Ranking · Worst of · 2026
Highest unemployment in Metro Detroit
Unemployment rate for every community in Metro Detroit, ranked from the latest Census estimates.
By Victoria Jackson, Editor In Chief
1 min read
- Communities compared
- 199
- Median, Metro Detroit
- 4.3%
- Number 1, Royal Oak Township
- 30.3%
Royal Oak Township ranks first for Unemployment rate, at 30.3%
Unemployment rate, Metro Detroit. 10 places.
-
1
Royal Oak Township 30.3%
Oakland County, population 2,337
-
2
Highland Park 18.7%
Wayne County, population 8,628
-
3
Yale 16.1%
St. Clair County, population 2,129
-
4
Inkster 14.4%
Wayne County, population 25,428
-
5
Richmond Township 14.0%
Macomb County, population 3,577
-
6
Kenockee Township 14.0%
St. Clair County, population 2,387
-
7
Detroit 14.0%
Wayne County, population 638,530
-
8
Hamtramck 13.1%
Wayne County, population 27,743
-
9
Eastpointe 12.9%
Macomb County, population 33,982
-
10
Marathon Township 12.2%
Lapeer County, population 4,442
Every list tells a story if you know how to read it. Rebuild Detroit compared 199 communities in Metro Detroit by unemployment rate for 2026.
Royal Oak Township comes first with 30.3%, 602% above the median. The Metro Detroit median is 4.3%.
Who leads the list
Royal Oak Township leads the list with 30.3% (Oakland County, population 2,337). Highland Park is second with 18.7% (Wayne County, population 8,628).
Yale takes third with 16.1% (St. Clair County, population 2,129).
The rest of the top 10
Rounding out the top 10 are Inkster (14.4%), Richmond Township (14.0%), Kenockee Township (14.0%), Detroit (14.0%), Hamtramck (13.1%), Eastpointe (12.9%), and Marathon Township (12.2%). Wayne County holds 4 of the top 10 spots, and Macomb County holds 2.
The other end of the list
At the other end of Metro Detroit, Lake Orion has the lowest figure with 0.7%. That is a spread of 29.6% between first and last place.
By the numbers
The gap between number 1 and number 2 is 11.6%. The top 10 average 16.0%, against 4.7% for the other 189 communities.
99 of the 199 communities sit above the median.
What it means for you
So what does that mean for you?
The jobless rate moves home prices, rents and how long a for-sale sign stays up. A low spot here is not a verdict on the people who live there. It is one public number, and numbers move when a community moves them.
How we ranked
Every number is the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Communities with fewer than 1,000 residents are left out.
Ties are broken alphabetically.
Final word
This list updates when the numbers behind it do, and every place on it links to its own guide on Rebuild Detroit. Stay tuned.
Sources
Editor In Chief, Detroit Ledger
Victoria Jackson is a lifelong student and sharp-eyed documentarian of all things Detroit, from its rich musical roots and cultural icons to its shifting neighborhoods, storied architecture, and underground legends.