Detroit, Michigan population is 649,095 as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 estimate), ranking #27 nationally and #1 in Michigan. Cost of living runs 0.3% above the U.S. average (BEA RPP 2024); a family of four needs roughly $90,596/yr to break even (2025 modeled). This profile draws on 13 federal datasets covering population, housing, income, employment, climate, and risk.
At a glance.
2025 population
649,095
+5,060 in the last year
Top 1% of 19,483 U.S. cities
Census Vintage 2025
Cost of living
RPP 100.3
+0.3% vs US
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro · BEA 2024
Family-of-4 budget
$90,596/yr
+13% vs US
Modeled 2025 · federal sources
Median HH income
$39,938
−49% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
Median home value
$83,900
−72% vs US
ACS 2020–2024 5-yr
2-BR fair-market rent
$1,411/mo
HUD FY2026 · 40th pct
Avg July high
84°F
NOAA 1991–2020
Gigabit broadband
60%
ISP-reported, FCC BDC
Explore Detroit, MI demographics, including age, race and ethnicity, households, origins, language, and education.
How many people live in Detroit?
649,095 people live in Detroit as of July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025), the #27 largest U.S. city.
How big is Detroit?
Detroit covers 138.7 square miles of land and 4.2 square miles of water. Its population density is about 4,679 residents per square mile of land. Compare U.S. cities by land area →
Source detail: 2025 population
2025 population
Source agency
U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
Dataset
Census PEP
Vintage / period
Vintage 2025 (Jul 1, 2025)
Native geography
Census PEP subcounty place records for the included city universe.
Transformation
Copied from POPESTIMATE2025, joined by Census GEOID, and used for ranks, filters, and city pages.
Known limit: Annual estimate, not a decennial count; each new PEP vintage can revise the prior series.
Population grew 1.5% from the April 2020 base to mid-2025.
Vintage 2025 · annual estimates
Recent history (V2025 series, 2020 base → 2025).
2020 base: 639,534 → 2025: 649,095 (+1.5%)
Year
Population
Reference date
2020 base
639,534
April 1, 2020
2020
638,419
July 1, 2020
2021
635,046
July 1, 2021
2022
634,219
July 1, 2022
2023
637,452
July 1, 2023
2024
644,035
July 1, 2024
2025
649,095
July 1, 2025
Earlier history (2010–2019, prior Census vintage)
These figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 release — a separate, earlier methodology. They’re shown here as historical context only; the 2010 and 2019 values aren’t directly comparable to the 2020–2025 series above.
Population shrank 5.8% from the July 2010 estimate to 2019 (V2019 — see seam note below).
Detroit is the #27 largest of 19,483 U.S. cities and #1 in Michigan.
▸Show the analyst detail (9 rows)
Measure
Value
Note
2020 base
639,534
April 1, 2020 census base
5-yr change
+9,561
2020 base → 2025; within V2025
5-yr change %
+1.5%
within V2025 only
1-yr change
+5,060
2024 → 2025 estimate
1-yr change %
+0.8%
within V2025 only
Density
4,679
people per sq mi, land only
Land area
138.7
sq mi (2025 Gazetteer)
U.S. rank by population
#27
of 19,483 cities
State rank by population
#1
of 533 in Michigan
What is the median household income in Detroit?
Median household income is 49% below the U.S. median ($39,938 vs $77,719); 32.7% live in poverty — 20.2 points above the 12.5% U.S. rate.
Median household income$39,938
US
Detroit: $39,938 — 49% below the US median of $77,719.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS income data
Detroit
$39,938
United States
$77,719
Income and poverty estimates for Detroit from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates (window 2020–2024). Every figure is shown with its 90% margin of error (MOE). Cells where the ± margin exceeds half the estimate are flagged "low precision." See methodology §12.
Measure
Estimate
± margin / note
Median household income
39,938-48.6% vs US
±937
Per capita income
24,594-43.2% vs US
±418
Population in poverty
32.7%
share of population for whom poverty status is determined
Median home value is 72% below the U.S. median ($83,900 vs $303,400); median rent is 20% below ($1,074 vs $1,348); price-to-income ratio is 2.1×, making it 1.9× as affordable as the typical U.S. city (3.9×).
Median home value$83,900
US
Detroit: $83,900 — 72% below the US median of $303,400.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with ACS home-value data
HUD 2-BR fair-market rent$1,411/mo
US
Detroit: $1,411/mo — 31% above the US median of $1,077/mo.
Scale: 10th–90th percentile of cities with a HUD Fair Market Rent
Poverty (Census SAIPE 2024, model-based), unemployment (BLS LAUS 2024 annual averages), and remote-work share (ACS 2020–2024) for Detroit. Numbers are labeled at their native grain — place-grain when BLS publishes it, otherwise per-county. We do not compute population-weighted county averages. See methodology §13.
Measure
Value
Grain
Unemployment rate (annual avg)
9.1%
Detroit (BLS sub-state LAUS)
Civilian labor force
262,567
2024 annual avg
Worked from home
12.0%-14.1% vs US
share of workers 16+ commuting from home · U.S. median: 14% · ACS
County context — Detroit sits in Wayne County:
County
Poverty rate
Median HH income
Unemployment
Wayne County
22.1%
$59,484
5.5%
Top industries by private employment — NAICS supersectors rolled up from Detroit's linked county in the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW, 2024 annual averages). See methodology §11.
#
Industry (NAICS supersector)
Private employment
Avg weekly wage
#1
Health care and social assistance (62)
116,757
$1,344 / wk
#2
Manufacturing (31-33)
89,659
$1,752 / wk
#3
Retail trade (44-45)
64,087
$779 / wk
#4
Accommodation and food services (72)
60,098
$565 / wk
#5
Transportation and warehousing (48-49)
58,035
$1,356 / wk
What workers earn in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro — top occupations by employment plus six curated benchmarks (registered nurse, software developer, elementary teacher, general manager, retail salesperson, truck driver). Wages are metro-area medians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). See methodology §25.
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators is the largest tracked occupation in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI metro (55,100 jobs, median $49,240/yr).
▸Show all 13 occupations
Occupation
Employment
Median annual
Median hourly
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators
55,100
$49,240
$23.67
Home Health and Personal Care Aides
46,480
$35,120
$16.89
Fast Food and Counter Workers
42,430
$29,590
$14.23
Cashiers
37,910
$30,090
$14.47
Stockers and Order Fillers
37,090
$36,720
$17.66
Office Clerks, General
34,570
$45,810
$22.02
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
34,030
$40,330
$19.39
Retail Salespersons · benchmark
48,610
$35,130
$16.89
Registered Nurses · benchmark
44,310
$97,280
$46.77
General and Operations Managers · benchmark
37,250
$104,010
$50.01
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers · benchmark
25,780
$59,120
$28.43
Software Developers · benchmark
24,870
$130,760
$62.87
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education · benchmark
Household budget figures are arithmetic floors using current federal sources at the grains documented in methodology. Not a recommended salary, not a poverty threshold, not a composite score.
6.6% foreign-born (U.S. median 14%); Spanish is the most-spoken language at home other than English (7.0% of residents 5+).
A quick read on Detroit's residents — nativity and languages spoken at home shown above, from the ACS 5-Year 2020–2024. The full demographic breakdown (age, race and ethnicity, household types, and educational attainment, each with its margin of error) lives on the demographics page.
Hottest month: July (84°F avg high). Coldest: January (19°F avg low). Annual precipitation: 34.2 in.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) for Detroit from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. See methodology §15 for the gridded vs. station source path.
Average monthly highs & lows · 30-year normal (NOAA 1991–2020). Every number on this chart is an average.
bar = avg daily high → avg daily lowprecip in inches below each barprecip in millimeters below each bar
Composite risk score: 99.0/100 — Relatively High nationally; top hazard: Cold Wave (99.7).
Natural-hazard exposure for Detroit from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index (FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0). NRI is an expected-annual-loss composite calibrated on 1996–2019 historical losses, published at the U.S. county grain. See methodology §17.
County
NRI composite
Rating
Top hazards
Wayne County
99.0
Relatively High
Cold Wave 99.7 Very High · Strong Wind 99.7 Very High · Tornado 99.5 Very High
Source: FEMA National Risk Index · FEMA NRI December 2025 v1.20.0 · methodology →
How fast is home internet in Detroit?
16 non-satellite ISPs serve the area; 60% of locations have gigabit-capable service per ISP filings.
Fixed broadband availability for Detroit from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's Broadband Data Collection (BDC), as of June 30, 2025. Every speed and provider count below is an ISP-reported advertised maximum — not measured throughput. Actual delivered speeds typically run 60–80% of advertised. See methodology §16.
Measure
Value
Note
Providers serving this city
16 + satellite
distinct ISPs, excluding satellite-only
Fiber providers
14
offer fiber-to-the-premises somewhere in the BDC
Units with ≥100/20 Mbps fixed
100.0%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Locations with ≥100 Mbps upload
60.4%
derived: max(fiber ≥100/20, gigabit). Fiber is symmetric; gigabit is ≥100 up by definition
Units with ≥1 Gbps fixed
60.4%
share of broadband-serviceable units, ISP-reported max
Total broadband-serviceable units
332,779
residential locations in the FCC Fabric (not households)
Source: FCC BDC · as of June 30, 2025 · methodology →
How much crime is reported in Detroit?
In 2024, law enforcement reported 11,599 violent and 28,035 property offenses in the Detroit jurisdiction — a violent-crime rate of 1,781.3 per 100,000, above the U.S. estimate of 359.1.
Reported offenses known to law enforcement from the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program (CIUS Table 8), 2024. Figures describe the FBI agency jurisdiction: Detroit — an FBI jurisdiction population of 651,171, versus the Census place population of 649,095. The rate per 100,000 is the FBI's own (count ÷ that jurisdiction population), never divided by the Census place figure. These are reported crimes under voluntary participation — not measured or victimization crime — and the FBI cautions against using them to rank or compare places. See methodology §31.
Offenses known, 2024
Count
Rate /100k
U.S. rate
Violent crime
11,599
1,781.3
359.1
Property crime
28,035
4,305.3
1,760.1
▸Offense breakdown and 3-year trend
Offense, 2024
Count
Murder and nonnegligent manslaughter
203
Rape
605
Robbery
1,195
Aggravated assault
9,596
Burglary
4,578
Larceny-theft
15,263
Motor vehicle theft
8,194
Arson (12-month reporters only)
399
Year
Violent /100k
Property /100k
Jurisdiction pop.
2022
2,027.9
4,478.3
626,757
2023
2,052.1
4,733.5
615,501
2024
1,781.3
4,305.3
651,171
Only years the agency reported a complete 12 months appear; the FBI does not estimate missing agency-years, so a gap is a non-reporting year, not zero crime.
U.S. rate is the FBI national estimate (imputes non-reporting agencies); the city figures are reported-only. Source: FBI UCR CIUS Table 8 (2022–2024) · FBI agency jurisdiction: Detroit · methodology → · FBI Crime Data Explorer →
In-state context.
Detroit sits at state rank #1 among 533 cities in Michigan. Nearby in the state ranking:
Just above in the profiled set: Boston, MA · #26 · 672,973 residents.
Just below in the profiled set: Portland, OR · #28 · 635,109 residents.
Quick travel facts for Detroit
Quick travel facts.
Nearest commercial airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport(DTW) · 17 mi 28 km from city centroid
Sources: elevation from USGS Elevation Point Query Service (3DEP) · nearest airport from OurAirports CSV (FAA-aligned, type=large/medium, scheduled_service=yes) · best months derived from NOAA 1991-2020 normals · methodology →
Frequently asked questions about Detroit.
How many people live in Detroit, MI?
Detroit has 649,095 residents as of July 1, 2025, making it the #27 largest city in the United States and #1 in Michigan. Source: U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025.
Is Detroit growing or shrinking?
Detroit has grown 1.5% since the April 2020 census baseline, adding 9,561 residents, including a 0.8% increase from 2024 to 2025. Source: Census PEP Vintage 2025.
The GEOID for Detroit is 2622000. These are the official datasets used by this profile's main data modules; click "methodology" for inclusion rules and the V2019 ↔ V2025 seam, or "source" for the raw publisher page. The headline population value above includes a source-detail disclosure with publisher, dataset, vintage, native geography, transformation, and caveat.
