Population

Detroit

636,644

Birmingham

199,322

Median Income

Detroit

$39,575

Birmingham

$44,376

Home Value

Detroit

$76,800

Birmingham

$138,600

Rent

Detroit

$1,034

Birmingham

$1,047

Crime Rate

Detroit

17.82

Birmingham

12.48

Cost of Living

Detroit

76.9

Birmingham

85.2

Avg Temp

Detroit

50°F

Birmingham

N/A

Unemployment

Detroit

14.2%

Birmingham

6.1%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Detroit & Birmingham?

Birmingham is Detroit's #6 most similar city

2/10

2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Detroit

636,644

vs

Birmingham

199,322

Different · 69% difference

Detroit (636,644) is about 3.2x larger than Birmingham (199,322).

Violent Crime

Detroit

17.82

vs

Birmingham

12.48

Different · 30% difference
🚨

Detroit has a 30% higher violent crime than Birmingham.

Property Crime

🔒

Detroit

43.05

vs

Birmingham

40.31

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 6% difference.

Political Leaning

Detroit

33.7%

vs

Birmingham

44.2%

Different · 24% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic, but Birmingham has a stronger Democratic lean (24% difference).

Unemployment

💼

Detroit

14.2%

vs

Birmingham

6.1%

Different · 57% difference

Detroit's unemployment is significantly higher than Birmingham's — 57% difference.

Median Income

Detroit

$39,575

vs

Birmingham

$44,376

Different · 11% difference
💰

Birmingham has a 11% higher median income than Detroit.

Home Values

🏠

Detroit

$76,800

vs

Birmingham

$138,600

Different · 45% difference

Birmingham has a 45% higher home values than Detroit.

Education

Detroit

11.6%

vs

Birmingham

21.2%

Different · 45% difference
🎓

Birmingham has a 45% higher education than Detroit.

Demographics

🌍

Detroit

11.7%

vs

Birmingham

25.6%

Different · 54% difference

Birmingham's demographics is significantly higher than Detroit's — 54% difference.

Cost of Living

Detroit

76.9

vs

Birmingham

85.2

Match · 10% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 10% difference.

2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Detroit and Birmingham differ in most key areas.

At a Glance

0

Detroit

vsof 8

0

Birmingham

Cost of Living & Affordability — Detroit leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Detroit scores 60.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 80.1 in Birmingham. Birmingham has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,266 vs $1,411 in Detroit (11% lower). Detroit scores 76.9 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 85.2 in Birmingham.

Overall Cost Index

Detroit76.9
Birmingham85.2

Housing Index

Detroit85.1
Birmingham93.7

Food Index

Detroit80.2
Birmingham83.9

Transportation Index

Detroit60.5
Birmingham80.1

Healthcare Index

Detroit84.2
Birmingham87.1

Utilities Index

Detroit85.2
Birmingham89.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Detroit$33,837
Birmingham$37,482

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Detroit$79,980
Birmingham$88,594

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Detroit$1,122
Birmingham$1,155

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Detroit$1,411
Birmingham$1,266

Housing Market

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Birmingham has a median property tax of $930 vs $1,382 in Detroit (49% lower). Birmingham has a median home value of $138,600 vs $76,800 in Detroit (45% higher). Detroit has a single-family homes of 71.9% compared to 59.6% in Birmingham.

Median Home Value

Detroit$76,800
Birmingham$138,600

Median Rent

Detroit$1,034
Birmingham$1,047

Median Property Tax

Detroit$1,382
Birmingham$930

Owner-Occupied

Detroit49.7%
Birmingham45.1%

Vacancy Rate

Detroit22.3%
Birmingham18.7%

Single-Family Homes

Detroit71.9%
Birmingham59.6%

Jobs & Economy — Birmingham leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Detroit: 269,860 vs Birmingham: 97,022 for labor force. Birmingham has a unemployment rate of 6.1% compared to 14.2% in Detroit. Birmingham has a poverty rate of 25.2% compared to 31.5% in Detroit.

Median Household Income

Detroit$39,575
Birmingham$44,376

Per Capita Income

Detroit$24,029
Birmingham$31,616

Poverty Rate

Detroit31.5%
Birmingham25.2%

Unemployment Rate

Detroit14.2%
Birmingham6.1%

Labor Force

Detroit269,860
Birmingham97,022

Mean Commute

DetroitN/A
Birmingham20 min

Work from Home

Detroit10.1%
Birmingham8.5%

Private Sector

Detroit84.0%
Birmingham85.6%

Government Sector

Detroit40.3%
Birmingham40.1%

Crime & Safety — Detroit leads

Source: FBI UCR

Detroit has a violent crime clearance of 42.3% compared to 9.8% in Birmingham. Detroit has a property crime clearance of 5.8% compared to 1.9% in Birmingham. Birmingham has a assault rate (per 1k) of 9.72 compared to 14.74 in Detroit.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Detroit17.82
Birmingham12.48

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Detroit43.05
Birmingham40.31

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Detroit0.31
Birmingham0.59

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Detroit1.84
Birmingham2.01

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Detroit14.74
Birmingham9.72

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Detroit7.03
Birmingham7.30

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Detroit23.44
Birmingham24.94

Violent Crime Clearance

Detroit42.3%
Birmingham9.8%

Property Crime Clearance

Detroit5.8%
Birmingham1.9%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Detroit50°F
BirminghamN/A

Avg Annual High

Detroit57°F
BirminghamN/A

Avg Annual Low

Detroit43°F
BirminghamN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Detroit182
BirminghamN/A

Annual Rainfall

Detroit31.2"
BirminghamN/A

Annual Snowfall

Detroit11.0"
BirminghamN/A

Avg Humidity

Detroit71.5%
BirminghamN/A

Schools & Education — Birmingham leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Birmingham has a bachelor's degree or higher of 21.2% compared to 11.6% in Detroit. Birmingham has a high school diploma or higher of 40.7% compared to 33.4% in Detroit.

Public Schools

Detroit0
Birmingham0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

DetroitN/A
BirminghamN/A

Colleges & Universities

Detroit0
Birmingham0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Detroit11.6%
Birmingham21.2%

High School Diploma or Higher

Detroit33.4%
Birmingham40.7%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Detroit has a population of 636,644, about 3.2x the size of Birmingham (199,322).

Population

Detroit636,644
Birmingham199,322

Median Age

Detroit35
Birmingham36

Avg Household Size

Detroit2.5
Birmingham2.1

Married Population

Detroit19.6%
Birmingham25.6%

Foreign Born

Detroit6.0%
Birmingham4.4%

White

Detroit11.7%
Birmingham25.6%

Black

Detroit76.8%
Birmingham67.1%

Hispanic

Detroit8.0%
Birmingham4.9%

Asian

Detroit1.6%
Birmingham1.4%

Detroit

Birmingham

Healthcare — Birmingham leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Birmingham: 3.7 vs Detroit: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Birmingham: 5 vs Detroit: 4 for with emergency services.

Nearby Hospitals

Detroit5
Birmingham5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Detroit2.5
Birmingham3.7

With Emergency Services

Detroit4
Birmingham5

Transportation & Commute — Detroit leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Detroit has a public transit of 6.0% compared to 1.3% in Birmingham. Detroit has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.4% in Birmingham. Detroit has a work from home of 10.1% compared to 8.5% in Birmingham.

Mean Commute Time

DetroitN/A
Birmingham20 min

Drive Alone

Detroit66.3%
Birmingham74.4%

Public Transit

Detroit6.0%
Birmingham1.3%

Bicycle

Detroit0.5%
Birmingham0.4%

Work from Home

Detroit10.1%
Birmingham8.5%

Airports

Detroit0
Birmingham0

Cities Similar to Detroit, MI

Compare Detroit against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.

🧬

City Comparison

8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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