In the new City Report, “The Storefront Index” from City Observatory, the Detroit metro area ranks 51st as one of the least dense city centers with storefronts (businesses within a 3 mile radius of a Downtown).

“One of the best indicators of the vitality of an urban space is the presence of customer-facing retail and service businesses.”

Important to note is that the database utilized by the report found that the Customs List under-reported businesses in Detroit and had to then rely on a secondary sources, USAInfo.