What percentage of people rent in Detroit, MI?

Name: Renters and owners in Detroit, MI, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

49.7% (±0.8 points) of the occupied homes in Detroit, MI are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 128,103 renting households against 129,895 that own their home.

In Detroit, the share of households that rent went from 52.8% in 2015–2019 to 49.7% in 2020–2024 (−3.1 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 49.7% (±0.8 points)
Renting households: 128,103 (±2,297)
Median renter income: $30,178 (±$1,149)

Who rents and who owns in Detroit

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Detroit	Wayne County	Michigan	United States
Renter-occupied share	49.7% (±0.8 points)	35.2% (±0.4 points)	26.8% (±0.2 points)	34.8%
Renting households	128,103 (±2,297)	246,939 (±3,006)	1,092,179 (±7,674)	45,017,354
Owning households	129,895 (±2,307)	453,652 (±3,139)	2,984,190 (±12,886)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.1 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6 (±0.0)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$30,178 (±$1,149)	$37,565 (±$847)	$42,352 (±$376)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$50,396 (±$1,337)	$77,774 (±$995)	$87,130 (±$344)	$100,009

In Detroit, the renter share is higher than in Wayne County (35.2%).

It is also higher than in Michigan (26.8%).

It is higher than the national figure (34.8%).

In Wayne County, Detroit ranks 3 of 43 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 27 of 1,520.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Detroit has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	52.8% (±0.7 points)	49.7% (±0.8 points)	−3.1 percentage points	Measurable decrease
Median gross rent	$824 (±$7)	$1,074 (±$13)	+30.3%	Up after inflation
Median household income	$30,894 (±$390)	$39,938 (±$937)	+29.3%	Up after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Detroit

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Detroit
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Detroit	—	49.7% (±0.8 points)	—
Highland Park	1.6 mi	55.5% (±6.7 points)	Not measurably different
Hamtramck	2.5 mi	41.7% (±4.4 points)	Lower
Hazel Park	5.5 mi	33.9% (±4.9 points)	Lower
Ferndale	5.5 mi	33.4% (±3.5 points)	Lower
Royal Oak Charter Township	5.5 mi	64.5% (±10.5 points)	Higher
Pleasant Ridge	6.5 mi	4.4% (±2.7 points)	Lower
Oak Park	7.0 mi	36.7% (±4.1 points)	Lower
Dearborn	7.4 mi	31.6% (±2.0 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Hamtramck, MI (41.7%), Hazel Park, MI (33.9%), Ferndale, MI (33.4%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Royal Oak Charter Township, MI (64.5%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Wayne County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
1	Highland Park	55.5% (±6.7 points)
2	Inkster	53.2% (±4.4 points)
3	Detroit	49.7% (±0.8 points)
4	Belleville	43.7% (±9.5 points)
5	River Rouge	42.7% (±7.3 points)
6	Hamtramck	41.7% (±4.4 points)
7	Wayne	39.3% (±4.0 points)
8	Melvindale	39.2% (±6.6 points)
9	Westland	38.7% (±1.6 points)

Showing 9 of 43 places in Wayne County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

What you can do on Seayora in Detroit

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Questions about Detroit

How many renters are there in Detroit?

Detroit has an estimated 128,103 (±2,297) renting households, 49.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Detroit?

In Detroit, the share of households that rent went from 52.8% in 2015–2019 to 49.7% in 2020–2024 (−3.1 percentage points), a measurable decrease.

How big are renting households in Detroit?

A renting household in Detroit has 2.3 people on average, against 2.5 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Detroit?

The median renting household in Detroit, MI has an income of $30,178 (±$1,149) a year, against $50,396 for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Detroit city, Michigan (place:22000, in state:26).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.