City safety & data profile

DecaturIL

Decatur, IL is a 73K-resident city in Macon County with a median household income of $51,592.

Macon County, Illinois. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Decatur, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Decatur has a population larger than 88% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, a median home value of $99,600, and 2 hospitals serving the surrounding area.

Data updated 2026-07-20

73K
Population
Top 12%
By size
$51,592
Median income
$99,600
Median home
19.4%
Poverty rate

The read on Decatur

Decatur posts a median household income higher than 11% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks, where 1 recent safety alert is on record and 2 hospitals serve the Decatur area.

Top 89%
by median income, US cities
1
safety alert on record
2
hospitals in & near Decatur

Where Decatur income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$51,592 Bottom 11% higher than 11% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). This entry sits in this band. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). Above this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. IL $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Decatur, IL beyond the headline numbers

Decatur sits inside Macon County, Illinois, at roughly 39.84°N, -88.95°W. Population 73,254, $51,592 median household income. Median home value $99,600, median rent $845. Poverty rate 19.4%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Decatur's highest-prevalence health measure is obesity at 44.4%, then high blood pressure at 40.4%. 2 hospitals in/around Decatur, 2/5 avg rating, 2 with an ER.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Decatur from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
73,254
Decatur
Median Income
$51,592
-24% vs avg
Median Home Value
$99,600
-56% vs avg
Median Age
39.2
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Macon County) - Decatur's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
102K-8%
Median Income
$62,666+35%
Median Home Value
$127,300+36%
Poverty Rate
15%-15%
Unemployment
6.8%-42%

Economics

Economics indicators for Decatur, IL
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$845/mo
Poverty Rate
19.4% +37% vs avg
Unemployment 8.3%
Bachelor's Degree+ 21.6%
Work From Home 8.4%
Public Transit 1.4%

Population

White 66.1%
African American 23.3%
Asian 1.5%
Two or More Ethnicities 5.8%

Health Profile 14 measures

Health Indicators

Obesity
44.4%
High Blood Pressure
40.4%
Short Sleep Duration
39.6%
Physical Inactivity
28.7%
Frequent Mental Distress
18.7%
Current Smoking
17.2%
Binge Drinking
15.6%
Frequent Physical Distress
15.4%
Current Asthma
11.4%
Lack of Health Insurance
9.5%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 56.7%
Annual Checkup 79.1%

Other Measures

Coronary Heart Disease
7.7%
Stroke
4.5%

Hospitals 2 total

Rating Distribution
★★★★★
0
★★★★
0
★★★
1
★★
0
★
1
Average Rating
2/5
Total Hospitals
2
With ER
2
DECATUR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
DECATUR · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★★☆☆
ST MARYS HOSPITAL
DECATUR · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★☆☆☆☆

Alerts & News - Decatur Area 1

Weather Alerts high

Flood Warning Issued for Flatrock River at Saint Paul Affecting Decatur County

NOAA ·

Frequently Asked Questions 6

What is the population of Decatur, IL? ▼
Decatur, IL has a population of 73,254 people, located in Macon County, Illinois.
What is the median household income in Decatur? ▼
The median household income in Decatur, IL is $51,592 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 19.4%.
What is the median home value in Decatur? ▼
The median home value in Decatur, IL is $99,600. Median rent is $845/month.
What are the top health concerns in Decatur? ▼
The top health indicators in Decatur include Obesity (44.4%), High Blood Pressure (40.4%), Short Sleep Duration (39.6%). Data from CDC PLACES.
How many hospitals are in Decatur? ▼
Decatur has 2 hospitals with an average rating of 2/5 stars. 2 have emergency departments.
What is the median age in Decatur? ▼
The median age in Decatur, IL is 39.2 years. 21.6% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Decatur, IL is located in Macon County, Illinois. With a population of 73K and a $51,592 median household income, the community faces health challenges including obesity and high blood pressure. Residents have access to 2 hospitals with an average rating of 2/5 stars. Safety alerts for the Decatur area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Illinois

Real-time AQI for every monitored Illinois location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Taylorville, IL 11K Lincoln, IL 14K Bloomington, IL 78K Normal, IL 54K Mattoon, IL 18K Springfield, IL 114K Champaign, IL 86K Urbana, IL 42K
All cities in Illinois → Compare Decatur vs Taylorville → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Decatur's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Decatur area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Decatur against Illinois peers on any ranking lens. Explore Illinois

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Macon County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.