Population

Decatur

70,368

Bay City

32,445

Median Income

Decatur

$50,809

Bay City

$47,904

Home Value

Decatur

$97,300

Bay City

$89,900

Rent

Decatur

$796

Bay City

$739

Crime Rate

Decatur

6.04

Bay City

5.64

Cost of Living

Decatur

81.3

Bay City

78.4

Avg Temp

Decatur

N/A

Bay City

N/A

Unemployment

Decatur

8.9%

Bay City

6.5%

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How Similar Are Decatur & Bay City?

Bay City is Decatur's #25 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Decatur

70,368

vs

Bay City

32,445

Different · 54% difference

Decatur (70,368) is about 2.2x larger than Bay City (32,445).

Violent Crime

Decatur

6.04

vs

Bay City

5.64

Match · 7% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 7% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Decatur

28.67

vs

Bay City

18.68

Different · 35% difference

Decatur has a 35% higher property crime than Bay City.

Political Leaning

Decatur

58.7%

vs

Bay City

56.7%

Match · 3% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 3% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Decatur

8.9%

vs

Bay City

6.5%

Different · 27% difference

Decatur has a 27% higher unemployment than Bay City.

Median Income

Decatur

$50,809

vs

Bay City

$47,904

Match · 6% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Decatur

$97,300

vs

Bay City

$89,900

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.

Education

Decatur

14.7%

vs

Bay City

12.8%

Different · 13% difference
🎓

Decatur has a 13% higher education than Bay City.

Demographics

🌍

Decatur

67.2%

vs

Bay City

86.5%

Different · 22% difference

Bay City has a 22% higher demographics than Decatur.

Cost of Living

Decatur

81.3

vs

Bay City

78.4

Match · 4% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 4% difference.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Decatur and Bay City share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Decatur

vsof 8

0

Bay City

Decatur leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Bay City leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Bay City scores 70.5 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 77.7 in Decatur. Decatur scores 74.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 81.7 in Bay City. Bay City has a fair market rent (1br) of $814 vs $845 in Decatur.

Overall Cost Index

Decatur81.3
Bay City78.4

Housing Index

Decatur77.7
Bay City70.5

Food Index

Decatur88.8
Bay City86.6

Transportation Index

Decatur74.6
Bay City81.7

Healthcare Index

Decatur91.1
Bay City89.3

Utilities Index

Decatur88.8
Bay City86.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Decatur$35,789
Bay City$34,514

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Decatur$84,592
Bay City$81,577

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Decatur$845
Bay City$814

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Decatur$1,063
Bay City$1,030

Housing Market — Bay City leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bay City has a vacancy rate of 10.0% compared to 14.4% in Decatur. Bay City has a median property tax of $1,710 vs $2,153 in Decatur (26% lower). Bay City has a owner-occupied of 68.5% compared to 62.3% in Decatur.

Median Home Value

Decatur$97,300
Bay City$89,900

Median Rent

Decatur$796
Bay City$739

Median Property Tax

Decatur$2,153
Bay City$1,710

Owner-Occupied

Decatur62.3%
Bay City68.5%

Vacancy Rate

Decatur14.4%
Bay City10.0%

Single-Family Homes

Decatur75.3%
Bay City77.7%

Jobs & Economy — Decatur leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Decatur: 31,832 vs Bay City: 16,080 for labor force. Bay City has a unemployment rate of 6.5% compared to 8.9% in Decatur. Decatur: 16 min vs Bay City: 19 min for mean commute.

Median Household Income

Decatur$50,809
Bay City$47,904

Per Capita Income

Decatur$31,990
Bay City$29,756

Poverty Rate

Decatur19.1%
Bay City21.5%

Unemployment Rate

Decatur8.9%
Bay City6.5%

Labor Force

Decatur31,832
Bay City16,080

Mean Commute

Decatur16 min
Bay City19 min

Work from Home

Decatur7.5%
Bay City6.8%

Private Sector

Decatur89.9%
Bay City84.6%

Government Sector

Decatur42.8%
Bay City40.5%

Crime & Safety — Bay City leads

Source: FBI UCR

Bay City has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.48 compared to 9.27 in Decatur. Bay City has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.34 compared to 0.94 in Decatur. Decatur has a property crime clearance of 24.3% compared to 15.3% in Bay City.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Decatur6.04
Bay City5.64

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Decatur28.67
Bay City18.68

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Decatur0.07
Bay City0.06

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Decatur0.94
Bay City0.34

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Decatur4.55
Bay City4.17

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Decatur9.27
Bay City2.48

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Decatur15.32
Bay City13.88

Violent Crime Clearance

Decatur53.9%
Bay City56.7%

Property Crime Clearance

Decatur24.3%
Bay City15.3%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

DecaturN/A
Bay CityN/A

Avg Annual High

DecaturN/A
Bay CityN/A

Avg Annual Low

DecaturN/A
Bay CityN/A

Sunny Days per Year

DecaturN/A
Bay CityN/A

Annual Rainfall

DecaturN/A
Bay CityN/A

Annual Snowfall

DecaturN/A
Bay CityN/A

Avg Humidity

DecaturN/A
Bay CityN/A

Schools & Education — Decatur leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Decatur has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.7% compared to 12.8% in Bay City. Decatur has a high school diploma or higher of 42.5% compared to 37.7% in Bay City.

Public Schools

Decatur0
Bay City0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

DecaturN/A
Bay CityN/A

Colleges & Universities

Decatur0
Bay City0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Decatur14.7%
Bay City12.8%

High School Diploma or Higher

Decatur42.5%
Bay City37.7%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Decatur has a population of 70,368, about 2.2x the size of Bay City (32,445).

Population

Decatur70,368
Bay City32,445

Median Age

Decatur40
Bay City40

Avg Household Size

Decatur2.2
Bay City2.2

Married Population

Decatur34.7%
Bay City32.9%

Foreign Born

Decatur3.1%
Bay City1.8%

White

Decatur67.2%
Bay City86.5%

Black

Decatur24.1%
Bay City2.7%

Hispanic

Decatur3.2%
Bay City10.7%

Asian

Decatur1.4%
Bay City0.5%

Decatur

Bay City

Healthcare — Decatur leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Decatur: 2.7 vs Bay City: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Decatur5
Bay City5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Decatur2.7
Bay City2.0

With Emergency Services

Decatur5
Bay City5

Transportation & Commute — Decatur leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Decatur has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.6% in Bay City. Bay City has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% in Decatur. Decatur: 16 min vs Bay City: 19 min for mean commute time.

Mean Commute Time

Decatur16 min
Bay City19 min

Drive Alone

Decatur80.2%
Bay City80.5%

Public Transit

Decatur1.3%
Bay City0.6%

Bicycle

Decatur0.1%
Bay City0.2%

Work from Home

Decatur7.5%
Bay City6.8%

Airports

Decatur0
Bay City0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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