug use and homelessness that were rampant in the city.
The next worst-run cities after San Francisco were Detroit (147th), Oakland (146th), New York City (145th), Philadelphia (144th), and Baltimore (143rd).
The best-run city is Provo, Utah, according to WalletHub. McCann cited economic growth that is "hard to ignore," low crime and unemployment, and clean roads.
General view of LaVell Edwards Stadium prior to the game between the Utah Utes and the Brigham Young Cougars on September 9, 2017 in Provo, Utah. (Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
"Provo, UT, is the best-run city, and the reasons for that are that the city is experiencing business growth of around 5.2%, alongside a high school graduation rate of nearly 91%, a combination that signals a strong foundation for the future."
Fox News Digital reached out to San Francisco city leadership and Provo, Utah leadership but did not immediately hear back for comment.
Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program.
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