Beebe's Corners, the original settlement in what would become the city of Warren, was founded in 1830 at the corner of Mound Road and Chicago Road; its first resident was Charles Groesbeck. Beebe's Corners was a carriage stop between Detroit and Utica, and included a distillery, mill, tavern, and trading post. It was not until 1837 that the now-defunct Warren Township was organized around the settlement, first under the name Hickory, then renamed Aba in April 1838, and finally renamed Warren shortly thereafter. It was named for War of 1812 veteran, and frontier cleric, Rev. Abel Warren. However, when it was originally organized the township was named for Rev. Warren, a Methodist Episcopal preacher who left his native New York in 1824 for Shelby Township. He went throughout the present-day Macomb, Lapeer, Oakland, and St. Clair Counties, baptizing, marrying, and burying pioneers of the area, as well as establishing congregations and preaching extensively. He was the first licensed preacher in the State of Michigan.

Another version of the source of the city's name claims it was "named for General Joseph Warren, who fell at the Battle of Bunker Hill."

The settlement was formally incorporated as the Village of Warren from Warren Township on April 28, 1893, out of one square mile bound by 14 Mile Road and 13 Mile Road to the north and south, and in half-a-mile east and west of Mound Road. The small village grew slowly, and had a population of 582 in 1940 and 727 in 1950, while the larger surrounding township grew at a much quicker pace. Much of this growth was due to the construction of the Chrysler's Truck Assembly plant in 1938, the Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant in 1940 to support the WW II effort, and the General Motors Technical Center between 1949 and 1956.

The Red Run and Bear Creek, just small creeks back in the 1800s, has blossomed into an open major inter-county stormdrain flowing through Warren, into the Clinton River, and onwards to Lake St. Clair.

The Village of Warren and most of the surrounding Township of Warren, together with Van Dyke, incorporated as a city in 1957, less the city of Center Line, which had incorporated as a village from Warren Township in 1925 and as a city in 1936. Between 1950 and 1960, Warren's population soared from 42,653 to 89,426. This population explosion was largely fueled by the post-WWII Baby Boom and later, by white flight from its southern neighbor of Detroit in that decade. This change in population continued into the next decade when the city's population doubled again, ultimately reaching a high of 179,000 in 1970.

Historically, Warren was a sundown town: an all-white municipality that excluded non-whites through a combination of discriminatory practices, local ordinances, and violence. In 1970, Warren had a population of 180,000, with only 28 minority families, most of whom lived on a U.S. military base. As late as 1974, African Americans were practically nonexistent in Warren, In 2000 Warren had less than 3% Black population, compared to 80% in adjacent Detroit.

The following is a list of the previous mayors of the city. The current mayor is Lori Stone. Mayoral elections are currently non-partisan.

Warren is a core city of Metro Detroit. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.434 square miles (89.18 km), of which 34.377 square miles (89.04 km) is land and 0.057 square miles (0.15 km) is water. The city covers a 6-by-6-mile (9.7 by 9.7 km) square (from 8 Mile Road to 14 Mile Road, south to north) in the southwest corner of Macomb County (minus the city of Center Line, which is a small city totally enclosed within Warren). Warren shares its entire southern border with the northern border of the Detroit city limits. Other cities bordering Warren are Hazel Park and Madison Heights to the west, Sterling Heights to the north, and Fraser, Roseville, and Eastpointe to the east.

Warren features a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa). Summers are somewhat hot with temperatures exceeding 90 °F (32 °C) on average 8.6 days. Winters are cold, with temperatures not rising above freezing on 39.1 days annually, while dropping to or below 0 °F (−18 °C) on average 1.2 days a year.

As of the 2020 census, there were 139,387 people, 54,933 households, and 34,601 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,054.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,565.5/km). There were 58,411 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was 62.4% White, 20.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 10.3% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from some other races and 5.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.6% of the population.

Between 2010 and 2020, the Asian population in Warren doubled, increasing from 5% to 10%. This was due in large part to an increase in the Hmong and Bangladeshi populations.

There are 54,483 households accounted for in the 2022 ACS, with an average of 2.52 persons per household. The city's a median gross rent is $1,139 in the 2022 ACS. The 2022 ACS reports a median household income of $61,633, with 71.1% of households are owner occupied. 13.5% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line (down from previous ACS surveys). The city boasts a 63.7% employment rate, with 19.9% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 86.3% holding a high school diploma.

The top nine reported ancestries (people were allowed to report up to two ancestries, thus the figures will generally add to more than 100%) were German (11.0%), Polish (8.8%), Irish (6.8%), Italian (5.8%), English (5.2%), Subsaharan African (4.0%), French (except Basque) (2.7%), Scottish (1.2%), and Norwegian (0.2%).

As of the 2010 census, there were 134,056 people, 53,442 households, and 34,185 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,899.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,505.5/km). There were 57,938 housing units at an average density of 1,685.2 per square mile (650.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 78.4% White, 13.5% African American, 0.4% Native American, 4.6% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from some other races and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.1% of the population.

There were 53,442 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.11.

The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 22.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.1% were from 45 to 64; and 16.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

The white population declined to 91.3% in 2000 and reached 78.4% as of the 2010 census.

As of the 2000 census, there were 138,247 people, 55,551 households, and 36,719 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,031.8 inhabitants per square mile (1,556.7/km). There were 57,249 housing units at an average density of 1,669.6 per square mile (644.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 91.29% White, 2.67% African American, 0.36% Native American, 3.09% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from some other races and 2.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.35% of the population.

There were 55,551 households out of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.05.

The city’s population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $44,626, and the median income for a family was $52,444. Males had a median income of $41,454 versus $28,368 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,407. 7.4% of the population and 5.2% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 9.5% were under the age of 18 and 5.8% were 65 or older.

Warren's 2000 population was one of the oldest among large cities in the United States. 16.1% of Warren's population was 65 or older at the last census, tied for fifth with Hollywood, Florida among cities with 100,000+ population, and in fact the highest-ranking city by this measure outside of Florida or Hawaii. Warren is ranked 1st in the nation for longevity of residence. Residents of Warren on average have lived in that community 35.5 years, compared to the national average of eight years for communities of 100,000+ population. Warren remains a population center for people of Polish, Lebanese, Ukrainian, Albanian, Scots-Irish, Filipino, Maltese and Assyrian descent.

In 2000 there were 1,026 Filipinos in Warren as well as 1,145 Asian Indians in the city, and 1,559 American Indians. Many of the American Indians in Warren originated in the Southern United States with 429 Cherokee and 66 Lumbee. The Lumbee were the third largest American Indian "tribe" in the city, with only the 193 Chippewa outnumbering them.

There are a number of distinguishing characteristics about Warren which render it unique among American cities of its relative size. Warren was one of the fastest-growing municipalities in the country between 1940 and 1970, roughly doubling its population every 10 years. In 1940 the official population of Warren Township was 22,146; in 1950, it was 42,653; in 1960, after Warren Township had become the City of Warren, population had risen to 89,240; and by 1970 it had grown to 179,260.

In the late 20th century, Warren was one of the fastest-declining cities in population in the country. After peaking in 1970, the city’s population declined by 10% during each of the next two decades (1980: 161,060; 1990: 144,864), then dropped by 4.6% between 1990 and 2000.

In 1970, whites made up 99.5% of the city's total population of 179,270; only 838 non-whites lived within the city limits. In the ensuing two decades the white portion of the city dropped gradually to 98.2% in 1980 and 97.3% as of 1990.

Warren is served by six public school districts:

• Center Line Public Schools
• Eastpointe Community Schools
• Fitzgerald Public Schools
• Van Dyke Public Schools
• Warren Consolidated Schools
• Warren Woods Public Schools

The Macomb Intermediate School District oversees the individual school districts.

Secondary schools serving Warren include:

• Warren Woods Tower High School
• Paul K. Cousino Sr. High School
• Lincoln High School
• Warren Mott High School
• Fitzgerald High School
• Center Line High School (Center Line)
• Eastpointe High School (Eastpointe)

Charter schools:

• Michigan Collegiate

• Crown of Life Lutheran School
• De La Salle Collegiate High School (all-boys)
• Regina High School (all-girls)
• Mary Help of Christians Academy (1986–99)

• Macomb Community College (South Campus)
• Davenport University
• Wayne State University's Advanced Technology Education Center

Warren Public Library consists of one main library and three branches. The Civic Center Library is located on the ground floor of the city hall. The Arthur Miller Branch is inside the Warren Community Center. The other two branches are the Maybelle Burnette Branch and the Dorothy Busch Branch.

On July 1, 2010, the three branch libraries were closed. On August 3, the Library Millage was approved; as such, these branch libraries reopened later that August.