Michigan

Distance from Detroit to Lansing

Straight-line distance

77.7mi

Detroit, MI and Lansing, MI are 77.7 miles (125.0 km) apart in a straight line. From Detroit, the shortest path starts out heading WNW (288°).

kilometers
125.0
nautical miles
67.5
heading from Detroit
288° WNW
heading from Lansing
107° ESE
DetroitLansing

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Detroit is from Lansing

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Detroit and Lansing is 77.7 miles, 125.0 km or 67.5 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 77.7 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
77.7
Kilometers
125.0
Nautical miles
67.5
Bearing from Detroit
287.6° WNW
Bearing arriving at Lansing
286.6°
Bearing from Lansing
106.6° ESE

Halfway between Detroit and Lansing

The great-circle midpoint is at 42.550963, -83.829614 (42°33'3.47"N 83°49'46.61"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Brighton, MI, with 7,933 residents, 2.7 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Detroit, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Detroit gets 15 h 17 min of daylight and Lansing 15 h 20 min; on December 21, 9 h 04 min and 9 h 02 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Detroit has 5.6 times the population of Lansing. From July 2020 to July 2024, Detroit changed by +1.1% and Lansing by +1.6%. Both are in Michigan.

  1. 01Detroit, MI645,705 (+1.1%)
  2. 02Lansing, MI114,336 (+1.6%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Detroit from Lansing?

77.7 miles, 125.0 km or 67.5 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Lansing from Detroit?

WNW. The great-circle path leaves Detroit on a bearing of 287.6° and arrives at Lansing on 286.6°. The return trip starts on 106.6°.

What is halfway between Detroit and Lansing?

The midpoint is at 42.550963, -83.829614. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Brighton, MI, 2.7 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Detroit and Lansing?

Both use America/Detroit, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Detroit or Lansing?

Detroit, with 645,705 residents in July 2024 against 114,336 for Lansing, 5.6 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.