Metro Detroit here is Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, the three at the core of the metro area. Wider definitions add Livingston, St. Clair and Lapeer counties and more; they are not in this guide. Wayne County runs along the Detroit River, Macomb County along Lake St. Clair, and Oakland County is dotted with inland lakes.
No carrier is the clear outdoor leader in any of the 3 counties once each county's water is allowed for. In a moving car, Verizon leads in Macomb and Wayne counties, with AT&T close behind in both; AT&T leads in Oakland County. In the 3 metro Detroit cities among the 300 largest in the US, no carrier is the clear leader in any of them.
Every metro Detroit county, outdoors
| County | 4G, any carrier | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb County, MI | 100% | 84.6% | 81.5% | 100% | 16% | No clear leader on land (16% water) |
| Oakland County, MI | 100% | 99.7% | 94.4% | 100% | 4.4% | No clear leader on land (4.4% water) |
| Wayne County, MI | 99.9% | 91.6% | 90.5% | 99.9% | 9% | No clear leader on land (9% water) |
Reading the county figures
Wayne County: Verizon 99.9% and T-Mobile 90.5%, but with 9% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
Oakland County: Verizon 100% and T-Mobile 94.4%, but with 4.4% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
Macomb County: Verizon 100% and T-Mobile 81.5%, but with 16% of the county water that gap does not show more land covered.
The largest metro Detroit cities
The 3 metro Detroit cities among the 300 largest in the US, biggest first. Outdoors and in a car, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 3 cities.
| City | Population | AT&T | T-Mobile | Verizon | Water | Leader | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 645,705 | 97.1% | 97.4% | 100% | 2.9% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Warren | 137,686 | 99.9% | 100% | 100% | 0.2% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
| Sterling Heights | 134,342 | 99.4% | 100% | 100% | 0.7% | Tie (within 5 points) | View → |
Population: 2024 estimates.
Town by town
72 towns, each the main town of a ZIP code, the large cities included. Outdoors, no carrier is the clear leader in any of the 72 towns. In a car, AT&T leads in 18 and Verizon leads in 4 of the 72 towns, and 50 have no clear leader.
| Carrier | Towns led, outdoors | Towns led, in a car |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | 0 | 18 |
| T-Mobile | 0 | 0 |
| Verizon | 0 | 4 |
| No clear leader | 72 | 50 |
Where one carrier pulls clear in metro Detroit
Widest in-car margin first, 12 of 22.
| Town | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader | Outdoor leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grosse Pointe Park | 60.7% | 38.2% | 94.4% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | No clear leader on land (41.6% water) |
| Leonard | 100% | 59.1% | 86.4% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| New Baltimore | 59.9% | 44.6% | 85.4% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | No clear leader on land (31.6% water) |
| Grosse Pointe Woods | 100% | 61.5% | 100% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Gibraltar | 82.2% | 61.7% | 98.1% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | No clear leader on land (16.4% water) |
| Bloomfield Hills | 100% | 71.4% | 80.7% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Farmington Hills | 99.8% | 77.3% | 94.1% | AT&T | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Flat Rock | 98.2% | 79.8% | 100% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Romulus | 98.1% | 80.5% | 93.9% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Utica | 100% | 83.3% | 100% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Wixom | 100% | 83.8% | 98.7% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
| Novi | 99.7% | 84.4% | 95.6% | AT&T (Verizon close behind) | Tie (within 5 points) |
In a moving car
| County | AT&T, in a car | T-Mobile, in a car | Verizon, in a car | In-car leader |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb County, MI | 81.7% | 58% | 90.1% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) |
| Oakland County, MI | 94% | 63.6% | 82% | AT&T |
| Wayne County, MI | 88.7% | 75.6% | 93.9% | Verizon (AT&T close behind) |
5G in metro Detroit
| County | 5G 7/1 Mbps | 5G 35/3 Mbps | 4G LTE, any carrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb County, MI | 99.8% | 92.2% | 100% |
| Oakland County, MI | 99.5% | 90.5% | 100% |
| Wayne County, MI | 98.4% | 93% | 99.9% |