Wayne County · Michigan
Detroit, MI demographics
Population, income and the local tax burden that sits on top of them — sourced from the Census Bureau and the Michigan Department of Treasury.
Quick answer
Detroit, MI has a population of 633,218 and a median household income of $39,575 — about $3,298 a month before tax. That ranks 94 of 94 covered metros by income and 26 of 94 by population.
Population
633,218
City limits, ACS 5-year
Median household income
$39,575
ACS 5-year estimate
Combined sales tax
6%
Michigan + local
Income rank
#94
of 94 covered metros
Estimated annual sales tax on a median household
A Detroit household at the median income of $39,575 spending roughly a quarter of pre-tax income on taxable retail goods would pay about $594 a year in sales tax at 6%. This is an illustration, not a filing figure: the taxable share of spending varies with household composition, and Michigan exempts or discounts several categories. Michigan's constitution caps sales tax at 6% and bars local add-ons, so Detroit's rate has not changed since 1994.
Method: median household income × 25% taxable share × combined rate. The 25% share is a rough national benchmark from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, not a Detroit-specific measurement.
Sources
What each figure on this page comes from.
- Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
- Source: Michigan Department of Treasury rate tables · rates as published for 2026