Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the official statistical areas designated by the Office of Management and Budget, a federal agency of the United States.
Metro Detroit is known for its automotive heritage, arts, entertainment, popular music, food, cultural diversity, and sports. The area includes a variety of natural landscapes, parks, and beaches, with a recreational coastline linking the Great Lakes. Metro Detroit also has one of the largest metropolitan economies in the U.S. with 17 Fortune 500 companies.
Definitions
The Detroit Urban Area, which serves as the metropolitan area's core, ranks as the 12th most populous in the United States, with a population of 3,776,890 as of the 2020 census and an area of . This urbanized area covers parts of the counties of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne.Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau These counties are sometimes referred to as the Detroit Tri-County Area and had a population of 3,862,888 as of the 2010 census with an area of .
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), a federal agency of the United States, defines the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as the six counties of Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne. As of the 2010 census, the MSA had a population of 4,296,250 with an area of .
Detroit–Warren–Dearborn Metropolitan Statistical Area CountySeat2025 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensityWayneDetroitOaklandPontiacMacombMt. ClemensLivingstonHowellSt. ClairPort HuronLapeerLapeerTotal
The nine county area designated by the OMB as the Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor Combined Statistical Area (CSA) includes the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn MSA and the three additional counties of Genesee, Monroe, and Washtenaw (which include the metropolitan areas of Flint, Monroe, and Ann Arbor, respectively). It had a population of 5,318,744 as of the 2010 census, making it one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States, covering an area of . Lenawee County was removed from the CSA in 2000, but added back in 2013.
Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor Combined Statistical Area Statistical Area2025 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensityDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metropolitan Statistical AreaFlint, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area (Genesee County) Ann Arbor, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area (Washtenaw County) Monroe, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area (Monroe County) Adrian, MI Micropolitan Statistical Area (Lenawee County) Total
With the adjacent city of Windsor, Ontario, and its suburbs, the combined Detroit–Windsor area has a population of about 5.7 million.Statistics Canada . Retrieved on August 2, 2016. When the nearby Toledo metropolitan area and its commuters are taken into account, the region constitutes a much larger population center. An estimated 46 million people live within a radius of Detroit proper, including the major metropolitan areas of Chicago, Toronto and Cleveland.Cities located close to Detroit.Time and Date world clock distances. Retrieved on September 2, 2007. Metro Detroit is at the center of an emerging Great Lakes Megalopolis.
Conan Smith, a businessperson quoted in a 2012 article by The Ann Arbor News, stated the most significant reason Washtenaw County, including Ann Arbor, is not often included in definitions of Metro Detroit is that there is a "lack of affinity that Washtenaw County as a whole has with Wayne County and Detroit or Oakland County and Macomb". Ann Arbor is nearly 43 miles by car from Downtown Detroit, and developed separately as a university city, with its own character. Smith said that county residents "just don't yet see ourselves as a natural part of that [Detroit] region, so I think it feels a little forced to a lot of people, and they're scared about it".Stanton, Ryan J. "Conan Smith: Why Ann Arbor doesn't see itself as part of Metro Detroit - and why it should ," The Ann Arbor News. May 30, 2012. Retrieved on November 9, 2013.
Economy
Detroit and the surrounding region constitute a major center of commerce and global trade, most notably as home to America's 'Big Three' automobile companies: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler. Detroit's six-county Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) has a population of about 4.3 million and a workforce of about 2.1 million.Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Growth . Retrieved June 14, 2012. In December 2017, the Department of Labor reported metropolitan Detroit's unemployment rate to be 4.2%. The Detroit MSA had a Gross Metropolitan Product (GMP) of $252.7 billion as of September 2017.
Firms in the region pursue emerging technologies including biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, and hydrogen fuel cell development.
Metro Detroit is one of the leading health care economies in the U.S., according to a 2003 study measuring health care industry components, with the region's hospital sector ranked fourth in the nation.Devol, Ross C. and Rob Koepp (August 2003).America's Health Care Economy.Miliken Institute. Retrieved on November 6, 2011.
Casino gaming plays an important economic role, with Detroit the largest US city to offer casino resort hotels. Caesars Windsor, Canada's largest, complements the MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity Casino, and Hollywood Casino in the city. The casino hotels contribute significant tax revenue along with thousands of jobs for residents. Gaming revenues have grown steadily, with Detroit ranked as the fifth-largest gambling market in the United States for 2007. When Casino Windsor is included, Detroit's gambling market ranks either third or fourth.
There are about four thousand factories in the area.World Book Inc., Volume 5. 2008. The domestic auto industry is primarily headquartered in Metro Detroit. The area is an important source of engineering job opportunities.Automation Alley Technology Industry Report (2011 Edition). Anderson Economic Group. Retrieved August 14, 2011. A rise in automated manufacturing using robotic technology has created related industries in the area.Walsh, Tom (August 29, 2009).FIRST Robotics Detroit Regional Competition. Detroit Free Press."Army to create jobs in Warren expansion" , Detroit Free Press., August 21, 2009
Detroit is a major U.S. portWhy MITA will be a success .Michigan International Trade Association. Retrieved on September 3, 2007. "Detroit is the most active commercial port of entry in the USA." "Greater Detroit is the number one exporting region among 310 defined metropolitan areas (CMSA) in the U.S." with an extensive toll-free expressway system.Regional Advantages for International Business . World Trade Center Detroit Windsor. Retrieved on September 3, 2007.Why doesn't Michigan have toll roads?.Michigan Department of Transportation. Retrieved on September 5, 2007. "A system of toll free highways has been viewed as important to commerce, industry, tourism, and general economic development." A 2004 Border Transportation Partnership study showed that 150,000 jobs in the Detroit-Windsor region and $13 billion in annual production depend on Detroit's international border crossing.Detroit Regional Chamber (2006) Detroit/Windsor Border Update: Part I-Detroit River International Crossing Study
In addition to property taxes, residents of the City of Detroit pay an income tax rate of 2.50%.
Detroit automakers and local manufacturers have made significant restructurings in response to market competition. GM made its initial public offering (IPO) of stock in 2010, after bankruptcy, bailout, and restructuring by the federal government.Baldwin, Clare, and Soyoung Kim (November 17, 2010). GM IPO raises $20.1 billion .Reuters. Retrieved on February 11, 2013. Domestic automakers reported significant profits in 2010, interpreted by some analysts as the beginning of an industry rebound and an economic recovery for the Detroit area.Schroeder, Robert (July 30, 2010).Obama says U.S. auto industry on rebound . Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on September 9, 2010.GM posts profit, CEO Whitacre to retire .CNN Money. Retrieved on September 18, 2010.Oosting, Jonathan (December 1, 2010). Brookings: Metro Detroit economy on 'road to full recovery' .Mlive. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
The region's nine-county area, with its population of 5.3 million, has a workforce of about 2.6 million and about 247,000 businesses.Regional Profile Detroit Regional Chamber. Retrieved on June 17, 2009. Fourteen Fortune 500 companies are based in metropolitan Detroit.Mlive.com. Fortune 500: GM, Ford, Dow among top Michigan companies for 2014 . Retrieved February 7, 2015. In April 2015, the metropolitan Detroit unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, a rate lower than the New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta metropolitan areas.Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment rates for metropolitan areas . U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
Metro Detroit has made Michigan's economy a leader in information technology, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. Michigan ranks fourth nationally in high-tech employment with 568,000 high-tech workers, including 70,000 in the automotive industry.MEDC (2009).Michigan: High Technology Focus, State of Michigan. Retrieved on June 17, 2009.Metro Detroit, Michigan score high in biotech VC rankings . Metromode Dec 17, 2009. Retrieved on July 14, 2010.
Michigan typically ranks second or third in overall Research & development (R&D) expenditures in the United States.MEDC,(2009).Michigan Advantage State of Michigan. Retrieved on June 17, 2009.NSF 01-320 (2001)."R&D Spending is Highly Concentrated in a Small Number of States" , National Science Foundation Metro Detroit is an important source of engineering and high-tech job opportunities.Mark Arend (January 2012)."Where the high tech jobs are", Site Selection magazine. As the home of the "Big Three" American automakers (General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler), it is the world's traditional automotive center and a key pillar of the US economy.Lawrence, Peter (2009).Interview with Michigan's Governor , Corporate Design Foundation. Retrieved on May 2, 2009. "Michigan is known as the world's automotive center." In the 2010s, the domestic auto industry accounts, directly and indirectly, for one of ten jobs in the United States, making it a significant component for economic recovery.Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (2006).From the 2003 Study "Contributions of the Automotive Industry to the U.S. Economy" University of Michigan and the Center for Automotive Research Autoalliance.com
For 2010, the domestic automakers have reported significant profits indicating the beginning of rebound.Shoenberger, Robert (May 25, 2010).Rebounding auto industry boosts Shiloh Industries' second-quarter sales, profit . Cleveland.com. Retrieved on September 18, 2010.Cwiek, Sarah (November 30, 2010).$43 billion in federal tax revenue.
Metro Detroit serves as the headquarters for the United States Army TACOM Life Cycle Management Command (TACOM), with Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) is one of America's largest and most recently modernized facilities, with six major runways, Boeing 747 maintenance facilities, and an attached Westin Hotel and Conference Center.
Metro Detroit is home to several universities, including the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, University of Michigan-Dearborn in Dearborn, Oakland University in Oakland County, and Wayne State University in Detroit.