The Cleanest City in Michigan: The Answer Might Shock You

I am stunned.

In looking over the list of the 25 Cleanest Cities in the United States, there was only one from Michigan that made it…and it was sure a surprise to me.

First of all, before I reveal what city it is, here’s how the conclusion was determined, according to this survey conducted by Insider Monkey: “We used data from the Census Bureau’s American Housing Survey to calculate the percentage of households with trash or junk half a block from their residents. Based on this data, we picked top 25 American cities with the highest percentages of households reporting no trash.”

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And the Michigan city that made the list…coming in at #16…was Detroit.

In 2023 Detroit was ranked as the 4th "dirtiest city" in America. Now it's one of the cleanest. This is why I'm stunned, even though we all know that polls and surveys like this are mostly BS...but read on and find out why it's considered the cleanest in Michigan...

We’ve all seen the photos and videos of the worst parts of Detroit: the abandoned rotting neighborhoods, the barred and broken buildings, garbage and human waste in the streets, etc. So how was it determined Detroit is one of the nation’s Top 20 Cleanest Cities?

Most of the findings were based on reports from various Detroit households. Yahoo Finance via Iheart.com says “91% of Detroit households reported seeing no trash throughout the city.”

Okay, I see their point. Even though there are numerous areas of Detroit that have turned into ghost neighborhoods or dumps, the percentage of those compared to the “cleaner” areas in the city is minimal…based on the mammoth size of the city.

So while it was a stunner when I read this, I understand their conclusion…but I’m still incredulous. To see the complete list of the 25 Cleanest Cities in the United States, go here.

The gallery below shows Detroit in its youth, before all the deterioration set in.