Is Detroit safe? The honest answer depends on which numbers you look at and on where in the city you are standing. By the FBI’s 2025 figures, Detroit is still one of the most violent big cities in the U.S., yet the city’s own year-end data show homicides at their lowest level in decades.

The short answer: Detroit’s citywide violent crime rate is still high, about five times the national rate, but it is falling quickly. The main visitor areas, including Downtown, Midtown and Corktown, are generally described by travel guides as manageable with ordinary big-city precautions.

This is the written companion to our Short on Detroit. Watch it below, then read the details, including whether Detroit is safe to visit and whether it is safe to live in.

Is Detroit safe? What the 2025 crime data show

The FBI’s 2025 crime data, as compiled by Security.org for the 50 largest U.S. cities, put Detroit’s violent crime rate at 1,649.1 per 100,000 residents. That is the second highest of the 50 cities, behind only Memphis at 1,849.4, and roughly five times the national rate of 327.6. A second analysis of the same data, from Eufy, reports the same Detroit figure and the same second-place rank.

Measure (per 100,000 residents)	Detroit	National average
Violent crime rate	1,649.1	327.6
Property crime rate	3,882.2	1,534.8

Detroit’s profile is driven by violence rather than theft. Its property crime rate is the lowest of the ten cities in our ranking of the most dangerous cities in the U.S., where Detroit comes in at number four on total crime rate. A citywide rate is an average across every neighborhood, so it describes the city as a whole and not any single street.

Is Detroit getting safer?

Yes, and by a wide margin. Detroit police counted 165 criminal homicides in 2025, down from 203 in 2024, according to figures reported by the Associated Press via Police1. That is the fewest since at least the early to mid-1960s. The 2024 total was itself described by the city as the lowest since 1965, when there were 188 homicides.

Detroit (city data)	2024	2025
Homicides	203	165
Non-fatal shootings	603	447
Carjackings	142	77
Robberies	1,209	953

Michigan Public reports the same picture from the city’s announcement: homicides down about 19 percent, non-fatal shootings down about 26 percent and carjackings down about 46 percent. Police Chief Todd Bettison called it the lowest homicide total of his more than 30 years on the force and credited partnerships among local, state, federal and community groups. A criminology professor quoted by the Associated Press described the wider national decline as a return to pre-pandemic levels, so Detroit’s improvement is part of a national trend as well as a local one.

One caution is worth keeping in mind. The city’s year-end numbers are preliminary, and falling crime from a very high starting point still leaves Detroit above the national average. Detroit is moving in the right direction, but it is not yet a low-crime city.

Is Detroit safe to visit?

For most visitors the answer is yes, with ordinary precautions. Travel guides such as SmarterTravel and Real Journey Travels both single out Midtown and Corktown as relatively safe areas for visitors, and both treat Downtown and the Riverwalk as the main tourist districts. Is Detroit safe for tourists in those areas? Generally, yes. The most common concerns there are petty theft, such as pickpocketing, and keeping an eye on belongings after dark.

Practical tips drawn from both guides:

• Stay in busy, well-lit areas and travel with a companion rather than walking alone late at night.
• Use official taxis or rideshares after dark, and check that the driver and vehicle match the app before you get in.
• Carry few valuables, keep them out of sight, and do not leave anything visible in a parked car.
• Stick to the main visitor districts and plan how you will get to attractions that sit outside them.

Is Detroit safe at night?

Downtown and Midtown are busier after dark than most of the city, and that crowd is a real advantage. Even so, both guides advise against walking alone late at night, especially in quiet areas or along the river. Rideshares and official taxis are the safer way to move between districts once the streets empty out.

Is Detroit safe to live in?

Safety inside Detroit varies far more from one neighborhood to the next than the citywide figures suggest. Neighborhood guides, including PODS and Real Journey Travels, both name Indian Village, Midtown and Corktown among the safer places to live. Real Journey Travels and SmarterTravel also flag Forest Park, Poletown East and Petosky-Otsego as areas with higher crime.

Anyone weighing a move should look past the citywide rate. Compare block-level crime maps and local police data for the specific address, and visit at different times of day before signing a lease or buying.

Frequently asked questions

Is Detroit safe now?

Safer than it has been in decades, but still above the national average for violent crime. Homicides fell to 165 in 2025, the lowest total since at least the mid-1960s, while the FBI’s 2025 data still place Detroit second among the 50 largest cities for violent crime.

Is Detroit safe to visit?

In the main visitor districts, such as Downtown, Midtown, Corktown and the Riverwalk, yes, with normal city precautions. Use rideshares at night and keep valuables out of sight.

Is Detroit safe to live in?

It depends on the neighborhood. Indian Village, Midtown and Corktown are commonly named among the safer areas, and crime levels differ sharply between neighborhoods, so check local crime data for the exact address.

Is Detroit getting safer?

Yes. Between 2024 and 2025, homicides fell from 203 to 165, non-fatal shootings from 603 to 447 and carjackings from 142 to 77, according to city figures reported by the Associated Press.

Related reading: Top 10 Most Dangerous Cities in the U.S. and Best Places in California. For more data-driven countdowns, subscribe to the Mr Global Rankss YouTube channel.