11 Depressing Stats About Detroit

Detroit filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy, the largest municipal bankruptcy in history.

Municipal bond experts Peter Hayes and James Schwartz of Blackrock published a brief analytical note earlier this month titled "Distress In Detroit." In it they offered some stats that would make anyone cringe.

Here are eleven of them:

    Detroit's population has plunged 63% since 1950.
    ...and it's down 26% since 2000.
    The unemployment rate hit a high of 27.8% in July 2009.
    As of April 2013, the unemployment rate was at 16%.
    Even though the population fell 63% since 1950, the municipal workforce fell by just 40%, adding to the strain on public finances.
    Detroit has the highest violent crime rate of any large U.S. city
    ...it's five times higher than the national average.
    40% of the city's street lights don't work.
    78,000 structures and 66,000 lots are abandoned.
    Arson accounts for 1,000 of 12,0000 fires per year.
    ...60% of those arson fires are in dilapidated or empty buildings.