The notion that Detroit is in the midst of a renaissance is not true. A look across its 142 square miles shows that it is still mired in poverty. Although it has probably leveled off, the city has lost a massive number of residents. It also has many abandoned houses that will remain indefinitely.
A small part of downtown has made a comeback, led by Rocket Companies founder Dan Gilbert, who has invested or brought hundreds of millions of dollars into the area. A portion of it has also been rebuilt by other companies. The most prominent example of this is Ford’s refurbishment of the Michigan Central Station. Ford spent $950 million on the project.
Ironically, very close by, the Renaissance Center—the tallest building in the city—was built largely due to efforts by Henry Ford II. General Motors bought the building and moved its headquarters there in the mid-1990s. The company is set to depart, leaving the huge building without a major tenant. All or parts of it may be demolished, which is a sign of how fragile Detroit’s downtown rebound really is.
Another part of Detroit’s comeback is a complex that houses the Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers. In the same general development, Ford Field and Comerica Park sit next to one another.
Another section of downtown that has been extensively developed is around its casinos. These are the MGM Grand Detroit, Greektown Casino-Hotel, and MotorCity Casino Hotel. Among them, they bring tens of thousands of people to Detroit each year.
The Rest of the City
The demographics of the entire city are as bad as those of any major U.S. city. The poverty rate is over 31%. Median household income is under $40,000, or half the national average. The median home value is $106,000, which is about one-third the national median.
Detroit has been bleeding population since the 1950s. The 1950 Census showed Detroit’s population as 1,849,668. The figure for 2024 was 645,705, though that was up 1% from 2020. Detroit lost population in each decennial census from 1950 to 2020.
Finally, according to Pure Detroit, “There are an estimated 70,000 abandoned buildings, 31,000 empty homes, and 90,000 vacant lots in the Motor City.”
A part of Detroit has recovered, but it is a relatively small part.
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