As poverty remains a major local issue, another way of measuring pay inequity is to look at the salaries of commuters vs. Detroit residents.
Why it matters: Well-paying jobs are often held by people who live in the suburbs and commute into Detroit — while the salaries of Detroit residents, regardless of where they work, are lower.
This reality isn't new, but rather is an ongoing theme caused by longtime economic, discriminatory and educational disparities.
By the numbers: More than three-quarters of workers employed in Detroit as of 2021 lived outside the city, per census data cited by the Workforce Intelligence Network.
Meanwhile, nearly 70% of Detroit-resident workers traveled outside the city for jobs.
What they're saying: "There's a big difference between the wages earned by employed residents of Detroit and the wages that people who work in the city earn," U of M economic forecaster Gabriel Ehrlich tells Axios.
But the most recent forecast projects a faster rate of income growth in 2025-30 for city residents (3.6% annually on average) than for jobs located in the city (3.2%).