Children still cough on their way to school. Seniors check the weather—not for rain, but for asthma alerts. The headlines may say Detroit is one of the cleanest cities in the country, but that’s not what many folks on the east and southwest sides feel when they step outside.
A new national study from Oxi Fresh, a cleaning company that analyzed 35 U.S. metro areas using federal public data, ranked Detroit as the fourth cleanest metro in the country. The study looked at seven different measures—population density, rodent and cockroach prevalence, vandalism, litter, air quality, and tap water quality. Each city received a grade from A to F. Detroit came in strong with a B+ overall.
It’s a recognition that may sound surprising, even disconnected, for those who live where smoke stacks mark the skyline and environmental neglect is inherited like redlined deeds. But the findings offer a complex picture of where Detroit stands—and where it’s still falling short.
Detroit beat out major metros like San Francisco, Boston, Atlanta, and Dallas. Only Portland, Seattle, and Rochester ranked higher. At the bottom of the list were New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, and Washington, D.C.
The national ranking suggests that efforts by the city government to revitalize sanitation services and launch community-centered campaigns are showing up in the data. Initiatives like the “Keep Detroit Clean” program focus on neighborhood beautification and blight removal. The city’s ongoing investments into solid waste collection have improved citywide sanitation access, especially in communities that long felt forgotten. These changes are real. They’re visible. But they don’t tell the whole story.
One data point pulled Detroit back down to earth—air quality. Of all 35 metros analyzed, Detroit’s air quality ranked 11th worst. For many residents, that stat speaks louder than a B+.
Communities in ZIP codes like 48217, long documented as one of the most polluted in Michigan, are still battling environmental injustice every day. Many Black and Brown residents live near industrial corridors where factories release harmful emissions without nearby green buffers. The city’s asthma rates remain among the highest in the country. Children grow up with inhalers before they even learn how to ride bikes.
So while the city may be receiving praise for its cleaner streets and improved water quality, Detroiters living with compromised lungs aren’t clapping just yet.
There is no denying that progress has been made. The city’s improved water quality stood out in the study as one of its strongest attributes. For a city in a state still scarred by the Flint water crisis, this matters. It’s a testament to community advocacy and increased infrastructure investment. But even there, vigilance remains necessary. Many Detroit residents remain skeptical after years of mistrust in public utilities and slow responses to concerns.
Programs like “Keep Detroit Clean” are doing the hard work in real time. You can see the difference when community members gather for block cleanups or when overgrown lots finally get the attention they deserve. These efforts matter. They help restore pride in places where systemic neglect tried to erase it. But you can’t plant flowers fast enough to mask a layer of smog, and you can’t sweep away the invisible particles that settle into lungs over time.
Detroit’s low population density may also have contributed to the high cleanliness ranking. With more space between homes and fewer high-rise buildings than cities like New York or Los Angeles, litter and rodent visibility may be easier to manage. But density alone doesn’t address inequity in how resources are distributed. Certain areas benefit faster from cleanup programs, while others wait, report, and wait again.
Environmental racism doesn’t show up in national rankings. It shows up in ER visits. It shows up in missed school days. It shows up in neighborhoods surrounded by factories, where greenery is rare, and grocery stores even rarer.
The contradiction of Detroit being both a top-ranked clean city and a place with some of the dirtiest air isn’t new. Black Detroiters are used to being the footnote behind the headlines. It’s why community leaders have always done the work that systems ignored—organizing recycling events, fighting for zoning accountability, and testifying for environmental protection policies.
This moment offers an opportunity. It’s a chance to redefine what “clean” means—not just on the ground, but in the air, in the infrastructure, in the way we prioritize health outcomes for communities most affected. The report should not be taken as a gold star, but as a pivot point to ask deeper questions.
How are air quality metrics influencing the city’s public health strategy? Are asthma prevention resources being distributed equitably across ZIP codes? Are factory emissions being measured and mitigated in real time, especially near residential neighborhoods?
The answers to these questions matter more than a national ranking.
Detroit’s strength in this report came not from perfection but from movement. From city workers collecting trash on time. From neighborhood associations doing monthly cleanups. From young organizers pushing environmental justice into city hall conversations. That’s the real data.
It’s also important to note who Detroit ranked ahead of. Cities with more wealth, more resources, and more corporate investment didn’t rank as high. That says something. It points to grit and the refusal of Detroiters to accept blight as normal, pollution as inevitable, or divestment as permanent.
But this study should not be misunderstood as a declaration of victory. A B+ grade won’t fix the lung damage. It won’t uncloud the air. It won’t prevent another generation of Black children from learning early what it feels like to be short of breath. That kind of healing takes more than a cleanup crew. It takes policy, accountability, and sustained investment in neighborhoods that have been overlooked for far too long.
Detroit is a city of survivors, builders, and truth-tellers. The study confirms what many already knew—there is beauty and strength in this city that refuses to be buried beneath the narrative of decay. But the fight for environmental justice is not over, and no national list can substitute for lived experience.
We can accept the recognition without ignoring the reality. We can take this ranking as affirmation that Detroit is rising—so long as we use it to press harder for what still needs to change.
Because clean water and swept streets should never come at the cost of clean air. And true cleanliness is not about how things look, but about how they feel, how they breathe, and who gets to thrive.
