What is the population of Detroit?
Detroit has a city population of 645,705. That is the population within the city's own boundary, not its wider metropolitan area. City population, GeoNames.
City profile · United States · North America
Detroit
City population
645,705
#30
in United States
#1
in Michigan
#862
worldwide
42.331, -83.046 · 635 km from Washington
About Detroit
With a metropolitan population of 4,392,000, Detroit ranks among the largest urban areas in the United States. The city proper had 645,705 residents, spread across an area yielding a density of 437 people per km². The region experienced an annual growth rate of -0.3%, indicating population decline. Situated at 183 meters elevation, Detroit was founded in 1701 and is presently led by Mayor Mary Sheffield.
Transportation infrastructure includes Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) and Bishop International Airport (FNT) serving the area. The city's long history and substantial metropolitan footprint reflect its established role within the broader North American urban network.
This summary is AI-generated from the figures on this page. The figures themselves come from the sources cited beside each value.
Metro population
4,392,000
0.053% of world population
Archive estimateAnnual growth
−0.35%
Archive estimateDensity
437/km²
10,062 km² metro area
Key Facts
Country
Region
Rank in region
#1of 78
Founded
1701
Leadership
Mary Sheffield
Coordinates
42.331, -83.046
Record updated
25 June 2025
Entry edited, not measured
City population, GeoNames. GeoNames publishes no year for its population figures, so “record updated” is when the entry was last edited — not the date the population was measured.
Nearby Cities
All 3,112 in United StatesClosest listed cities by great-circle distance from the city centre.
Compared with the World's Largest Cities
City-proper population against the fifteen largest cities in the dataset.
| Name | City population |
|---|---|
| Shanghai | 24.9M |
| Beijing | 19M |
| Shenzhen | 17.5M |
| Guangzhou | 16.1M |
| Kinshasa | 16M |
| Istanbul | 15.7M |
| Lagos | 15.4M |
| Ho Chi Minh City | 14M |
| Chengdu | 13.6M |
| Lahore | 13M |
| Mumbai | 12.7M |
| São Paulo | 12.4M |
| Mexico City | 12.3M |
| Karachi | 11.6M |
| Tianjin | 11.1M |
| Detroit | 646K |
Airports
Scheduled-service airports within 100 km, nearest first.
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDTW
29 km from the city centre
- Bishop International AirportFNT
91 km from the city centre
Source: OurAirports, matched by distance.
Population Trend in United States
No free source publishes city population back to 1950, so the parent country's series is shown instead.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 1950 | 154,202,680 |
| 1960 | 180,274,555 |
| 1970 | 207,796,339 |
| 1980 | 229,858,655 |
| 1990 | 253,373,387 |
| 2000 | 281,484,131 |
| 2010 | 311,062,790 |
| 2020 | 339,436,159 |
| 2030 | 355,649,881 |
| 2040 | 370,209,316 |
| 2050 | 380,846,910 |
| 2060 | 388,918,394 |
| 2070 | 398,218,088 |
| 2080 | 407,079,816 |
| 2090 | 414,457,640 |
| 2100 | 421,278,889 |
Detroit Population FAQ
Where is Detroit?
Detroit is in Michigan, United States, 635 km from the capital, Washington. Its coordinates are 42.331, -83.046.
How big is Detroit compared with other cities in United States?
It is the 30th largest of the 3,112 cities listed in United States, holding 0.2% of the national population.