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Place dossier plate
SheetMI-DETROIT-MI · Detroit, MI 636,644 pop · income 7th pct · 627 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Detroit
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Detroit on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Keener · lowest
39,571
Keener · lowest
39,571 median HH income
37.2% of the leader · rank #1
Detroit · this city
39,575
Detroit · this city
39,575 median HH income
37.2% of the leader · rank #2
Geiger · near
39,583
Geiger · near
39,583 median HH income
37.2% of the leader · rank #3
Gazelle · near
39,583
Gazelle · near
39,583 median HH income
37.2% of the leader · rank #4
Grand View · near
39,583
Grand View · near
39,583 median HH income
37.2% of the leader · rank #5
Washington · highest
106,287
Washington · highest
106,287 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Detroit on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 636,644.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Detroit - the verdict
Detroit ranks in the 7th percentile for household income and the 2nd percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
7th
percentile, household income
3rd
percentile, home value
32nd
percentile, median rent
2nd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Detroit, MI
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 636,644 residents in Detroit, a mid-sized U.S. city within Michigan. Median household income here is $39,575 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 26.9%. Typical homes in Detroit are valued around $76,800, and the median resident age is 35.1 years. About 17.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 46.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 1,919 residential building permits were authorized in Detroit (Building Boom), up 381% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Detroit's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 6086.6 incidents per 100,000 residents, above the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 50.6°F with 34.3 inches of precipitation per year and 45.0 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Michigan run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Michigan scores 96.2 (Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,113 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $238 across Michigan, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 49.6 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Detroit's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from population change to work and mobility to within-city variation to comparison shortlist to schools and households to climate and hazard context to reported crime to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Detroit, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, annual population history, commute-mode shares, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Population change
Is Detroit growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +10,676 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 1,919 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What does the journey to work look like in Detroit?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 66.3%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 627 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Detroit?
Within Michigan, the closest population matches are Grand Rapids (197,768 residents, $65,526 income); Warren (138,128 residents, $63,741 income); Sterling Heights (133,473 residents, $78,429 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Portland, OR (642,715 residents); Memphis, TN (629,063 residents); Louisville/Jefferson County, KY (627,210 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Detroit?
The NCES join finds 54 public schools within the city match. 17.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
54
Bachelor's degree+
17.6%
Poverty estimate
26.9%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 50.6°F, with 34.3 inches of precipitation and 45.0 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Michigan is 49.6 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
50.6°F
Annual precipitation
34.3 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
49.6
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Detroit?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 6086.6 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 167% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
4305.3
Violent rate
1781.3
Total reported rate
6086.6
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
How far does income reach against housing in Detroit?
The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 1.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 26.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.
Household income
$39,575
Home value
$76,800
Value / income
1.9×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 26.9% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
96.2 (US=100)
Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Michigan average
F
City profile score · Detroit, MI
18/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living C
96.2 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share F
17.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$39,575
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate F
26.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
1,781 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Detroit profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 57/100 (C) · 96.2 index
Bachelor's+ share: 27/100 (F) · 17.6%
Household income: 6/100 (F) · $39,575
Poverty rate: 4/100 (F) · 26.9%
Violent crime: 0/100 (F) · 1,781 /100k
Where Detroit sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Detroit's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Detroit highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Detroit, MI (this city): home $76,800, crime 6,087/100k
Portland, OR : home $557,600, crime 6,246/100k
Memphis, TN : home $157,100, crime 9,400/100k
Boston, MA : home $710,400, crime 2,650/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
Grand Rapids, MI : home $225,500, crime 3,391/100k
Warren, MI : home $181,900, crime 2,096/100k
Sterling Heights, MI : home $260,700, crime 1,272/100k
Ann Arbor, MI : home $435,100, crime 2,018/100k
Lansing, MI : home $119,400, crime 3,844/100k
Dearborn, MI : home $205,900, crime 2,292/100k
How does Detroit compare to other US cities?
Detroit measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income7% higher than other cities
Home value3% pricier than other cities
Median rent32% pricier than other cities
Safety2% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Michigan and the picture shifts: Detroit ranks #252 of 254 Michigan cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Detroit against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Michigan only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Michigan-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Detroit near the bottom of Michigan's cities
Among the 727 Michigan cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Detroit ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Detroit only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#671 of 718
7th percentile in Michigan
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 727
0th percentile in Michigan
Median Home Value
#671 of 721
7th percentile in Michigan
Poverty Rate
#31 of 727
95th percentile in Michigan
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#406 of 727
44th percentile in Michigan
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Michigan only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
7th percentile nationally for median household income · 2nd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Detroit's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Detroit's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Detroit's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$76,800Among the most affordablemore affordable than 97% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Detroit's home-value-to-income ratio: 1.9×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#1,440 of 15,516
More affordable than 91% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1 of 117
Large cities (200,000–999,999)
At 1.9×, Detroit sits in the affordable band:
national rank #1,440 of 15,516 and #1 of 117large cities (200,000–999,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$39,575Detroit, MI median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Detroit, MI median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Detroit, MI.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)17.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)26.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)46.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
636,644
Median Income
$39,575
Median Home Value
$76,800
Median Age
35.1
Poverty Rate
26.9%
Labor force participation
46.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
17.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
6086.6
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
1781.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
4305.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
50.6°F
Annual Precipitation
34.3"
Annual Snowfall
45.0"
Schools
Total Schools
54
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Detroit's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
638,419 residents
2021
635,046 residents
2022
634,219 residents
2023
637,452 residents
2024
644,035 residents
2025
649,095 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
1,919
housing units authorized
Single-Family
483
detached homes
Multifamily
1,436
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
399
30
369
$54.3M
2020
850
18
832
$159.2M
2021
1,023
10
1,013
$411.4M
2022
1,379
24
1,355
$219.2M
2023
1,225
397
828
$103.3M
2024
1,919
483
1,436
$218.0M
Permit volume increased 381% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
66.3%
Carpool
11.0%
Public Transit
6.0%
Walk
3.1%
Work from Home
10.1%
Other
3.5%
Based on 223,900 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Michigan statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $238
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Michigan at $238 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $48 ).
These are Michigan statewide averages, not a meter reading for Detroit. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Michigan's BEA cost-of-living index is 96.2 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Detroit is $1,113/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Michigan statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 49.6 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Michigan statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Detroit sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Detroit compares to similar-size Michigan cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.