DETROIT ECONOMIC JUSTICE COALITION
Our Vision for a Prosperous, Equitable,
and Fair
Detroit for All Detroiters
Detroit has made tremendous strides since facing bankruptcy in 2013, but there are still far too many Detroiters that have been left out of its revival. We have much more to do to secure prosperity for Detroiters.
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A 2021 study found that Detroit’s median household income is $31,000 less than households in the region, and almost $45,000 less than a family of four needs to survive. Data from Detroit Future City suggests that only 26 percent of Detroit households are considered middle class as compared with 39 percent in the region.
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Despite the growing diversity of the region's workforce, workers of color remain crowded in lower paying and lower opportunity occupational groups, while white workers are overrepresented in many higher paying professions. The persistent inequities cost the region an estimated $28 billion in lost economic activity per year. While the City of Detroit has a growing number of good paying jobs with the benefits Detroiters deserve, including at the City of Detroit itself, we still hold less than 30% of all jobs in the city.
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A 2024 report stated many Detroiters rank issues at the heart of advancing a holistic economic justice agenda high on the list of their priorities, including neighborhood maintenance and structural blight, quality jobs, transportation, housing security, homelessness, and economic inequity.
As a group of local advocacy leaders, business leaders, service providers, and funders who are committed to advancing structural reforms in Detroit and Michigan, we believe that the future of Detroit requires that we advance and enact policy and practice changes that allow for all Detroiters to thrive.
