Muscle Shoals, AL vs Decatur, AL

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

MetricMuscle Shoals, ALDecatur, AL
Population16,95157,361
Median Household Income$75,894$61,563
Median Rent$1,029/mo$896/mo
Median Home Value$199,700$210,200
Cost of Living (US = 100)8587
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income24.6%41.9%
Poverty Rate12.8%13.1%
Unemployment Rate3.2% (county)2.5%
Violent Crime Rate /100k215634
Property Crime Rate /100k1,8161,884
Median AQI—41
Good AQI Days /yr—288
Summer Highs89°F88°F
Winter Lows31°F33°F
Snowfall1 in/yr1 in/yr
Avg Commute21.7 min21.1 min
Hospitals11
Avg Hospital Rating—3.0 / 5
Students per Teacher17.215.7
College Degree Rate24%22.4%
Foreign-Born %2%8.5%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+8.4%+1.3%

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