Detroit had an estimated population of 649,095 on July 1, 2025, according to Census QuickFacts. That estimate compares with 645,705 on July 1, 2024, 639,111 in the April 1, 2020 Census, and 713,777 in the April 1, 2010 Census. The city’s recent population estimates therefore show modest growth from the 2020 count, while the longer comparison remains below the 2010 Census total.
Contents
- Population and demographics
- Households, housing, and connectivity
- Education, work, and income
- Business activity and the regional economy
- City finances, parks, and water infrastructure
- Public safety and policing
Population and demographics
Census QuickFacts reports that Detroit’s population increased 1.5% from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025. The corresponding increase from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024 was 1.0%. These are different estimate dates, so they should not be treated as the same population measurement.
The 2020 population density was 4,606.8 people per square mile across 138.73 square miles of land. In 2010, density was 5,144.3 people per square mile across 138.75 square miles. The small change in reported land area does not explain the full difference between the two density figures; the population counts also changed between the Census dates.
Detroit’s age profile in Census QuickFacts includes 6.7% of residents under age 5, 24.8% under age 18, and 15.1% age 65 or older. Women represented 52.6% of residents. Together, these figures describe a population that includes substantial child and older-adult segments, with the under-18 share larger than the age-65-or-older share.
The largest reported race category was Black alone, at 75.3%. White alone accounted for 11.6%, while White alone and not Hispanic or Latino accounted for 10.8%. Census QuickFacts also reported 6.0% identifying as Two or More Races, 1.7% as Asian alone, and 0.4% as American Indian and Alaska Native alone. Hispanic or Latino residents represented 8.3%.
Detroit had 19,872 veterans during the 2020–2024 American Community Survey period. In the same period, 6.6% of residents were foreign-born, and 12.0% of residents age 5 and older spoke a language other than English at home. Those measures use the 2020–2024 ACS period rather than a single-day Census count.
Households, housing, and connectivity
Census QuickFacts counted 257,998 Detroit households in 2020–2024, with an average of 2.43 persons per household. Residential stability was reflected in the finding that 88.4% of residents age 1 and older lived in the same house one year earlier during that period.
Owner-occupied housing units represented 50.3% of units. The median value of owner-occupied housing units was $83,900. Median monthly owner costs were $1,238 for owners with a mortgage and $525 for owners without a mortgage. Median gross rent was $1,074. These measures describe different housing-cost groups and should not be combined into a single typical monthly cost.
Digital access was widespread but not universal. Census QuickFacts reported that 92.4% of Detroit households had a computer in 2020–2024, while 85.7% had a broadband subscription. The difference between those percentages indicates that computer ownership and paid broadband access were not identical household conditions.
For creative work, small businesses, and neighborhood organizations, this connectivity profile is a useful part of the local context. It shows a large digitally connected base, while also leaving a measurable share of households without a reported computer or broadband subscription during the ACS period.
Education, work, and income
Among Detroit residents age 25 and older, 83.3% were high school graduates or higher in 2020–2024, according to Census QuickFacts. The share with a bachelor’s degree or higher was 18.1%. These two attainment measures describe different thresholds: the first includes high school completion and higher credentials, while the second focuses on at least a bachelor’s degree.
Among residents under age 65, 15.8% had a disability during the same ACS period, and 8.5% were without health insurance. These indicators describe access and participation conditions for a substantial working-age population, but they are not measures of employment or labor-force status.
The civilian labor-force participation rate for residents age 16 and older was 54.1%. For Detroit females age 16 and older, the reported civilian labor-force participation rate was 52.3%. Mean travel time to work for workers age 16 and older was 24.8 minutes in 2020–2024.
Median household income was $39,938 in 2020–2024 dollars. Per capita income was $24,594 in 2020–2024 dollars, and 32.7% of residents were in poverty. The dollar figures are reported in period-specific dollars, while the poverty percentage is a separate Census QuickFacts measure; none of these figures is a forecast.
Business activity and the regional economy
Census QuickFacts recorded $5,452,505,000 in total retail sales in Detroit in 2022, including retail sales of $8,636 per capita. Accommodation and food services sales totaled $2,651,860,000. Health care and social assistance receipts or revenue reached $8,275,507,000, while transportation and warehousing receipts or revenue totaled $1,540,690,000.
These 2022 city figures cover different business categories and accounting measures. Retail and accommodation and food services are reported as sales; health care and social assistance and transportation and warehousing are reported as receipts or revenue. The categories should therefore be read separately rather than added together.
The broader Detroit–Warren–Dearborn metropolitan labor market had 2,082,400 total nonfarm jobs in June 2024, compared with 2,075,100 in June 2023, according to the BLS Detroit Area Employment June 2024 release. The Bureau of Labor Statistics described the June 2024 employment change over the year as not statistically significant.
Employment was divided between two reported metropolitan divisions. Warren–Troy–Farmington employed 1,299,700 workers and accounted for 62% of metropolitan payroll employment in June 2024. Detroit–Dearborn–Livonia employed 782,700 workers and accounted for 38%.
Several industries changed over the year from June 2023 to June 2024. Mining, logging, and construction employment rose by 7,700. Education and health services rose by 6,400, and trade, transportation, and utilities rose by 5,300. Professional and business services fell by 10,000. The industry changes provide more detail than the metro-wide finding that the overall employment change was not statistically significant.
| Detroit-area measure | Reported figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Total nonfarm employment | 2,082,400 | June 2024 |
| Total nonfarm employment | 2,075,100 | June 2023 |
| Warren–Troy–Farmington employment | 1,299,700 | June 2024 |
| Detroit–Dearborn–Livonia employment | 782,700 | June 2024 |
| Detroit retail sales | $5,452,505,000 | 2022 |
| Detroit health care and social assistance receipts/revenue | $8,275,507,000 | 2022 |
City finances, parks, and water infrastructure
The City of Detroit BOPC Budget Presentation for the second quarter of fiscal year 2025 reported $8,164,900 in Municipal Income Tax revenue against a $36,412,741 annual amended budget. Utility Users’ Tax revenue was $7,051,799 against a $43,101,901 annual amended budget. Total revenues were $18,114,968 against a $92,757,703 annual amended budget.
On the expenditure side, salaries and wages spending was $86,828,011 against a $314,053,316 annual amended budget. Employee benefits spending was $22,836,572 against an $83,264,889 annual amended budget. Total expenditures were $114,035,466 against a $424,439,420 annual amended budget. These are FY 2025 Q2 reported amounts and annual amended budget figures, not equivalent time periods.
Detroit Parks & Recreation maintains over 300 parks and is working to develop 29 miles of greenways, according to City of Detroit Parks and Greenways information. The figures describe the scale of the park system and a stated greenway development effort; the greenway number is not presented as completed mileage.
The Detroit Water and Sewerage Department serves more than 230,000 residential and commercial accounts. Its water network has more than 2,700 miles of transmission and distribution mains, while its sewer collection piping is nearly 3,000 miles long. DWSD’s system serves 126 municipalities in seven southeast Michigan counties. Under a 40-year agreement that began in 2016, DWSD has an annual $50 million lease payment from GLWA. These figures are from City of Detroit About DWSD information.
Public safety and policing
The City of Detroit’s 2024 violent-crime release reported 203 criminal homicides in 2024, down 19% from 2023 and down 33% since 2022. Detroit recorded 606 non-fatal shootings, down 25% from 2023 and 48% from two years earlier. Carjackings totaled 142, down 15% from 2023 and 71% since 2015. Overall violent crime fell 7% in 2024, while overall property crime fell 4%.
The same release reported that Detroit Police Department sworn positions were 99% filled in 2024, with 2,634 filled out of 2,672 total positions. Detroit added a net 144 sworn officers in 2024. At year-end 2024, the City of Detroit 2024 Annual Report listed 3,528 total DPD positions, with 3,420 filled and 108 vacant. Sworn staffing was 2,705 positions, with 2,665 filled and 40 vacant; civilian staffing was 823 positions, with 755 filled and 68 vacant.
The annual report also recorded 620 sworn officers and 430 civilian DPD employees living in Detroit. The share of police officers living in the city reached 22.9% in 2024. These staffing counts come from the annual report, while the 99% sworn-position figure comes from the separate 2024 violent-crime release, so the reported totals should be kept tied to their source and measurement context.
Federal partners recovered 6,211 guns in Detroit in 2024, entered 4,753 casings into NIBIN, and generated 2,599 investigative leads from NIBIN. They served 600 search warrants, made 1,700 felony arrests, and charged 180 individuals federally. Wayne County FAST apprehended more than 1,000 individuals with outstanding felony warrants. The Wayne County Circuit Court reduced its felony gun-case backlog by 3,000 cases, while the 36th District Court reduced its felony gun-case backlog by nearly 1,700 cases.
Detroit and Michigan State Police impounded 85 vehicles in a drag racing and drifting crackdown, made 115 felony arrests, recovered 75 weapons, and recovered 15 stolen vehicles. Detroit had six ShotStoppers community violence intervention groups covering 25 square miles. ShotSpotter coverage reached 39 square miles in 2024, with 373 arrests from ShotSpotter notifications. Project Green Light Detroit had 1,030 locations.
The mental health crisis intervention team responded to 3,055 calls in 2024, while Detroit had more than 17,000 mental health calls during the year. Finally, the city’s 2024 NFL Draft drew more than 775,000 visitors over three days with no significant incidents, according to the City of Detroit violent-crime 2024 release.