Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 17/100
F
Median home value$83,900
Detroit $249,700
Median rent$1,074/mo
Detroit $1,207/mo
Cost-burdened households44%
Detroit 29%
Detroit
Wayne County638,530 residentsDetroit Public Schools Community District
42
D−
Suburbgrade score
53rd of 54 Detroit suburbs. Strongest on amenities, held back by employment & income.
42
Detroit median 58
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Detroit yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 42 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Detroit is like to live in, by category
Bars show Detroit against Detroit. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 27/100
F
Within-state proficiency9th pct
Detroit median 46th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.8
Detroit median 16.8
Graduation rate76%
Detroit median 87%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 70/100
B−
Housing cost index80
Detroit 100
Eff. tax rate1.32%
Detroit 1.27%
Local sales tax6.00%
Detroit median 6.00%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 66/100
C+
Mean commute24.8 min
Detroit 26.0 min
Under 30 minutes66%
Detroit 61%
Transit stops / sq mi33
Detroit median 7.8 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 73/100
B
Restaurants & cafés56
Detroit median 59 · within 2 miles
Groceries9
Detroit median 6 · within 2 miles
Parks94
Detroit median 61 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 10/100
F
Median household income$39,938
Detroit $76,664
Unemployment14%
Detroit 6.4%
Professional occupations28%
Detroit 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Detroit yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Detroit on employment & income
Detroit's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbEmploymentOverall
Beverly Hills12 mi from DetroitA 80 B+ Berkley9 mi from DetroitA− 78 B+ Grosse Pointe Park9 mi from DetroitB+ 69 B− Rochester21 mi from DetroitB 72 B− Birmingham13 mi from DetroitB 77 B Royal Oak9 mi from DetroitB 76 B Median household income: ACS 2020–24 · Unemployment: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Detroit
Is Detroit, MI a good place to live?
Detroit scores 42 out of 100, 53rd of 54 Detroit suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on employment & income. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Detroit expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $83,900, 66% below the Detroit median, and the effective property tax rate is 1.32%. $1,074/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Detroit?
Schools grade F. The districts serving Detroit sit at the 9th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 76% graduation rate and a 16.8 student–teacher ratio. Detroit is served by Detroit Public Schools Community District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Detroit?
The mean commute is 24.8 min, with 66% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 12% working from home. Transit density is 33 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Detroit?
Within two miles there are 9 groceries, 56 restaurants and cafés and 94 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Detroit old or new?
The median home in Detroit was built in 1947 — older than the Detroit median of 1968. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 71% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.