Population
Decatur
57,760
Lancaster
40,902
Median Income
Decatur
$59,831
Lancaster
$54,901
Home Value
Decatur
$190,500
Lancaster
$180,200
Rent
Decatur
$861
Lancaster
$999
Crime Rate
Decatur
6.07
Lancaster
4.05
Cost of Living
Decatur
92.0
Lancaster
93.5
Avg Temp
Decatur
N/A
Lancaster
N/A
Unemployment
Decatur
5.0%
Lancaster
5.0%
How Similar Are Decatur & Lancaster?
Lancaster is Decatur's #10 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Decatur
57,760
Lancaster
40,902
Decatur has a 29% larger population than Lancaster.
Violent Crime
Decatur
6.07
Lancaster
4.05
Decatur has a 33% higher violent crime than Lancaster.
Property Crime
Decatur
23.09
Lancaster
21.25
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 8% difference.
Political Leaning
Decatur
75.8%
Lancaster
61.6%
Both cities lean Republican, but Decatur has a stronger Republican lean (19% difference).
Unemployment
Decatur
5.0%
Lancaster
5.0%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 1% difference.
Median Income
Decatur
$59,831
Lancaster
$54,901
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Decatur
$190,500
Lancaster
$180,200
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Decatur
15.8%
Lancaster
14.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Decatur
60.9%
Lancaster
91.5%
Lancaster has a 33% higher demographics than Decatur.
Cost of Living
Decatur
92.0
Lancaster
93.5
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Decatur and Lancaster share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Decatur
0
Lancaster
Decatur leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Decatur leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDecatur has a fair market rent (1br) of $776 vs $1,194 in Lancaster (35% lower). Decatur has a fair market rent (2br) of $961 vs $1,430 in Lancaster (33% lower). Decatur scores 89.4 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 101.9 in Lancaster.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Decatur leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDecatur has a median property tax of $708 vs $1,736 in Lancaster (59% lower). Decatur has a median rent of $861 vs $999 in Lancaster (14% lower). Decatur has a owner-occupied of 63.0% compared to 56.9% in Lancaster.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Decatur leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLancaster has a work from home of 7.7% compared to 4.4% in Decatur. Decatur: 27,025 vs Lancaster: 19,458 for labor force. Decatur has a poverty rate of 12.8% compared to 14.8% in Lancaster.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Lancaster leads
Source: FBI UCRDecatur has a property crime clearance of 28.5% compared to 7.4% in Lancaster. Lancaster has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.17 compared to 0.44 in Decatur. Lancaster has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.90 compared to 4.99 in Decatur.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLancaster has a high school diploma or higher of 42.5% compared to 36.3% in Decatur. Decatur has a bachelor's degree or higher of 15.8% compared to 14.4% in Lancaster.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDecatur has a population of 57,760, about 1.4x the size of Lancaster (40,902). Lancaster skews younger with a median age of 36.9 vs 40.4.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Decatur
Lancaster
Healthcare — Decatur leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDecatur: 2.7 vs Lancaster: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDecatur has a public transit of 0.3% compared to 0.1% in Lancaster. Lancaster has a bicycle of 0.6% compared to 0.1% in Decatur. Lancaster has a work from home of 7.7% compared to 4.4% in Decatur.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Decatur, AL
Compare Decatur against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.