Detroit's unemployment rate is projected to improve faster than the state average as an estimated 6,700 new jobs are expected to be created in the city through 2024, according to a study by the University of Michigan.

Between 2015 and 2018, Detroit resident employment growth outpaced the state's by 1.7 percent, according to the analysis and forecast led by UM economist Donald Grimes. That growth is expected to continue at 0.6 percent above the state's in 2019. And while the Detroit rate is expected to drop below the state's in 2020, Grimes said he sees a slight overall gain in the next several years.

Grimes said he's skeptical on anecdotal narratives about Detroit's recent boom. The city that emerged from bankruptcy five years ago continues to face challenges: poverty, education levels and skilled trades, to name a few.

"But as I did a deeper dive into this data in the last four, five, six years, there's some real evidence the city of Detroit ... is now growing faster than the state, as opposed to growing more slowly," Grimes said. "That's in terms of both employment and income growth. Generally, historically speaking, Detroit has been shrinking."

Detroit's unemployment rate was 12.2 percent higher than the state's in 2010, according to the report, with that gap dropping to 4.9 percent in 2018.

When the city filed for bankruptcy in July 2013, 18.7 percent of its labor force was jobless. Since then, its economic outlook and financial situation have improved with increased development interest downtown and a streak of balanced budgets in city hall. Neighborhoods outside the 7.2 miles of greater downtown have not seen those same gains, however.

The writers of the report say their data suggest "good news" for city resident employment levels. And they don't expect a recession in the next couple of years.

Labor force participation is expected to rise from 47.3 percent to 48.5 percent between 2018 and 2024. The jobless rate is on pace to fall from 8.6 percent (2019's average) to 7.9 percent in that time frame.

"One key reason that city resident employment growth has outperformed the state in recent years, and is projected to continue doing so, is the relatively large pool of untapped labor in the city," the report said. "Detroit's rate of labor force participation currently lags the state average by almost 14 percentage points, while the city unemployment rate is more than double that of the state. As labor markets continue to tighten, we expect city residents to benefit more than the rest of the state."