detroit abandoned house

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In the 15 cheapest zip codes in the U.S., the median price of homes currently on the market is less than $15,000.

And in the cheapest a block of south-central Detroit that falls into zip code 48208the median home price is just $6,388.

48208 is just one neighborhood in Detroit that has been largely abandoned, thanks largely to the struggles of the auto industry, on which the city is so dependent. The city has tried to lure new residents with incentives like renovation money and forgivable loans.

What's life like within the confines of 48208?

Click here to tour 48208 >

Forty percent of households had an income under $15,000 last year, compared to 12.5% of households making under that sum nationally, according to CLRSearch. And 18% of the households in the area had an income between $15,000 and $24,999.

The crime rate is extraordinarily high. The murder risk is more than eight times the national average, and the robbery risk is nearly six times the national average, according to CLRSearch.

Thirty-one percent of residents over the age of 25 did not complete high school; twice the national average.

And the size of 48208's population has decreased nearly 33% since 1990. It's forecasted to dip another 9.9% by 2014.

Now find out what life looks like within the borders of the nation's cheapest zip code.