Population
Decatur
70,368
Alton
25,430
Median Income
Decatur
$50,809
Alton
$53,005
Home Value
Decatur
$97,300
Alton
$99,500
Rent
Decatur
$796
Alton
$948
Crime Rate
Decatur
6.04
Alton
9.71
Cost of Living
Decatur
81.3
Alton
87.8
Avg Temp
Decatur
N/A
Alton
N/A
Unemployment
Decatur
8.9%
Alton
5.1%
How Similar Are Decatur & Alton?
Alton is Decatur's #4 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Decatur
70,368
Alton
25,430
Decatur (70,368) is about 2.8x larger than Alton (25,430).
Violent Crime
Decatur
6.04
Alton
9.71
Alton has a 38% higher violent crime than Decatur.
Property Crime
Decatur
28.67
Alton
26.68
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Decatur
58.7%
Alton
55.8%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 5% difference.
Unemployment
Decatur
8.9%
Alton
5.1%
Decatur has a 43% higher unemployment than Alton.
Median Income
Decatur
$50,809
Alton
$53,005
Both cities have similar median income — just a 4% difference.
Home Values
Decatur
$97,300
Alton
$99,500
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Decatur
14.7%
Alton
14.7%
Both cities have similar education — just a 0% difference.
Demographics
Decatur
67.2%
Alton
66.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 1% difference.
Cost of Living
Decatur
81.3
Alton
87.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Decatur and Alton are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Decatur
0
Alton
Decatur leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Decatur leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDecatur scores 74.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 91.1 in Alton. Decatur has a fair market rent (1br) of $845 vs $995 in Alton (15% lower). Decatur has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,063 vs $1,218 in Alton (13% lower).
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 — Alton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAlton has a median property tax of $1,816 vs $2,153 in Decatur (19% lower). Decatur has a median rent of $796 vs $948 in Alton (16% lower). Decatur has a owner-occupied of 62.3% compared to 57.1% in Alton.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Decatur leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDecatur: 31,832 vs Alton: 12,238 for labor force. Alton has a unemployment rate of 5.1% compared to 8.9% in Decatur. Decatur: 16 min vs Alton: 22 min for mean commute.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Decatur leads
Source: FBI UCRDecatur has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.07 compared to 0.12 in Alton. Decatur has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 6.04 compared to 9.71 in Alton. Decatur has a assault rate (per 1k) of 4.55 compared to 6.97 in Alton.
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 — Decatur leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauDecatur has a high school diploma or higher of 42.5% compared to 36.2% in Alton.
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 70,368, about 2.8x the size of Alton (25,430). Alton skews younger with a median age of 38.4 vs 39.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Decatur
Alton
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareDecatur: 5 vs Alton: 3 for with emergency services. Alton: 3.0 vs Decatur: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Decatur leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSDecatur: 16 min vs Alton: 22 min for mean commute time. Alton has a public transit of 1.6% compared to 1.3% in Decatur. Alton has a work from home of 8.4% compared to 7.5% in Decatur.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Decatur, IL
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.