Population
Detroit
636,644
Memphis
629,063
Median Income
Detroit
$39,575
Memphis
$51,211
Home Value
Detroit
$76,800
Memphis
$157,100
Rent
Detroit
$1,034
Memphis
$1,123
Crime Rate
Detroit
17.82
Memphis
25.08
Cost of Living
Detroit
76.9
Memphis
92.7
Avg Temp
Detroit
50°F
Memphis
N/A
Unemployment
Detroit
14.2%
Memphis
8.3%
How Similar Are Detroit & Memphis?
Memphis is Detroit's #4 most similar city
2 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Detroit
636,644
Memphis
629,063
Both cities have similar populations — Detroit at 636,644 and Memphis at 629,063.
Violent Crime
Detroit
17.82
Memphis
25.08
Memphis has a 29% higher violent crime than Detroit.
Property Crime
Detroit
43.05
Memphis
68.99
Memphis has a 38% higher property crime than Detroit.
Political Leaning
Detroit
33.7%
Memphis
36.4%
Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 7% difference.
Unemployment
Detroit
14.2%
Memphis
8.3%
Detroit has a 42% higher unemployment than Memphis.
Median Income
Detroit
$39,575
Memphis
$51,211
Memphis has a 23% higher median income than Detroit.
Home Values
Detroit
$76,800
Memphis
$157,100
Memphis's home values is significantly higher than Detroit's — 51% difference.
Education
Detroit
11.6%
Memphis
18.5%
Memphis has a 37% higher education than Detroit.
Demographics
Detroit
11.7%
Memphis
25.0%
Memphis's demographics is significantly higher than Detroit's — 53% difference.
Cost of Living
Detroit
76.9
Memphis
92.7
Memphis has a 17% higher cost of living than Detroit.
2 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Detroit and Memphis differ in most key areas.
At a Glance
0
Detroit
0
Memphis
Detroit leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Detroit leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDetroit scores 60.5 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 78.3 in Memphis. Detroit scores 85.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 106.4 in Memphis. Detroit has a living wage (1 adult) of $33,837 vs $40,798 in Memphis (17% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Detroit leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMemphis has a vacancy rate of 12.9% compared to 22.3% in Detroit. Memphis has a median home value of $157,100 vs $76,800 in Detroit (51% higher). Detroit has a median property tax of $1,382 vs $1,848 in Memphis (25% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Memphis leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMemphis has a unemployment rate of 8.3% compared to 14.2% in Detroit. Memphis has a poverty rate of 22.5% compared to 31.5% in Detroit. Detroit has a work from home of 10.1% compared to 8.0% in Memphis.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Detroit leads
Source: FBI UCRDetroit has a violent crime clearance of 42.3% compared to 19.3% in Memphis. Detroit has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.84 compared to 3.49 in Memphis. Detroit has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 23.44 compared to 43.99 in Memphis.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Memphis leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMemphis has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.5% compared to 11.6% in Detroit. Memphis has a high school diploma or higher of 38.5% compared to 33.4% in Detroit.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDetroit has a population of 636,644, about 1x the size of Memphis (629,063).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Detroit
Memphis
Healthcare — Detroit leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDetroit: 4 vs Memphis: 3 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Detroit leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDetroit has a public transit of 6.0% compared to 0.8% in Memphis. Detroit has a bicycle of 0.5% compared to 0.2% in Memphis. Detroit has a work from home of 10.1% compared to 8.0% in Memphis.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.