Postal Codes

48238 ZIP Code

Advertisement

English Español

ZIP code 48238 covers Detroit, Michigan, with a population of about 24,569 and a median household income of $30,286.

Population
24,5694,550 per square mile
Median age
35.43.3 points below the US average
Median household income
$30,28657% below the Michigan median
Poverty rate
35.8%23.4 points above the US average
Typical home value
$53,036down 1.3% in five years
Median rent
$95012% below the Michigan median
Degree or higher
12.7%22.3 points below the US average
Homeownership
47.1%17.9 points below the US average
Time zone
Eastern UTC-05:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
256

Where 48238 is

Detroit, Michigan — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population24,569
Median age35.4
Family households46.2%
Born outside the US0.6%
Speaks a language other than English at home0.8%
White (non-Hispanic)1.3%
Black (non-Hispanic)93.7%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.2%
Hispanic or Latino0.6%
Veterans4.2%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$30,286
Income per person$20,052
Poverty rate35.8%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance41.8%

Household income distribution

Under $10k17.8%
$10–15k11.8%
$15–20k8.3%
$20–25k6.8%
$25–30k5.1%
$30–35k4.0%
$35–40k8.3%
$40–45k3.6%
$45–50k5.9%
$50–60k6.4%
$60–75k4.6%
$75–100k8.4%
$100–125k3.3%
$125–150k1.8%
$150–200k2.0%
$200k or more1.9%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed9,510
Mean adjusted gross income$30,671
Returns declaring $200,000 or more0.5%
Returns, under $25k58.3%
Returns, $25k–$50k26.6%
Returns, $50k–$75k8.1%
Returns, $75k–$100k3.2%
Returns, $100k–$200k3.4%
Returns, $200k or more0.5%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$58,700
Median gross rent$950
Rent as a share of household income38%
Owner-occupied47.1%
Vacant homes37%
Median year built1942

What the homes are

Detached house51.1%
Attached house8.1%
2 to 4 units27.6%
5 to 19 units5%
20 or more units7.7%
Mobile home0.5%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$53,036as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yeardown 6.8%
Typical home value, 5 yearsdown 1.3%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 123.7%
Typical asking rent$1,202as of 2026-07
Typical asking rent, 1 yearup 2%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$59,987$14,341

$26,279 in 2000 to $53,036 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate20.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher12.7%
High school diploma or higher84.3%
Works from home12.4%
Drives to work alone57.3%
Takes public transport9.5%
Commutes 45 minutes or more14.3%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity48.8% 15.4 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes21.7% 9.7 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes23.4% 10.2 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure51.3% 17.2 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health35.9% 15.6 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)10.7% 0.6 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression22.3% same as the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity40.7% 15.3 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis32.3% 7.2 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking10.7% 5.3 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication78.8% 4.1 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)5.1% 2.6 pts below the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma14.8% 4.4 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease8.9% 2.7 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year83.7% 7 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening85.7% same as the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability20.1% 5.3 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening61.2% 3.1 pts below the national average of 64.3%
COPD12.2% 5.6 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist47.8% 13.5 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability43% 12.3 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support34.5% 9.7 pts above the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity45.4% 28.3 pts above the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps50.2% 35.9 pts above the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability6.2% 0.5 pts below the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol35.2% 1 pts below the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity34.6% 20.8 pts above the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability16.3% 7.9 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport23.1% 13.9 pts above the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness37.5% 3.1 pts above the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use78.2% 2.3 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)23.1% 6.3 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability24.9% 10.9 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)19% 5.5 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability9.7% 5.7 pts above the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat29.5% 20.7 pts above the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours52.2% 15.8 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke7% 3.6 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost26.3% 13.3 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability12% 6.4 pts above the national average of 5.6%
Advertisement
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments256
People employed2,979
Annual payroll$139,196,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 15.7% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery Low to Relatively Low across the 19 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss8.1 out of 100
Community resilience46.3 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Cold wave64.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave56.8Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind55.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado52.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm50.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake41.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather30.3Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding26.6Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide25.7Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane24Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning22.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire12.7Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail7.5Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Michigan and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPMichiganUnited States
Median household income$30,286$71,149$78,538
Income per person$20,052$39,538$43,289
Poverty rate35.8%13.1%12.4%
Median home value$58,700$217,600$303,400
Median gross rent$950$1,084$1,348
Homeownership47.1%72.9%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher12.7%31.8%35%
Unemployment rate20.6%5.8%5.2%
Works from home12.4%12%13.5%
Born outside the US0.6%7%13.9%
Median age35.440.138.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationDEARBORN #2, MI US6.1 km away
Rain in a year35 in

Average high and low by month

January33°F / 19.4°F2.07 in rain
February35.9°F / 20.1°F2.06 in rain
March45.8°F / 27.1°F2.5 in rain
April58.9°F / 37.1°F3.23 in rain
May69.9°F / 48.2°F3.69 in rain
June79.2°F / 59.4°F3.67 in rain
July84.1°F / 63.4°F3.39 in rain
August82°F / 62.2°F3.51 in rain
September75.2°F / 54.5°F3.04 in rain
October62.5°F / 43.1°F2.76 in rain
November49.3°F / 33.3°F2.62 in rain
December37.3°F / 25.4°F2.35 in rain
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket5% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket5% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket60% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

Detroit Public Schools Community District100% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability79more vulnerable than 79% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status88more vulnerable than 88% of US census tracts
Household characteristics60more vulnerable than 60% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status97more vulnerable than 97% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport46more vulnerable than 46% of US census tracts
Walkability12.5 out of 20Above average
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

48204 Detroit, MI3.3 km away
48221 Detroit, MI3.4 km away
48206 Detroit, MI3.5 km away
48203 Highland Park, MI4.3 km away
48227 Detroit, MI4.4 km away
48202 Detroit, MI5.5 km away
48235 Detroit, MI5.6 km away
48208 Detroit, MI6.5 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Wayne County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneEastern (UTC-05:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area5.4 sq mi
Population density4,550 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude42.3959, -83.1411

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

Advertisement