Profile: Wage & Income Trends

Figure 1: Average Salary by Industry, 2022

Salary by Industry Detroit Region 2022

The average annual salary in the Detroit region is $68,133 – about $1,800 lower than the average American. The Detroit region’s average salary has increased 33.5% since 2012, slower than the national average.

Most Detroit region industries offer salaries that are similar to the national averages. However, in 2022, salaries in three industries are substantially lower than average:

Salary growth also varies by industry. The salary in only one industry grew faster than the national average from 2012 to 2022: Natural Resources and Mining at 42.9% compared to 18.7% in the US. Industries with salaries that grew considerably slower than the national rates include:

Figure 2: Per Capita Income, 2011-2021

Per Capita Income Detroit Region 2021

Per capita income in the Detroit region has remained under the national average since 2011. However, from 2011 to 2021, the er capita income has grown steadily every year. Overall, from 2011 to 2021, the Detroit region had a per capita income growth rate of 49.6%, nearly the same as the national average of 50.1%. In 2021, the Detroit region and US had per capita income growth rates of 5.7% and 7.3%.

Figure 3: Median Household Income, 2011-2021

Median Household Income Detroit Region 2021

Median household income in the Detroit region is nearly equal to the national data. The growth rate of the Detroit region’s median household income from 2011-2021 (36.4%) was slightly lower than the growth rate of the national median household income (38%). Post-pandemic economic recovery continues for the Detroit region with a median household income growth rate of 3.1% from 2020 to 2021, slightly below the national growth rate of 3.5%.

Figure 4: Percent in Poverty, 2011-2021

Percent in Poverty Detroit Region 2021

Poverty in the Detroit region is higher than the national average. In 2021, 13.4% of the Detroit region’s population lived in poverty. This figure is a notable improvement when compared to the 2011 poverty rate of 17.9%. Measures of child poverty follow a similar pattern. In the Detroit region, child poverty peaked in 2011 when 25.6% of people aged 18 and younger lived in poverty. By 2021, this figure fell to 18.6%. The child poverty rate in the Detroit region remains higher than the national child poverty rate of 16.9%. Both measures of poverty in both regions saw an uptick in 2021, however.