Decatur, IL — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Illinois·Decatur

Macon County · Decatur · population 68,763

AffordabilityShrinking
Decatur, IL
Image: Wikipedia · Decatur, Illinois
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
70
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Decatur stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 9.1% in the last year. population shrinking 0.6% per year.

Median home $104,867
1-year +9.1%
5-yr CAGR +5.9%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.6%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$105k$59k$76k$92k$109k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
30/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
68/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$984/mo$750$921$1,09320242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent13111910012020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 8.9
Buy

At a 8.9 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Decatur on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 8.9 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
89 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
69 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
36 · w16%
Rent YoY
62 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
58 · w10%
Long thesis

Decatur offers a $104,867 median home with +5.9% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Decatur's population is shrinking 0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — if people are leaving, the buyer pool is shrinking faster than the inventory. That eventually shows up in price.

About Decatur

Decatur is a city in Macon County, Illinois, with an estimated population of 68,763. The population has contracted 0.6% per year on average since 2020. The median home value in Decatur is $104,867 as of 2026-04, up 9.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.9% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Decatur average $984 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.6%). The composite momentum score is 70 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Trend still working: prices up 9.1% in the last 12 months — buyers are still chasing inventory.
●Affordable AND rising: median home $104,867 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +5.9% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

●Flat or shrinking population: -0.6% per year. Housing demand has to come from somewhere — verify the source.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Decatur (Wikipedia)

Decatur is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 70,522. It is the 17th-most populous city in Illinois and the "fastest shrinking city" in Illinois. Decatur has an economy based on industrial and agricultural commodity processing and production. The city is home to Millikin University and Richland Community College.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorJulie Moore Wolfe
Area47.79 sq mi
Elevation677 ft
Founded1823
Densityauto/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Macon County right now.

NWS active alerts (IL)Illinois Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Macon County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Decatur

Springfield, IL72 · RisingCharleston, IL74 · RisingPekin, IL74 · RisingElmhurst, IL72 · Rising

Run the numbers for Decatur

ToolCan I afford Decatur?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Decatur rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Decatur to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolDecatur cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
33° / 18°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
85° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
189
~52% of year
Annual precip
38″ rain
22″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Decatur listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Decatur area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$78,400
Illinois state median
Top industries (state-level)
FinanceManufacturingHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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