Athens, AL vs Decatur, AL

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricAthens, ALDecatur, AL
Population29,00257,361
Median Household Income$69,922$61,563
Median Rent$899/mo$896/mo
Median Home Value$270,000$210,200
Cost of Living (US = 100)9387
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income37.3%41.9%
Poverty Rate12.2%13.1%
Unemployment Rate2.4%2.5%
Violent Crime Rate /100k150634
Property Crime Rate /100k1,6721,884
Median AQI—41
Good AQI Days /yr—288
Summer Highs89°F88°F
Winter Lows36°F33°F
Snowfall1 in/yr1 in/yr
Avg Commute24.6 min21.1 min
Hospitals11
Avg Hospital Rating2.0 / 53.0 / 5
Students per Teacher1915.7
College Degree Rate31.4%22.4%
Foreign-Born %5.8%8.5%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+34.6%+1.3%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.