Population

Decatur

70,368

Sandusky

24,748

Median Income

Decatur

$50,809

Sandusky

$47,827

Home Value

Decatur

$97,300

Sandusky

$104,800

Rent

Decatur

$796

Sandusky

$848

Crime Rate

Decatur

6.04

Sandusky

3.88

Cost of Living

Decatur

81.3

Sandusky

80.6

Avg Temp

Decatur

N/A

Sandusky

N/A

Unemployment

Decatur

8.9%

Sandusky

9.8%

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How Similar Are Decatur & Sandusky?

Sandusky is Decatur's #2 most similar city

8/10

8 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Decatur

70,368

vs

Sandusky

24,748

Different · 65% difference

Decatur (70,368) is about 2.8x larger than Sandusky (24,748).

Violent Crime

Decatur

6.04

vs

Sandusky

3.88

Different · 36% difference
🚨

Decatur has a 36% higher violent crime than Sandusky.

Property Crime

🔒

Decatur

28.67

vs

Sandusky

25.90

Match · 10% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 10% difference.

Political Leaning

Decatur

58.7%

vs

Sandusky

56.6%

Match · 4% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 4% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Decatur

8.9%

vs

Sandusky

9.8%

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 9% difference.

Median Income

Decatur

$50,809

vs

Sandusky

$47,827

Match · 6% difference
💰

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

Home Values

🏠

Decatur

$97,300

vs

Sandusky

$104,800

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 7% difference.

Education

Decatur

14.7%

vs

Sandusky

14.0%

Match · 5% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Decatur

67.2%

vs

Sandusky

64.5%

Match · 4% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 4% difference.

Cost of Living

Decatur

81.3

vs

Sandusky

80.6

Match · 1% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.

8 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Decatur and Sandusky are remarkably similar cities.

At a Glance

0

Decatur

vsof 8

0

Sandusky

Decatur leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Sandusky leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Decatur has a fair market rent (1br) of $845 vs $886 in Sandusky (5% lower). Decatur has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,063 vs $1,106 in Sandusky. Sandusky scores 86.6 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 88.8 in Decatur.

Overall Cost Index

Decatur81.3
Sandusky80.6

Housing Index

Decatur77.7
Sandusky78.8

Food Index

Decatur88.8
Sandusky86.6

Transportation Index

Decatur74.6
Sandusky75.7

Healthcare Index

Decatur91.1
Sandusky89.2

Utilities Index

Decatur88.8
Sandusky87.7

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Decatur$35,789
Sandusky$35,455

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Decatur$84,592
Sandusky$83,803

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Decatur$845
Sandusky$886

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Decatur$1,063
Sandusky$1,106

Housing Market — Decatur leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Sandusky has a median property tax of $1,524 vs $2,153 in Decatur (41% lower). Decatur has a owner-occupied of 62.3% compared to 49.1% in Sandusky. Decatur has a vacancy rate of 14.4% compared to 18.0% in Sandusky.

Median Home Value

Decatur$97,300
Sandusky$104,800

Median Rent

Decatur$796
Sandusky$848

Median Property Tax

Decatur$2,153
Sandusky$1,524

Owner-Occupied

Decatur62.3%
Sandusky49.1%

Vacancy Rate

Decatur14.4%
Sandusky18.0%

Single-Family Homes

Decatur75.3%
Sandusky63.7%

Jobs & Economy — Decatur leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Decatur: 31,832 vs Sandusky: 12,748 for labor force. Decatur has a work from home of 7.5% compared to 3.4% in Sandusky. Decatur has a poverty rate of 19.1% compared to 24.2% in Sandusky.

Median Household Income

Decatur$50,809
Sandusky$47,827

Per Capita Income

Decatur$31,990
Sandusky$28,315

Poverty Rate

Decatur19.1%
Sandusky24.2%

Unemployment Rate

Decatur8.9%
Sandusky9.8%

Labor Force

Decatur31,832
Sandusky12,748

Mean Commute

Decatur16 min
Sandusky17 min

Work from Home

Decatur7.5%
Sandusky3.4%

Private Sector

Decatur89.9%
Sandusky85.6%

Government Sector

Decatur42.8%
Sandusky41.4%

Crime & Safety — Sandusky leads

Source: FBI UCR

Sandusky has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 3.96 compared to 9.27 in Decatur. Sandusky has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.50 compared to 0.94 in Decatur. Sandusky has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.75 compared to 4.55 in Decatur.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Decatur6.04
Sandusky3.88

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Decatur28.67
Sandusky25.90

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Decatur0.07
Sandusky0.13

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Decatur0.94
Sandusky0.50

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Decatur4.55
Sandusky2.75

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Decatur9.27
Sandusky3.96

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Decatur15.32
Sandusky20.64

Violent Crime Clearance

Decatur53.9%
Sandusky55.9%

Property Crime Clearance

Decatur24.3%
Sandusky16.7%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

DecaturN/A
SanduskyN/A

Avg Annual High

DecaturN/A
SanduskyN/A

Avg Annual Low

DecaturN/A
SanduskyN/A

Sunny Days per Year

DecaturN/A
SanduskyN/A

Annual Rainfall

DecaturN/A
SanduskyN/A

Annual Snowfall

DecaturN/A
SanduskyN/A

Avg Humidity

DecaturN/A
SanduskyN/A

Schools & Education — Decatur leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Decatur has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.7% compared to 14.0% in Sandusky. Decatur has a high school diploma or higher of 42.5% compared to 41.4% in Sandusky.

Public Schools

Decatur0
Sandusky0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

DecaturN/A
SanduskyN/A

Colleges & Universities

Decatur0
Sandusky0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Decatur14.7%
Sandusky14.0%

High School Diploma or Higher

Decatur42.5%
Sandusky41.4%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Decatur has a population of 70,368, about 2.8x the size of Sandusky (24,748). Sandusky skews younger with a median age of 36.2 vs 39.9.

Population

Decatur70,368
Sandusky24,748

Median Age

Decatur40
Sandusky36

Avg Household Size

Decatur2.2
Sandusky2.2

Married Population

Decatur34.7%
Sandusky27.4%

Foreign Born

Decatur3.1%
Sandusky1.4%

White

Decatur67.2%
Sandusky64.5%

Black

Decatur24.1%
Sandusky22.4%

Hispanic

Decatur3.2%
Sandusky6.2%

Asian

Decatur1.4%
Sandusky0.5%

Decatur

Sandusky

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Decatur: 5 vs Sandusky: 3 for with emergency services. Sandusky: 3.3 vs Decatur: 2.7 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Decatur5
Sandusky5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Decatur2.7
Sandusky3.3

With Emergency Services

Decatur5
Sandusky3

Transportation & Commute — Decatur leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Decatur has a work from home of 7.5% compared to 3.4% in Sandusky. Sandusky has a public transit of 2.3% compared to 1.3% in Decatur. Decatur has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.1% in Sandusky.

Mean Commute Time

Decatur16 min
Sandusky17 min

Drive Alone

Decatur80.2%
Sandusky78.4%

Public Transit

Decatur1.3%
Sandusky2.3%

Bicycle

Decatur0.1%
Sandusky0.1%

Work from Home

Decatur7.5%
Sandusky3.4%

Airports

Decatur0
Sandusky0

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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