Chicago vs Detroit
Side-by-side comparison of Chicago, IL and Detroit, MI — population, economics, education, health, hospitals, climate, and cost of living from official U.S. government data.
Population
Population
Population
2.7M
Population
646K
Median Age
Median Age
38 yrs
Median Age
37.9 yrs
10-Year Pop Growth
10-Year Pop Growth
N/A
10-Year Pop Growth
N/A
Economics
Median Household Income
Median Household Income
$83,498
Median Household Income
$60,539
Median Home Value
Median Home Value
$324,500
Median Home Value
$178,500
Median Rent
Median Rent
$1,435
Median Rent
$1,132
Poverty Rate
Poverty Rate
13.5%
Poverty Rate
20.8%
Unemployment Rate
Unemployment Rate
7%
Unemployment Rate
8.7%
10-Year Income Growth
10-Year Income Growth
N/A
10-Year Income Growth
N/A
Education & Work
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
42.7%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
27.6%
Work From Home
Work From Home
18.9%
Work From Home
14.1%
Public Transit
Public Transit
11.8%
Public Transit
1.8%
Health (CDC PLACES)
Frequent Mental Distress
Frequent Mental Distress
14.9%
Frequent Mental Distress
19.7%
Obesity
Obesity
31%
Obesity
37.4%
Physical Inactivity
Physical Inactivity
23.3%
Physical Inactivity
29.7%
Smoking
Smoking
11.1%
Smoking
16.9%
Lack of Health Insurance
Lack of Health Insurance
11.8%
Lack of Health Insurance
8.1%
Healthcare
Hospitals
Hospitals
57
Hospitals
21
Avg Hospital Rating
Avg Hospital Rating
2.6/5
Avg Hospital Rating
2/5
Demographics
Chicago Population
White 43.6%
African American 22.2%
Asian 7.9%
Detroit Population
White 49.2%
African American 36.8%
Asian 3.7%
Two or More Races 3.4%
Want to compare different cities?
Use our interactive city comparison tool →Related Comparisons
Data Sources
Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022 5-year estimates). Health data from the CDC PLACES (2023). Hospital data from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA Climate Normals (1991–2020). Cost of living from BEA Regional Price Parities via FRED.