Heart disease
40% higher in Detroit
Hypertension goes untreated, the emergency room becomes primary care, and the damage compounds for decades.
Detroit longevity
A 9.3-year death gap. Three miles apart.
Detroiters live 69.7 years. Macomb County lives 79+. Same state, same health system, 3.1 miles apart. Every program D-Unit runs is measured against that one number.
The 9.3-year gap
69.7
Detroit years
79+
Macomb years
9.3
Years lost · 3.1 miles apart
2023 MDHHS Vital Statistics, age-adjusted. Detroit proper, not metro.
What drives the gap
Four causes, no euphemisms. None of them are solved by research dollars alone — they are solved when residents reach the jobs, contracts, care, and capital already in the city.
Rates are age-adjusted, Wayne County vs. Macomb County, CDC WONDER and MDHHS Vital Statistics, 2019–2023. See sources & methodology.
Diabetes and its complications
Nearly 2x the state rate
Late diagnosis, food access, and missed follow-up turn a manageable condition into amputations and kidney failure.
Cancer caught late
Lower early-stage detection
Screening rates track with transportation, paid time off, and trust — not with how much research money is in the city.
Economic exposure
Income predicts lifespan
Job quality, housing, and air quality set a person's health years before any clinic sees them. Work is a health intervention.
How D-Unit closes it
Detroit's $1.78B life sciences and innovation network is already here. D-NAVIGATE routes residents into careers, D-CONNECT routes MWBE businesses into contracts, and D-VENTURE routes founders into capital. Income, stability, and access are the levers that move life expectancy.
9.3 years is not a statistic — it is the birthdays, graduations, and grandchildren Detroit does not get to see. Closing it starts with one person, one step, today.