Detroit-Warren-Dearborn migration, mapped
In 2022–23, 69,757 people moved into the Detroit metro and 81,695 moved out, a net of −11,938. Yellow arcs are people arriving, blue arcs are people leaving. Hover a dot to see the corridor, or click through to compare.
The map couldn’t load. The numbers below still tell the story.
† IRS methodology change in this year’s files (see methodology)
What the flows say
- Biggest published corridors: Ann Arbor, MI leads both directions, with 7,179 people in and 6,179 out in 2022–23. The listed corridors cover about 66–70% of all flows; the totals count everyone.
- Trend: net outflow has eased over the last three years, from −16,391 in 2020–21 to −11,938 in 2022–23†.
Population · 2025
4,390,913
▲ 0.3% year over year · growing
Peak population · 2001
4,461,855
1.6% below the 2001 peak
Why the population is changing
- Growth driver: the population grew in 2025 even after losing 5,850 people to domestic migration. International migration (+18,336) and births minus deaths (+1,121) more than made up for it.
- Peak population: the high-water mark was 4,461,855 in 2001. The 2025 estimate of 4,390,913 is 1.6% below that.
Net income flow · 2022–23
−$1.2B
▼ $3.1B arrived · $4.3B left
Avg household income · movers
$70k in · $83k out
leavers out-earn arrivals by 19%
Detroit wealth migration
- Money moved: households moving into the Detroit metro in 2022–23 reported $3.1B in income (AGI). Households leaving took $4.3B with them, a net loss of $1.2B.
- Income gap: the average household moving in reported $70k of income, vs $83k for leavers. Leavers out-earn arrivals by 19%.
About the data
Corridors are IRS county-to-county migration flows added up into metro areas (2023 Census metro definitions; exemptions ≈ people). "Rest of" entries cover a state's counties outside any featured metro. The IRS hides corridors with fewer than 20 returns, so the lists here cover about 66% of inbound and 70% of outbound movers in 2022–23. The in, out, and net totals count everyone. Income figures are the total income (AGI) movers reported, from the complete county totals. Dollars are not adjusted for inflation, and household averages divide by the number of returns. Population figures are Census Bureau estimates; the peak covers records since 2000. Years marked † had a change in how the IRS built the files. Full details on the methodology page.
Download this data (CSV), free to use with attribution.
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