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The Detroit Warren Dearborn MSA had a strong economic recovery coming out of the pandemic. In fact, the MSA saw its lowest unemployment rate of the last decade in 2023 at 3.6%, below on track with the U.S. overall. Amid the pandemic, the annual unemployment rate in the region peaked at 11.6%, about 3.5 points higher than the national average. Over the last four years, the MSA has seen annual unemployment rates on track with the nation, but slightly higher. In the last two years, the annual unemployment rate began to rise slightly, to 4.9% through the end of 2025.
GDP increased about $2.8 billion (1.0%) from 2023 to 2024, a smaller increase than the three previous years. Overall GDP exceeded $282 billion in 2024. The MSA has seen GDP growth in every year from 2014 to 2024, except 2020. Positive GRP growth of 2.8%, 3.3%, and 1.0% in each of the last three years signals an overall healthy economy going forward.
The Detroit Region’s population is 5,498,505 as of 2024. Wayne County at 1,771,063, comprises 32.2% of the regional total which is not surprising, given it is the region’s hub. Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties host 71.9% of the region’s population. The counties with the lowest populations include Shiawassee (67,982), Lapeer (89,168), and Lenawee (97,746).
