Population
Detroit
636,644
Milwaukee
569,756
Median Income
Detroit
$39,575
Milwaukee
$51,888
Home Value
Detroit
$76,800
Milwaukee
$172,000
Rent
Detroit
$1,034
Milwaukee
$1,033
Crime Rate
Detroit
17.82
Milwaukee
14.34
Cost of Living
Detroit
76.9
Milwaukee
96.4
Avg Temp
Detroit
50°F
Milwaukee
48°F
Unemployment
Detroit
14.2%
Milwaukee
5.9%
How Similar Are Detroit & Milwaukee?
Milwaukee is Detroit's #18 most similar city
0 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Detroit
636,644
Milwaukee
569,756
Detroit has a 11% larger population than Milwaukee.
Violent Crime
Detroit
17.82
Milwaukee
14.34
Detroit has a 19% higher violent crime than Milwaukee.
Property Crime
Detroit
43.05
Milwaukee
27.01
Detroit has a 37% higher property crime than Milwaukee.
Political Leaning
Detroit
33.7%
Milwaukee
29.8%
Both cities lean Democratic, but Detroit has a stronger Democratic lean (12% difference).
Unemployment
Detroit
14.2%
Milwaukee
5.9%
Detroit's unemployment is significantly higher than Milwaukee's — 58% difference.
Median Income
Detroit
$39,575
Milwaukee
$51,888
Milwaukee has a 24% higher median income than Detroit.
Home Values
Detroit
$76,800
Milwaukee
$172,000
Milwaukee's home values is significantly higher than Detroit's — 55% difference.
Education
Detroit
11.6%
Milwaukee
16.7%
Milwaukee has a 30% higher education than Detroit.
Demographics
Detroit
11.7%
Milwaukee
36.5%
Milwaukee's demographics is significantly higher than Detroit's — 68% difference.
Cost of Living
Detroit
76.9
Milwaukee
96.4
Milwaukee has a 20% higher cost of living than Detroit.
Detroit and Milwaukee differ significantly across all measured metrics.
At a Glance
0
Detroit
0
Milwaukee
Milwaukee leads in 4 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 85.5 in Milwaukee. Detroit scores 85.1 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 112.6 in Milwaukee. Detroit scores 76.9 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 96.4 in Milwaukee.
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 ACSMilwaukee has a vacancy rate of 10.4% compared to 22.3% in Detroit. Detroit has a single-family homes of 71.9% compared to 43.3% in Milwaukee. Detroit has a median property tax of $1,382 vs $3,575 in Milwaukee (61% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Milwaukee leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMilwaukee has a unemployment rate of 5.9% compared to 14.2% in Detroit. Milwaukee has a poverty rate of 23.3% compared to 31.5% in Detroit. Milwaukee has a median household income of $51,888 vs $39,575 in Detroit (24% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Milwaukee leads
Source: FBI UCRMilwaukee has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 12.55 compared to 23.44 in Detroit. Milwaukee has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.88 compared to 7.03 in Detroit. Milwaukee has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 27.01 compared to 43.05 in Detroit.
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 — Detroit leads
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoDetroit: 11.0" vs Milwaukee: 13.0" for annual snowfall. Detroit averages 57°F, about 4°F warmer than Milwaukee. Detroit averages 50°F, about 2°F warmer than Milwaukee.
Avg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Milwaukee leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMilwaukee has a bachelor's degree or higher of 16.7% compared to 11.6% in Detroit. Milwaukee has a high school diploma or higher of 36.0% 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 1.1x the size of Milwaukee (569,756). Milwaukee skews younger with a median age of 32.2 vs 35.1.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Detroit
Milwaukee
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDetroit: 4 vs Milwaukee: 3 for with emergency services. Milwaukee: 3.3 vs Detroit: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Milwaukee leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDetroit has a public transit of 6.0% compared to 5.4% in Milwaukee. Milwaukee has a work from home of 11.3% compared to 10.1% in Detroit. Milwaukee has a drive alone of 67.8% compared to 66.3% in Detroit.
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.