Demographics of Metro Detroit
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

As of the
census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...
of 2010, there were 5,196,250 people, 1,682,111 households, and 1,110,454 families residing within the Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor Combined Statistical Area (Detroit CSA). Within the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn Metropolitan Statistical Area (Detroit MSA), there were 4,296,250 people residing. The census reported 70.1% White, 22.8% African-American, 0.3% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.2% of the population. Arab Americans were at least 4.7% of the region's population. As of the 2017
American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...
estimates, the median income for a household in the MSA was $57,101, and the median income for a family was $72,119. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...
for the MSA was $44,403.


History

In 1701, French officer Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac, along with fifty-one additional
French-Canadians French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
, founded a settlement called Fort Ponchartrain du ''Détroit'', naming it after the comte de Pontchartrain, Minister of Marine under
Louis XIV Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
. The French legacy can be observed today in the names of many area cities (ex.
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
,
Grosse Pointe Grosse Pointe refers to an affluent coastal area next to Detroit, Michigan, United States, that comprises five adjacent individual cities. From southwest to northeast, they are: * Grosse Pointe Park * Grosse Pointe * Grosse Pointe Farms * Grosse ...
, Grosse Ile) and streets (ex. Gratiot, Beaubien, St. Antoine, Cadieux). Later came an influx of persons of
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
and
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
descent, followed by Polish,
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...
, Lebanese, Assyrian/Chaldean,
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
,
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
, and
Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
immigrants who made their way to the area in the early 20th century and during and after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.Baulch, Vivian M. (September 4, 1999).
Michigan's greatest treasure – Its people
() Michigan History, ''
The Detroit News ''The Detroit News'' is one of the two major newspapers in the U.S. city of Detroit, Michigan. The paper began in 1873, when it rented space in the rival ''Detroit Free Press'' building. ''The News'' absorbed the ''Detroit Tribune'' on Februar ...
''. Retrieved on April 4, 2009.
There was a large migration into the city from the rural
South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
following World War I.


Population by ethnicity

The census of 2010 reported 70.1% White, 22.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.2% of the population. Arab Americans were at least 4.7% of the region's population.


Ethnic groups

According to the United States Census Bureau, as of July 2018, approximately 79.1% of those residing in the City of Detroit proper are African American. Most but not all of the suburban cities are still predominantly
white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...
. In the 2000s, 115 of the 185 cities and townships in Metro Detroit were over 95% white. Of the more than 240,000 suburban blacks in Metro Detroit, 44% lived in Inkster, Oak Park,
Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...
, and Southfield. Highland Park and
Hamtramck Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of Hi ...
, two cities surrounded by Detroit, have a similar split with Highland Park being 93% African American but Hamtramck only 15%. In Wayne County, the city of Dearborn has a large concentration of
Arab American Arab Americans ( ar, عَرَبٌ أَمْرِيكِا or ) are Americans of Arab ancestry. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World. According to the Arab American Inst ...
s, mainly Lebanese. Recently, the area has witnessed some growth in Albanian, Asian and
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...
populations. Immigration continues to play a role in the region's projected growth with the population of Detroit-Ann Arbor-Flint (CMSA) estimated to be 6,191,000 by 2025. Oakland County is among the most affluent counties in the United States with populations over one million.


Religion

Religious groups in Metro Detroit include
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
(67%),
Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...
(3%),
Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...
(2%),
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
(1%),
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
(1%), and other groups.


Immigration and foreign-born origins

A 2013 report by Global Detroit and Data Driven Detroit stated that there were almost 400,000 immigrants combined in Wayne,
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...
, Macomb, and Washtenaw counties. The largest groups are, in order, India, Mexico, Iraq, Canada, and Lebanon. Throughout the entire U.S. the largest immigration group comes from Mexico. Of those living in the four county region as of 2013, about 8% were not born in the United States. That year, the percentages of people not born in the United States were 41% in
Hamtramck Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of Hi ...
, 27% in Dearborn, 26% in
Troy Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
, and 23% in
Sterling Heights Sterling Heights is a city in Macomb County of the U.S. state of Michigan, and one of Detroit's core suburbs. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a total population of 134,346. It is the second largest suburb in Metro Detroit, and the fourth la ...
. 5% of people within the city of Detroit are immigrants, making the percentage of immigrants in Detroit the lowest such percentage out of those of the 25 largest cities in the United States. The national average is about 13%.Warikoo, Niraj.
Biggest metro Detroit immigrant group is from India, report shows
" ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primar ...
''. July 20, 2013. Retrieved on March 9, 2014.
The first wave of immigrants, including Germans, Irish, and Poles, arrived in the mid-19th Century.Woodford, p
185
In 1900 Detroit had 96,503 people who were not born in the United States. This figure increased to 157,534 in 1910.Woodford, p
186
In the early 20th Century the largest wave of immigrants came to work at automobile factories. The immigrants arrived from Armenia, Belgium, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Russia, Syria, and Ukraine. Initially the volume was in the thousands. The volume increased to the tens of thousands after
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that ...
announced that workers would be paid $5 per day. As a result, Austrians, Bulgarians, Croatians, Finns, Lithuanians, Macedonians, Norwegians, Romanians, Serbians, Slovaks, and Swedes traveled to Detroit.Woodford, p
185186
By 1925 almost half of Detroit's population was not born in the United States. By 2001 many Bangladeshi Americans had moved from New York City, particularly
Astoria, Queens Astoria is a neighborhood in the western portion of the New York City borough of Queens. Astoria is bounded by the East River and is adjacent to three other Queens neighborhoods: Long Island City to the southwest, Sunnyside to the southeas ...
, to the east side of Detroit and
Hamtramck Hamtramck ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 28,433. Hamtramck is surrounded by the city of Detroit except for a small portion that borders the fellow enclave city of Hi ...
. Many moved because of lower costs of living, larger amounts of space, work available in small factories, and the large Muslim community in Metro Detroit. Many Bangladeshi Americans who moved into Queens, and then onwards to Metro Detroit had origins in
Sylhet Sylhet ( bn, সিলেট) is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of the Sylhet Division. Located on the north bank of the Surma River at the eastern tip of Bengal, Sylhet has a subtropical climate ...
.Kershaw, Sarah.
Queens to Detroit: A Bangladeshi Passage
" ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''. March 8, 2001. Retrieved on May 10, 2013.
In 2002 over 80% of the Bangladeshi population within Wayne,
Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay ...
, and Macomb counties lived in Hamtramck and some surrounding neighborhoods in Detroit. That area overall had almost 1,500 ethnic Bangladeshis, almost 75% of Bangladeshis in the entire state of Michigan.Metzger, Kurt and Jason Booza.
Asians in the United States, Michigan and Metropolitan Detroit
." Center for Urban Studies,
Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
. January 2002 Working Paper Series, No. 7. p. 10. Retrieved on November 6, 2013.


LGBT population

As of 2007 Ferndale is the center of the LGBT community in Metro Detroit.Case, Wendy.
Affirming Ferndale
"
Archive
''
Metro Times The ''Detroit Metro Times'' is a progressive alternative weekly located in Detroit, Michigan. It is the largest circulating weekly newspaper in the metro Detroit area. History and content Supported entirely by advertising, it is distribute ...
''. May 30, 2007. Retrieved on January 24, 2013.
As of 1997 many LGBT people reside in Ferndale, Pleasant Ridge, and Royal Oak.Gallagher, John. "Location, Location, Location: The Most Livable Places in America." '' The Advocate''.
Here Publishing Here Media Inc. is an LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender ...
, June 24, 1997. No. 736, ISSN 0001-8996. p
60
''Model D'' stated in 2007 that there are populations of LGBT people in some Detroit neighborhoods such as
East English Village East English Village is a neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, bounded by Harper Avenue on the north, East Outer Drive on the west, Mack Avenue on the south, and Cadieux Road on the east. It was first developed in 1913 though most of the homes were ...
, Indian Village, Lafayette Park, and Woodbridge and that the concentration of
gay bars A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term '' gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities. Gay bars once serv ...
in Detroit is "decentralized"."Supergay."
Where the Gays Are

Archive
. '' Model D Media''. Issue Media Group, LLC. Tuesday April 24, 2007. Retrieved on December 1, 2013.
As of 1997, Detroit is reported to be racially segregated between gays of different economic and racial backgrounds.


See also

* Demographic history of Detroit


References

Notes Bibliography * Alvarado, Rudolph P. and Sonya Yvette Alvarado. ''Mexicans and Mexican Americans in Michigan'' (Discovering the Peoples of Michigan).
Michigan State University Press Michigan State University Press is the scholarly publishing arm of Michigan State University. Scholarly publishing at the university significantly predates the establishment of its press in 1947. By the 1890s the institution's Experiment Stations ...
, May 2, 2012. , 9780870138850. * Howell, Sally. "Competing for Muslims: New Strategies for Urban Renewal in Detroit". Located in: Shryock, Andrew (editor). ''Islamophobia/Islamophilia: Beyond the Politics of Enemy and Friend''.
Indiana University Press Indiana University Press, also known as IU Press, is an academic publisher founded in 1950 at Indiana University that specializes in the humanities and social sciences. Its headquarters are located in Bloomington, Indiana. IU Press publishes 140 ...
, June 30, 2010. , 9780253004543. * Steifel, Barry. ''The Jewish Community of Metro Detroit 1945-2005''.
Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publ ...
, 2006. , 9780738540535. * Woodford, Arthur M. ''This is Detroit, 1701-2001''.
Wayne State University Press Wayne State University Press (or WSU Press) is a university press that is part of Wayne State University. It publishes under its own name and also the imprints Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), ...
, 2001. , 9780814329146. Further reading * Danzinger, Edmund Jefferson. ''Survival and Regeneration: Detroit's American Indian Community'' (Great Lakes Books).
Wayne State University Press Wayne State University Press (or WSU Press) is a university press that is part of Wayne State University. It publishes under its own name and also the imprints Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), ...
, 1991. , 9780814323489. * Metzger, Kurt R.
Metropolitan Detroit’s Diverse Population: A Closer Look What the 2000 Census Has to Tell Us Presentation to the Detroit Orientation Institute
"
Archive
Center for Urban Studies,
Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
. April 28, 2003. *
Metro Detroit’s Foreign-Born Population
" Global Detroit. 2014. (Full report)
Archive
*
Summary of 2014 reportArchive
{{Demographics of the United States by state Detroit, Metro Detroit, Metro Metro Detroit