Population
Decatur
70,368
Waterloo
66,947
Median Income
Decatur
$50,809
Waterloo
$56,344
Home Value
Decatur
$97,300
Waterloo
$150,200
Rent
Decatur
$796
Waterloo
$896
Crime Rate
Decatur
6.04
Waterloo
4.76
Cost of Living
Decatur
81.3
Waterloo
91.8
Avg Temp
Decatur
N/A
Waterloo
N/A
Unemployment
Decatur
8.9%
Waterloo
6.4%
How Similar Are Decatur & Waterloo?
Waterloo is Decatur's #14 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Decatur
70,368
Waterloo
66,947
Both cities have similar populations — Decatur at 70,368 and Waterloo at 66,947.
Violent Crime
Decatur
6.04
Waterloo
4.76
Decatur has a 21% higher violent crime than Waterloo.
Property Crime
Decatur
28.67
Waterloo
24.45
Decatur has a 15% higher property crime than Waterloo.
Political Leaning
Decatur
58.7%
Waterloo
48.8%
Decatur leans Republican while Waterloo leans Democratic.
Unemployment
Decatur
8.9%
Waterloo
6.4%
Decatur has a 29% higher unemployment than Waterloo.
Median Income
Decatur
$50,809
Waterloo
$56,344
Both cities have similar median income — just a 10% difference.
Home Values
Decatur
$97,300
Waterloo
$150,200
Waterloo has a 35% higher home values than Decatur.
Education
Decatur
14.7%
Waterloo
14.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 2% difference.
Demographics
Decatur
67.2%
Waterloo
69.1%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Decatur
81.3
Waterloo
91.8
Waterloo has a 11% higher cost of living than Decatur.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Decatur and Waterloo share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Decatur
0
Waterloo
Cost of Living & Affordability — Decatur leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDDecatur scores 77.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 94.5 in Waterloo. Decatur scores 74.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 86.1 in Waterloo. Decatur scores 81.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 91.8 in Waterloo.
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 ACSWaterloo has a vacancy rate of 10.0% compared to 14.4% in Decatur. Waterloo has a median home value of $150,200 vs $97,300 in Decatur (35% higher). Decatur has a median property tax of $2,153 vs $2,498 in Waterloo (14% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Waterloo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSWaterloo has a unemployment rate of 6.4% compared to 8.9% in Decatur. Waterloo has a poverty rate of 16.4% compared to 19.1% in Decatur. Waterloo has a median household income of $56,344 vs $50,809 in Decatur (10% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Waterloo leads
Source: FBI UCRWaterloo has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.35 compared to 0.94 in Decatur. Waterloo has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.07 in Decatur. Waterloo has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 5.86 compared to 9.27 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 BureauDecatur has a high school diploma or higher of 42.5% compared to 38.3% in Waterloo. Waterloo has a bachelor's degree or higher of 14.9% compared to 14.7% in Decatur.
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 1.1x the size of Waterloo (66,947). Waterloo skews younger with a median age of 36.6 vs 39.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Decatur
Waterloo
Healthcare — Waterloo leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareWaterloo: 3.5 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 has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 0.4% in Waterloo. Waterloo has a bicycle of 0.4% compared to 0.1% in Decatur. Decatur has a work from home of 7.5% compared to 7.1% in Waterloo.
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.