Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety24#707/924
Economy64#330/925
Housing93#63/925
Health23#716/925
Healthcare15#782/923
Environment45#503/917
Education26#688/925
Infrastructure11#822/925
Community25#690/925
Leisure & amenities8#849/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Decatur, AL metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Unemployment rate · low2.4%
98/100Alabama 2.8%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Effective property tax rate · low0.30%
98/100Alabama 0.37%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Pharmacies · high2.6 /10k
94/100Alabama 2.3 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Cost of buying a home today · low24.6%
89/100Alabama 26.3%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Job growth · high1.9%
89/100Alabama 0.7%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data
Child care cost burden · low21.8%
89/100Alabama 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Restaurants and bars · low5.3 /10k
9/100Alabama 6.9 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.9 /10k
9/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high23.3 /100k
13/100Alabama 21.7 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · low84.4%
14/100Alabama 87.5%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Public EV charging ports · low1.8 /10k
16/100Alabama 3.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · low85.7%
17/100Alabama 88.6%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 45% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+44 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
1.4 /1k (2021) → 3.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+149%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Access to exercise opportunitiesImproving
54.5% (2010 & 2021) → 68.6% (2022 & 2024)
+14 pts3 yearsUS 79.8% → 84.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.3% (2015-2019) → 84.4% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New business applicationsImproving
7.0 /1k (2020) → 10.9 /1k (2025)
+56%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Property crime rateImproving
2,308 /100k (2017) → 1,054 /100k (2025)
−54%8 yearsUS 2,340 /100k → 1,535 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Decatur, AL metro area improved on 14 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 6 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Household income+35%$50,422 → $68,116
Broadband+12 points72.3% → 84.4%
Homicides−57%15.4 /100k → 6.6 /100k
Gyms+24%0.7 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Grocery stores+7.8%1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k

Declined4

Commute+1.7 min24.4 min → 26.0 min
Traffic deaths+22%16.5 /100k → 20.1 /100k
Suicides+17%17.7 /100k → 20.8 /100k
Price / income+0.4×2.6× → 3.0×

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Decatur, AL metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	1.8 /10k2020	1.9 /10k2025	+8%	Improved	48%
Average commute time	24.4 min2015-2019	26.0 min2020-2024	+1.7 min	Declined	18%
Average weekly wage	$9552020	$1,1822025	+24%	Improved	55%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.2%2015-2019	21.5%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Broadband subscriptions	72.3%2015-2019	84.4%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	78%
Child poverty rate	21.5%2015-2019	17.0%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Improved	72%
Distance to an airport	18 mi2020	18 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	82%
Drug overdose deaths	18.4 /100k2020	16.5 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−10%	Improved	36%
Effective property tax rate	0.35%2015-2019	0.30%2020-2024	−0 points	Little change	21%
Firearm deaths	26.4 /100k2020	23.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−12%	Improved	69%
Grocery stores	1.2 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+7.8%	Improved	73%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.7 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	+24%	Improved	74%
High school diploma or higher	83.0%2015-2019	85.7%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.4×	Declined	59%
Homicide rate	15.4 /100k2020	6.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−57%	Improved	83%
Income adjusted for local prices	$46,7232019	$58,7532024	+26%	Improved	11%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4512015-2019	0.4452020-2024	−0.006	Within the margin of error	72%
Median household income	$50,4222015-2019	$68,1162020-2024	+35%	Improved	86%
New business applications	7.0 /1k2020	10.9 /1k2025	+56%	Improved	64%
Pharmacies	2.7 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	−2.4%	Little change	63%
Poverty rate	15.4%2015-2019	13.4%2020-2024	−1.9 points	Improved	71%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.6 /10k2024	−4.6%	Little change	26%
Rent as share of income	27.1%2015-2019	27.9%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Rent-burdened households	41.8%2015-2019	44.1%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Restaurants and bars	5.3 /10k2020	5.3 /10k2025	−0.1%	Little change	45%
Suicide rate	17.7 /100k2020	20.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+17%	Declined	28%
Traffic deaths	16.5 /100k2015-2019	20.1 /100k2020-2024	+22%	Declined	27%
Unemployment rate	5.1%2020	2.4%2025	−2.7 points	Improved	40%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.4%2015-2019	12.5%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	19%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Decatur, AL metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Decatur, AL metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Decatur, AL metro area itself moved +0 points in standing on average over the same 28 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

157,747 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

62,667 households (±600)

Decatur, AL metro area
United States share

Under $25k17%10,631
$25k–50k21%13,217
$50k–75k16%10,202

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

62,667 households (±600)

Decatur, AL metro area
United States share

Own75%46,773
Rent25%15,894

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

68,682 workers (±1,303)

Decatur, AL metro area
United States share

Drive alone83%57,045
Carpool8.2%5,628
Public transit0.2%†127

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Decatur, AL employ 13,140 people. 1 pay a median above the US median and 9 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Decatur, AL by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators1,830 jobs	1,830	$43,120US $44,650	−3%	3.3×
Retail Salespersons1,580 jobs	1,580

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Decatur, AL has 3,092 employer establishments, 195 for every 10,000 residents (0.78× the US rate of 248), with 51,514 paid employees at an average annual pay of $56,787. The Census Bureau also counts 10,985 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,092; 10,985 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 195; US 248
Paid employees: 51,514
Average annual pay: $56,787; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Decatur, AL by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	235	14.8	0.71×Fewer than typical	1,979	$61,447	306
Specialty trade contractors	235	14.8	0.96×About typical	2,971	$61,528	1,193
Restaurants and other eating places	230	14.5	0.79×Fewer than typical	4,583	$19,576	62
Religious organizations	156	9.8	1.77×More than typical	1,071	$23,077	—
Limited-service restaurants	129	8.1	1.01×About typical	2,617	$18,629	24
Building equipment contractors	125	7.9	1.31×More than typical	2,294	$63,140	233
Gasoline stations	110	6.9	2.14×More than typical	529	$26,382	5
Lessors of real estate	85	5.3	0.43×Fewer than typical	225	$38,178	894
Offices of physicians	82	5.2	0.80×Fewer than typical	645	$85,012	49
Full-service restaurants	77	4.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	1,695	$21,477	21
Construction of buildings	74	4.7	0.62×Fewer than typical	904	$86,326	432
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	71	4.5	1.35×More than typical	1,172	$63,978	117

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 158,918 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $13.5M on contracts performed in Decatur, AL metro area: $83.92 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $13.5M; −63% vs FY2025
Per resident: $83.92; US $1,994
Sole-source: 5.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 10.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$8.3M62%
Defense Logistics Agency$2.3M

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $1B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Decatur, AL metro area: $6,347 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $1B; −5.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,347; US $12,955
Loan face value: $52.6M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.7%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$629.1M62%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$104.2M10%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$99.1M9.7%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$70.7M7.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$32.1M3.2%
93.600 · Head Start$26.3M2.6%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$6.9M0.7%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$5.4M0.5%

Top recipients (organizations)

COMMUNITY ACTION PARTNERSHIP OF NORTH ALABAMA, INC.$26.3M2.6%
DECATUR, AL
ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$12.8M1.3%
MONTGOMERY, AL
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY OF DECATUR$9M0.9%
DECATUR, AL
CITY OF PRICEVILLE$1.8M0.2%
DECATUR, AL
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY HARTSELLE

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$836.2M82%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$113M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Administration for Children and Families$26.1M2.6%
Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Highway Administration$13.1M1.3%
Department of Transportation
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

876.1MFY2021
856.2MFY2022
931.6MFY2023
965.7MFY2024
1.1BFY2025
1BFY2026

County aggregates

93%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Decatur, AL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

DecaturPrincipal city57,361

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Alabama

Areas based in Alabama, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M19460

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like Decatur, AL metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Decatur, AL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Alabama

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined4

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards