Rank #9 of 33
Detroit, MI
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
9.8
Tacos per hour at the local median wage
$2.50
Avg taco price
$24.39
Median hourly wage (2024)
$3.00
Fast-casual taqueria
$1.99
Taco Bell crunchy taco
Detroit sits above the national average. An hour of local work buys 9.8 tacos here, compared with 9.3 tacos per hour across the 33-city index (+0.5 vs national average).
Local note
Mexicantown along Bagley Avenue remains the heart of Detroit's taco scene, with multi-generation taquerias serving a city that has long had a substantial Mexican-American community. Prices reflect the metro's lower cost of living, and Taco Tuesday deals at $2 a piece are still easy to find.
Where the numbers come from
Fast-casual: Mexicantown / Bagley Ave taquerias — Taqueria El Rey (5-for-$10 Tuesdays), Taqueria Lupita's, Honey Bee La Colmena, El Asador. Chain: Taco Bell crunchy taco $1.99 (national avg).
Average taco price ($2.50) is $0.27 below the national average of $2.77.
How this is calculated. Tacos per hour = median hourly wage ÷ average taco price.
Average taco price is the mean of the fast-casual taqueria anchor and the local Taco Bell crunchy taco price.
Wages come from BLS OEWS, May 2024, MSA-level median for all occupations.
Full methodology.