Detroit’s economy and population are likely to grow over the next five years.

But city residents will also face significant disparities in wages.

That’s the finding from a recent forecast of the Motor City’s financial future compiled by researchers at the University of Michigan.

Highly-regarded expert Dan Manaenkov helped examine Detroit’s economic picture.

He says Michigan’s largest city already has one distinct advantage over the rest of the state: a younger workforce. The wider state is losing workers to retirement.

“Michigan has been losing labor force to the tune of 3% year over year,” says Manaenkov. 

In the long term, Manaenkov is less optimistic about Detroit’s economy. “Detroit is not an isolated economy… in the longer run, it is a lot more sensitive to how the over all Michigan is doing.” He also says that Detroiter’s on average make less money, leading to continuing wage disparity.