Most Detroiters are unsatisfied and would like to move, survey found
The findings paint a gloomy picture of life in Michigan’s largest city
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Steve Neavling
"What Up Doe?" mural on Detroit's west side.
Detroiters are far less satisfied with their quality of life than their suburban neighbors, according to a new survey from the Gallup Center.
Whether it’s access to good schools, affordable housing, jobs, or grocery stores, Detroiters feel less fortunate than those living in the suburbs.
In fact, 57% of Detroiters said they would like to move out of the city if they had the opportunity.
The survey of 6,234 Detroiters, which was commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber, offers a glimpse into the perceptions and life experiences of residents living in a city that continues to hemorrhage its population. Gallup also surveyed 5,227 suburbanites to compare their attitudes to Detroiters’.
The findings paint a gloomy picture of life in Michigan’s largest city.
“While Detroit has gained economic momentum in recent years, quality of life indicators for most residents within the city remain well below those of residents in Detroit’s suburbs — and of Americans overall,” the 45-page report states. “Black and Hispanic Detroiters report facing even greater challenges.”
According to the survey, 39% of Detroiters are satisfied with the availability of good jobs, compared to 72% in the suburbs.
About 30% of Detroiters are satisfied with the quality of schools, compared to 58% in the suburbs.
The lack of quality schools and jobs has translated into financial instability. At some point over the past year, 43% of Detroiters said they didn’t have enough money to buy food for themselves or their families, compared to 23% of suburbanites.
In Detroit, which has the highest auto insurance rates in the country, 51% of residents reported they had trouble finding or retaining a job because they couldn’t access a car. That rate was 28% in the suburbs.
Only 29% of Detroiters said they were satisfied with the availability of affordable housing, compared to 55% of suburbanites.
Less than half of Detroiters — 48% — said they own their home, compared to 76% of suburbanites.
While 78% of suburbanites said they were satisfied with their access to quality of health care, only 51% of Detroiters were satisfied.
Of those surveyed, Detroiters were far more likely to have health issues like high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes.
Compared to suburbanites, Detroiters were also more likely to have a negative opinion of their neighborhood’s cleanliness, air quality, and noise, as well as their access to amenities like playgrounds, parks, grocery stores, restaurants, and extracurricular activities for children.
The most common reason Detroiters cited for wanting to move was crime. Only 26% of Detroiters believe their community is safe, compared to 71% of suburbanites. Detroiters also cited jobs and a better place to raise children as a motive to move.
Nevertheless, 57% of Detroiters still said they would recommend Detroit as a place to live.
Between 2010 and 2020, Detroit’s population declined 10.5%.
Detroit’s Black population was hit the hardest. While the Hispanic, Asian, and white populations grew over the past decade, the number of Detroit’s Black residents declined from about 586,000 to 500,000 between 2010 and 2020.
According to the decennial count, Black people account for 77.2% of the city’s overall population, compared to 82.2% in 2010, when Detroit had the highest percentage of Black residents in the country. Subscribe to Metro Times newsletters.
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