At its peak in the 1950s, Detroit had 1.8 million residents and was the center of the car industry, with Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler calling it home. The city was full of busy streets, successful businesses, and creative energy. Back in the 1920s, it was the nation’s fourth-largest city. Since 1950, though, Detroit’s population has dropped by more than 60%.
Many of Detroit’s once-busy factories now stand empty, and vacant homes are scattered throughout the city. The story of Detroit’s decline is dramatic and hard to ignore. I’ve spent a lot of time digging into this, and what I’ve found is a mix of the obvious and the “wait, really?” So, let’s get into the real reasons why a city like Detroit basically fell apart.
Industrial collapse and mass job loss
Detroit was the Motor City. But after World War II, things started to change. Technology evolved, and car companies realized they could build factories cheaper somewhere else. So, they started moving production to the suburbs, other states, and eventually, other countries.
Between 1947 and 1963, Detroit lost over 140,000 manufacturing jobs. That’s the entire population of a decent-sized town, all out of work. This kicked off a massive population drop. The city peaked at 1.8 million people in 1950, but today, it’s hovering around 630,000. That’s a 61% drop. Middle-class white residents in particular moved to the suburbs…