Detroit had an estimated population of 649,095 on July 1, 2025, according to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts. The city’s recent estimates show a changing population trend alongside persistent differences in income, education, housing, and employment. The figures below identify the measurement period and source for each statistic.
Contents
- Recent population estimates
- Population change and rankings
- Age, race, ethnicity, and background
- Housing and household conditions
- Education, technology, and mobility
- Income and economic conditions
- Employment and business activity
Recent population estimates
The Census Bureau and City of Detroit estimates provide several reference points for understanding Detroit’s population. These dates are not interchangeable: Census counts are measured on April 1, while annual estimates are measured on July 1.
| Reference date | Detroit population | Source label |
|---|---|---|
| April 1, 2010 | 713,777 | U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |
| April 1, 2020 | 639,111 | U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |
| July 1, 2022 | 631,366 | City of Detroit May 16, 2024 population announcement |
| July 1, 2023 | 633,218 | City of Detroit May 16, 2024 population announcement |
| July 1, 2024 | 645,705 | U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |
| July 1, 2025 | 649,095 | U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |
The April 1, 2020 Census population was 639,111. In the 2024 vintage, the July 1, 2020 estimate base was 639,471, which was 360 higher than the April Census base. The July 1, 2022 estimate was 631,366, followed by 633,218 in July 2023. The City of Detroit’s 2023 Census vintage therefore recorded an increase from 2022 to 2023.
The July 1, 2024 estimate was 645,705, while the July 1, 2025 estimate was 649,095. U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts reports that the 2025 estimate was 3,390 higher than the 2024 estimate. The same source reports a 1.0% population change from the April 1, 2020 base to July 1, 2024, and a 1.5% change from that base to July 1, 2025.
Population change and rankings
Detroit gained 1,852 residents between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023, according to the City of Detroit’s May 16, 2024 population announcement. That announcement described the increase as the city’s first year-over-year population increase since 1957. It also ranked Detroit as the 26th most populous city in America after the 2023 estimate.
The city moved up three places in the national city population ranking, from 29th to 26th. This ranking refers to the post-2023 estimate comparison described by the City of Detroit; it is not a Census count date.
Population estimates can also be revised. The City of Detroit Q1 2024 Economic Indicators Report states that the 2023 vintage revised Detroit’s 2021 population upward by nearly 5,600 people and revised the 2022 population upward by 11,000 people. The report gives the 2022 population as 631,366 and the 2023 population as 633,218 in that vintage.
Detroit’s city trend also sits within a wider county context. Wayne County lost roughly 7,800 residents in 2023, while its population was just over 1.75 million in that year, according to the City of Detroit Q1 2024 Economic Indicators Report. The report also states that population-based state revenue sharing represented 21% of Detroit’s major tax revenue in fiscal year 2023.
Age, race, ethnicity, and background
The 2020–2024 American Community Survey period provides a demographic profile of Detroit residents. People under age 5 represented 6.7% of the population, while people under age 18 represented 25.0%. Residents age 65 and older represented 14.8%. Women made up 52.5% of the population. These figures are from U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts and describe the ACS period rather than a single-day count.
Detroit’s racial and ethnic shares in the same period were reported as follows:
- Black alone: 76.8%.
- White alone: 12.5%.
- Hispanic or Latino: 7.7%.
- Two or more races: 3.8%.
- Asian alone: 1.4%.
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone: 0.3%.
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone: 0.0%.
- White alone, not Hispanic or Latino: 11.0%.
The same QuickFacts period recorded a veteran share of 3.6% and a foreign-born share of 7.5%.
The City of Detroit RSQE Detroit Forecast 2024.09 gives a separate 2020 Census breakdown. It states that 51,269 residents were Hispanic, 493,212 were non-Hispanic Black residents, and 60,770 were non-Hispanic White residents. Together, those three groups accounted for about 95% of Detroit’s 2020 Census population, according to that report. Because this breakdown refers to the 2020 Census and the QuickFacts shares refer to 2020–2024 ACS estimates, the measures should not be treated as the same dataset.
Housing and household conditions
Detroit had 233,964 housing units in the July 1, 2025 estimates, according to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts. The 2020–2024 ACS period recorded 244,273 households and an average household size of 2.58 persons.
The owner-occupied housing unit rate was 51.8% during 2020–2024. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $99,500. Median selected monthly owner costs were $1,188 for owners with a mortgage and $442 for owners without a mortgage. Median gross rent was $1,014.
Housing geography changed little in reported land area while density differed across Census years. Detroit’s 2020 land area was 138.73 square miles, compared with 138.75 square miles in 2010. Population density was 4,606.8 people per square mile in 2020 and 5,144.3 people per square mile in 2010. These density figures are tied to the corresponding Census years.
Residential stability and household resources were also measured in the 2020–2024 ACS period. Among residents age 1 and older, 88.7% lived in the same house one year earlier. Among residents age 5 and older, 9.9% spoke a language other than English at home. Households with a computer represented 92.1%, while households with a broadband internet subscription represented 76.7%.
Education, technology, and mobility
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts reports that 83.3% of Detroit residents age 25 and older had at least a high school diploma during 2020–2024. The share with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 18.1%. Among residents under age 65, 15.8% had a disability, and 8.5% lacked health insurance.
The City of Detroit RSQE Detroit Forecast 2024.09 reports a related 2022 education distribution for residents age 25 and older. In that measure, 18.6% had a bachelor’s degree or more, 32.4% had some college or an associate’s degree, and 48.9% had a high school degree or less. These values refer to 2022 and use a different source and period from the 2020–2024 QuickFacts measures.
Education was associated with different income categories in the 2022 RSQE analysis. Among Detroit residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher, 56.9% lived in upper-middle or higher-income households. The corresponding share was 25.0% among residents with some college or an associate’s degree and 15.1% among residents with at most a high school diploma.
Among residents with a high school diploma or less, 66.0% lived in lower-income households, 18.4% lived in lower-middle income households, and 1.3% lived in higher-income households in 2022. These are household-income categories reported by the RSQE forecast, not individual wage categories.
Income and economic conditions
Detroit’s median household income was $39,938 in 2020–2024 dollars, and per capita income was $24,594, according to U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts. The poverty rate was 32.7% during the same ACS period.
The RSQE Detroit Forecast 2024.09 classified Detroit’s 2022 population by household income. Lower-income households accounted for 62.1%, lower-middle income households for 16.9%, upper-middle income households for 16.8%, and higher-income households for 4.2%. In 2018, the reported lower-income share was 63.0% and the lower-middle share was 16.0%.
Children had a different concentration in the lower-income category: 80.6% of Detroit children lived in lower-income households in 2022, compared with 80.0% in 2018. The same report states that 83% of Detroit’s Hispanic population lived in lower or lower-middle income households in 2022, while 0.6% lived in higher-income households.
For non-Hispanic Black residents, 64.2% lived in lower-income households, 17.6% lived in lower-middle income households, and 18.2% lived in upper-middle or higher-income households in 2022. For the non-Hispanic White population, 45.8% lived in lower-income households and 40.9% lived in upper-middle and higher-income households.
The RSQE report also compares Detroit with national household-income benchmarks. In 2022, the national upper-middle-income share was 34.0%, compared with Detroit’s 16.8% share. The national higher-income share was 17.3%, compared with Detroit’s 4.2% share.
Income sources changed over time. Nonwage income accounted for 35.9% of Detroit household income in 2010 and 31.2% in 2019. Its share is forecast to fall to 26.0% by 2029. Detroit wage income per capita grew 5.5% cumulatively from 2019 to 2022, while nonwage income per capita fell 2.2% cumulatively. Wage income per capita rose by an estimated 10.7% in 2023, and nonwage income per capita rebounded by an estimated 10.3%.
Employment and business activity
More than 235,000 Detroit residents were employed in 2024, according to the City of Detroit RSQE Detroit Forecast 2024.09. The report says that level was 1.6% higher than before the pandemic. Detroit payroll employment declined by 15.3% from 2010 to 2019, then grew by 10.8% from 2019 to 2023.
The 2020–2024 ACS recorded a civilian labor force participation rate of 54.1% and a female labor force participation rate of 52.3%. The mean commute time to work was 24.8 minutes.
The RSQE forecast projects average annual growth of 5.3% for Detroit wage income per capita from 2024 to 2029 and 2.2% for nonwage income per capita over the same period. By 2029, annual wage income per capita is forecast to reach $21,800, while nonwage income per capita is forecast to reach $7,600. These are forecasts, not observed 2029 results.
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts reports Detroit’s 2022 total retail sales at $5,452,505 thousand, with retail sales per capita of $8,636. Total accommodation and food services sales were $2,651,860 thousand. Total health care and social assistance receipts or revenue were $8,275,507 thousand, and total transportation and warehousing receipts or revenue were $1,540,690 thousand. Each of these business figures refers to 2022.