Three sets of numbers frame this city. Crime is elevated on both counts, 368% above the national violent rate and 120% above on property, and Detroit sits in the 1st percentile of the 13,216 jurisdictions SafeNest grades. The direction is the counterweight: violent crime fell 13.2% in the 2024 FBI reporting year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving. Schools show a similar split. The 3.3/10 average across 182 rated schools is low, and elementary schools at 2.7/10 pull it below high schools at 5.0/10, yet Detroit Edison Public School Academy High School rates 9.4/10. The average describes the spread, not any one school. Flood context is state-level: 14 FEMA declarations for Michigan since 1972. None of these figures describe a street. A buyer comparing two Detroit addresses needs address-level data, not the city average.
Crime in Detroit vs. the national average
Detroit reports 1,782 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 368% above the U.S. average of 381, and 4,305 property crimes per 100k versus a national 1,954 (120% above). In the most recent FBI reporting year (2024), the violent crime rate fell 13.2% year over year, a pattern SafeNest classifies as improving.
| Detroit | US average | |
|---|---|---|
| Violent crime (per 100k) | 1782 | 381 |
| Property crime (per 100k) | 4305 | 1954 |
City-wide averages hide block-by-block variation — the safest and least safe neighborhoods in Detroit can differ dramatically. For a specific address, a SafeNest report covers it directly — or search free in the iPhone app.
Flood & natural hazard risk
Federal disaster records for Michigan — the state SafeNest uses for Detroit's flood context — list 14 FEMA flood disaster declarations between 1972 and 2026, most recently "Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding". Michigan has also seen 1 hurricane or tropical-storm declaration, events that frequently drive flooding. These are state-level federal declarations, not a parcel-level flood-zone determination — a specific Detroit address may sit inside or well outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine; check FEMA's flood maps and flood-insurance requirements for that address.
Schools in Detroit
Public schools in Detroit average 3.3/10 on the SafeNest School Score across 182 rated schools. By level, high schools rate strongest at 5.0/10 on average, while elementary schools average 2.7/10. The highest-scoring is Detroit Edison Public School Academy High School at 9.4/10.
Registered offenders
Registered-offender data is meaningful only at the address level, so SafeNest does not publish a city-wide figure for Detroit: a single citywide number would blend blocks with very different profiles and mislead more than it informs. Registered offender counts by distance band for any specific Detroit address are included in a SafeNest report, drawn directly from the state's public registry. The iPhone app shows that count free for any address, and maps each registrant with Premium.
Check a specific Detroit address
City averages are a starting point. A SafeNest report covers one specific address — crime, registered offender counts, flood and disaster history, schools, air quality, taxes — delivered by email as a PDF for $6.99.
Or search any Detroit address free in the iPhone app.
Common questions about safety in Detroit
Is Detroit, MI safe?
Detroit records 1782 violent crimes per 100,000 residents, 368% above the US national average of 381. Overall SafeNest grade: F, a city-wide average of reported crime. It does not describe a specific street or address.
What is the crime rate in Detroit?
Detroit reports approximately 1782 violent crimes and 4305 property crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024, the most recent FBI reporting year in our data.
Does Detroit have flood risk?
SafeNest reports federal disaster declaration history for the area. For Detroit, federal records show 14 FEMA flood disaster declarations for Michigan, most recently in 2026; a specific address may still sit inside or outside a FEMA flood zone, which SafeNest does not determine — check FEMA's flood maps for that address.
How this page was built
Every figure here comes from the same public records behind SafeNest's grading. We published the full method and what it does and doesn't support in We graded 13,216 American cities with FBI data — including where a letter grade means almost nothing. City comparisons: safest cities in Michigan.
Other city safety reports
Data compiled from public sources including FBI crime statistics, FEMA disaster declarations and the FEMA National Risk Index, NCES education data, and state registries. Last updated 2026-08-17. Figures are city-level estimates; verify with primary sources before making decisions. SafeNest is not a consumer reporting agency (see Terms).