Decatur, IL

Census Place

2024 Population

69,815

US Senator

Dick Durbin

Democratic Party

US Senator

Tammy Duckworth

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

39.2

1.75% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

19.4%

1.29% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$51,592

1.54% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$99,600

Population & Diversity

Decatur, IL is home to a population of 69.8k people, from which 98.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 3.11% of Decatur, IL residents were born outside of the country (2.17k people).

In 2024, there were 2.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.3k people) in Decatur, IL than any other race or ethnicity. There were 16.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.05k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.5%

2024 Citizenship

98.4%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 98.5% of Decatur, IL residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Decatur, IL was 98.4%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Decatur, IL

White (Non-Hispanic)
45.3k ± 597
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
16.2k ± 784
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
4.05k ± 723

3.31%

Hispanic Population

2.31k people

3.31% of the people in Decatur, IL are hispanic (2.31k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Decatur, IL 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 Illinois.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
637,284 ± 19,101 people
India
166,788 ± 9,961 people
Poland
117,148 ± 8,364 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Illinois was Mexico, the natal country of 637,284 Illinois residents, followed by India with 166,788 and Poland with 117,148.

Foreign-Born Population

3.11%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

2.17k people

3.11%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

2.19k people

As of 2024, 3.11% of Decatur, IL residents (2.17k 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, IL was 3.11%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,263 ± 209
Gulf War (2001-)
680 ± 174
Gulf War (1990s)
359 ± 122

Decatur, IL has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.86 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Decatur, IL employs 29.3k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Decatur, IL were Manufacturing (5,206 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,357 people), and Retail Trade (3,152 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($69,583), Utilities ($67,500), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($64,000).

Employment

Occupations

29.3k

2024 Value

± 1,330

1.15%

1 Year growth

± 6.34%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Decatur, IL grew at a rate of 1.15%, from 29k employees to 29.3k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Decatur, IL, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,364 people), Production Occupations (2,975 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (2,726 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Decatur, IL.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Illinois (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

29.3k

2024 Value

± 1,330

1.15%

1 Year growth

± 6.34%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Decatur, IL grew at a rate of 1.15%, from 29k employees to 29.3k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Decatur, IL, are Manufacturing (5,206 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (4,357 people), and Retail Trade (3,152 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Decatur, IL, though some of these residents may live in Decatur, IL and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,241

Median earning men ± $1,850

$36,913

Median earning women ± $1,993

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($87,829), Manufacturing ($58,520), and Information ($55,375).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($87,917), Public Administration ($61,488), and Manufacturing ($51,670).

Education

The student population of Decatur, IL in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 1,597 male students and 2,417 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Decatur, IL are White (800 and 72.7%), Black or African American (167 and 15.2%), Hispanic or Latino (58 and 5.27%), and Two or More Races (44 and 4%).

The largest universities in Decatur, IL by number of degrees awarded are Richland Community College (666 and 59.1%), Millikin University (447 and 39.7%), and Reflections Academy of Beauty (14 and 1.24%).

The most popular majors in Decatur, IL are Liberal Arts & Sciences (212 and 18.8%), Registered Nursing (74 and 6.57%), and General Business Administration & Management (65 and 5.77%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $26,000.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Decatur, IL, the percentage of applicants admitted was 66.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 9.97%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 4,014 (39.8% men and 60.2% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 4,014 students enrolled in Decatur, IL, 39.8% men and 60.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,467 records, of which 59.9% were women and 40.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
31 degrees awarded
General Drama & Theater Arts
21 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
18 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Decatur, IL was Registered Nursing with 31 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Decatur, IL according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

Richland Community College
666 degrees awarded
Millikin University
447 degrees awarded
Reflections Academy of Beauty
14 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Richland Community College with 666 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 458 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Decatur, IL, which is 0.685 times less than the 669 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 800 degrees mean that there were 4.79 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 167 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

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($26,000) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($792) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 2-year ($1,400) 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, IL was $99,600 in 2024, which is 0.299 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $97,300 to $99,600, a 2.36% increase. The homeownership rate in Decatur, IL is 62.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Decatur, IL have an average commute time of 17.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Decatur, IL is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$99,600

Median Property Value 2024

±$3,837

$19,450

Median Property Taxes

±$989

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, IL the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

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

Rent vs Own

62.9%

Homeownership

2024

62.8%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 62.9% of the housing units in Decatur, IL were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 62.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Decatur, IL 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.

$51,592

Median Household Income

± $2,061

30.9k

Number of Households

± 1,304

In 2024, the median household income of the 30.9k households in Decatur, IL grew to $51,592 from the previous year's value of $50,809.

The following chart displays the households in Decatur, IL 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, IL is from Illinois.

0.471

2024 Wage GINI in Illinois

0.474

2023 Wage GINI in Illinois

In 2024, the income inequality in Illinois was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.55% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Illinois was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Illinois in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (78.4%)
Worked At Home (8.39%)
Carpooled (7.78%)

In 2024, 78.4% of workers in Decatur, IL drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (8.39%) and those who carpooled to work (7.78%).

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

17.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Decatur, IL have a shorter commute time (17.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.22% of the workforce in Decatur, IL have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Decatur, IL (13k out of 67.2k 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 Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Decatur, IL is White, followed by Black and Two Or More.

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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