Decatur, AL

Census Place

2024 Population

57,361

US Senator

Tommy Tuberville

Republican Party

US Senator

Katie Britt

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.7

1.73% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

13.1%

1.94% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$61,563

2.89% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$210,200

Population & Diversity

Decatur, AL is home to a population of 57.4k people, from which 93.6% are citizens.

As of 2024, 8.52% of Decatur, AL residents were born outside of the country (4.89k people).

In 2024, there were 2.42 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (31.9k people) in Decatur, AL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 13.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.11k Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.6%

2024 Citizenship

94.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.6% of Decatur, AL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Decatur, AL was 94.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Decatur, AL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Decatur, AL

White (Non-Hispanic)
31.9k ± 1.21k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
13.2k ± 763
Other (Hispanic)
4.11k ± 923

16.5%

Hispanic Population

9.45k people

16.5% of the people in Decatur, AL are hispanic (9.45k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Decatur, AL as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Alabama.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
53,867 ± 5,668 people
Guatemala
18,373 ± 3,322 people
Korea
11,536 ± 2,634 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Alabama was Mexico, the natal country of 53,867 Alabama residents, followed by Guatemala with 18,373 and Korea with 11,536.

Foreign-Born Population

8.52%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

4.89k people

7.94%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

4.59k people

As of 2024, 8.52% of Decatur, AL residents (4.89k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Decatur, AL was 7.94%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Decatur, AL compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,045 ± 223
Gulf War (2001-)
826 ± 238
Gulf War (1990s)
349 ± 128

Decatur, AL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.27 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Decatur, AL.

Economy

The economy of Decatur, AL employs 25.5k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Decatur, AL were Manufacturing (5,554 people), Retail Trade (3,163 people), and Construction (2,573 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($80,040), Public Administration ($70,637), and Utilities ($59,219).

Employment

Occupations

25.5k

2024 Value

± 1,444

−0.464%

1 Year decline

± 7.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Decatur, AL declined at a rate of −0.464%, from 25.6k employees to 25.5k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Decatur, AL, are Production Occupations (3,659 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,746 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (2,241 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Decatur, AL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Alabama.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Alabama (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

25.5k

2024 Value

± 1,444

−0.464%

1 Year decline

± 7.92%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Decatur, AL declined at a rate of −0.464%, from 25.6k employees to 25.5k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Decatur, AL, are Manufacturing (5,554 people), Retail Trade (3,163 people), and Construction (2,573 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Decatur, AL, though some of these residents may live in Decatur, AL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,217

Median earning men ± $3,362

$35,075

Median earning women ± $2,113

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($102,083), Information ($94,543), and Public Administration ($78,281).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($53,229), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($45,599), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($44,505).

Education

The student population of Decatur, AL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 4,046 male students and 5,073 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Decatur, AL are White (2,353 and 68.7%), Black or African American (384 and 11.2%), Hispanic or Latino (310 and 9.05%), and Two or More Races (202 and 5.9%).

The largest universities in Decatur, AL by number of degrees awarded are John C Calhoun State Community College (3,444 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Decatur, AL are General Studies (1,807 and 52.5%), Manufacturing Engineering Technology (498 and 14.5%), and General Computer & Information Sciences (264 and 7.67%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2024 there were 9,119 students enrolled in Decatur, AL, 44.4% men and 55.6% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 5,686 records, of which 53.3% were women and 46.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Studies
1,008 degrees awarded
Manufacturing Engineering Technology
365 degrees awarded
General Computer & Information Sciences
214 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years recipients in Decatur, AL was General Studies with 1,008 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years from schools in Decatur, AL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

John C Calhoun State Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

3,444 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was John C Calhoun State Community College with 3,444 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2024, 1,637 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Decatur, AL, which is 0.906 times less than the 1,807 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 2,353 degrees mean that there were 6.13 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 384 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,870) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,250) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($3,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Decatur, AL was $210,200 in 2024, which is 0.632 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $190,500 to $210,200, a 10.3% increase. The homeownership rate in Decatur, AL is 63.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Decatur, AL have an average commute time of 21.1 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Decatur, AL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$210,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,614

$15,009

Median Property Taxes

±$931

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Decatur, AL the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Decatur, AL compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

63.3%

Homeownership

2024

66.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 63.3% of the housing units in Decatur, AL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 63%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Decatur, AL compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$61,563

Median Household Income

± $5,205

23.7k

Number of Households

± 1,366

In 2024, the median household income of the 23.7k households in Decatur, AL grew to $61,563 from the previous year's value of $59,831.

The following chart displays the households in Decatur, AL distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Decatur, AL is from Alabama.

0.454

2024 Wage GINI in Alabama

0.456

2023 Wage GINI in Alabama

In 2024, the income inequality in Alabama was 0.454 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.411% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Alabama was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Alabama in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Alabama across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (80.3%)
Carpooled (9.83%)
Worked At Home (6.57%)

In 2024, 80.3% of workers in Decatur, AL drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (9.83%) and those who worked at home (6.57%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

21.1 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Decatur, AL have a shorter commute time (21.1 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.758% of the workforce in Decatur, AL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Decatur, AL compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Decatur, AL distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Decatur, AL have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

13.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Decatur, AL (7.35k out of 56.2k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males < 5, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Females 65 - 74.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Decatur, AL is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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