What are median household income and poverty rates for Muslims in Dearborn compared to city averages?

1. What the key numbers say—Muslim household income vs. the city

A market-data summary that profiles Dearborn’s Muslim population reports a median household income for Muslim families of $59,000 (presented as a single figure in that report) ^[1]. By contrast, multiple data aggregators and Census-derived pages put the citywide median household income at about $65,192 for Dearborn (reported consistently in the 2019–2023 ACS 5‑year estimates and repeated by local demographics sites) ^{[2] [4] [5]}. That gap implies Muslim households in the cited profile earn on median somewhat less than the citywide household median—roughly $6,000 lower according to those figures—but the difference is modest and within the range where methodological differences could matter ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Poverty on paper—conflicting citywide rates and what they mean

Citywide poverty estimates in the assembled sources are not uniform: Data USA reports that 24.3% of Dearborn’s population for whom poverty status is determined lives below the poverty line (about 26.1k people) ^[3], and WorldPopulationReview gives a similar overall poverty rate of 24.27% ^[4]. Other local demographic summaries report a different metric—19.4% of Dearborn families living in poverty—showing how “poverty rate” can shift depending on whether a source reports family poverty, population poverty, or uses different ACS years ^[2]. These discrepancies demonstrate that the city’s poverty burden is clearly above the national average but varies by the exact measure used ^{[3] [4] [2]}.

3. What the sources say about Muslims and poverty specifically—and their limits

The single source that addresses Muslim economic status directly claims Muslim households face “a slightly higher unemployment and poverty rate compared to the city average,” without providing a precise Muslim-specific poverty percentage in the excerpts provided ^[1]. No American Community Survey or Census Bureau QuickFacts table in the provided set gives a validated, disaggregated poverty rate for Dearborn residents defined by religion; indeed, QuickFacts warns that some estimates cannot be displayed when sample sizes are too small ^[6]. Therefore, while the market-data report indicates Muslims may experience marginally higher poverty, the exact Muslim poverty rate for Dearborn cannot be corroborated from the supplied Census/ACS aggregate sources ^{[1] [6]}.

4. Methodological caution—why small differences may not be definitive

Comparing the $59,000 median for Muslim households against the roughly $65,192 city median requires caution because the Muslim figure comes from a demographic/market profile rather than direct ACS religion-based tabulation, and religion is not a standard Census category for income cross-tabs; additionally, sources report different poverty denominators (population vs. families) and use different years or aggregations, producing variation between ~19% and ~24% for Dearborn depending on the metric chosen ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}. In short, the available data indicate Muslim households in Dearborn earn somewhat less on median than the citywide household median and that the Muslim community may face somewhat higher poverty, but the magnitude is uncertain given source and measurement limits ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

5. Alternative viewpoints and hidden agendas in the reporting

The market-data piece emphasizes a vibrant Muslim community and cites the $59,000 median as evidence of economic resilience, which can serve commercial or community-positive narratives ^[1]; by contrast, aggregated Census-derived pages focus on macro indicators—median household income and population-level poverty—that can paint a grimmer picture for the city as a whole ^{[2] [3]}. Each source has implicit priorities: local demographic sites and Data USA aim for comprehensive ACS-derived snapshots, while market or community profiles may use different sampling or proprietary estimates that favor highlighting community strengths ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

6. Bottom line for policymakers and researchers

Current reporting supports two defensible statements: one, the best-available profile figure puts Muslim median household income in Dearborn near $59,000; two, the citywide median is about $65,192 and overall poverty in the city is reported between roughly 19% (family poverty metrics) and 24% (population poverty metrics). Exact poverty and income comparisons for Muslims versus the city average require more granular, reproducible data—ideally ACS microdata linked to religion-specific surveys or validated community surveys—because existing public Census products do not provide religion-disaggregated income and poverty estimates in a directly comparable form ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [6]}.