Average Salaries in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Explore salaries across 679 occupations in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $71.3K, +8.4% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 679 occupations and 1,886,000 total jobs in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI.
How the metro compares
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Surgeons, All Other. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Surgeons, All Other | $561.1K | 160 |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $447.8K | 520 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers | $428.6K | N/A |
| Psychiatrists | $339.3K | 160 |
| Chief Executives | $304.1K | 2,070 |
| Dermatologists | $269.1K | N/A |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $243.1K | 1,170 |
| Pediatricians, General | $218K | 730 |
| Obstetricians And Gynecologists | $209.6K | 550 |
| Physicists | $199.2K | 140 |
Largest occupations in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Assemblers And Fabricators | 55,100 | $49.2K |
| Retail Salespersons | 48,610 | $35.1K |
| Home Health And Personal Care Aides | 46,480 | $35.1K |
| Registered Nurses | 44,310 | $97.3K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 42,430 | $29.6K |
| Cashiers | 37,910 | $30.1K |
| General And Operations Managers | 37,250 | $104K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 37,090 | $36.7K |
| Office Clerks, General | 34,570 | $45.8K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 34,030 | $40.3K |
What Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Model Makers, Metal And Plastic | 15.17 | $81.1K |
| Engine And Other Machine Assemblers | 7.99 | $64.8K |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists And Technicians | 7.09 | $69.5K |
| Tool And Die Makers | 7.03 | $73.1K |
| Mechanical Engineers | 6.19 | $109.5K |
| Cutting, Punching, And Press Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 5.56 | $50.5K |
| Patternmakers, Metal And Plastic | 5.42 | $48.8K |
| Commercial And Industrial Designers | 4.29 | $108.2K |
| Plating Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Metal And Plastic | 4.07 | $37.8K |
| Industrial Engineers | 3.87 | $104.1K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.