North Decatur is an unincorporated community in DeKalb County, GA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in North Decatur

North Decatur is an unincorporated community in Georgia with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. North Decatur deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.

The good

  • Low unemployment in the county
  • Higher-than-average incomes
  • Highly educated workforce
  • Fast-growing population
  • Low student-teacher ratio

The not so good

  • Rent well above the national average
  • High home prices
  • Air quality concerns
  • High rent burden for renters
  • Above-average rainfall

How North Decatur compares

Median household income

North Decatur$110,871
Georgia avg$77,353
US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

North Decatur$1,913
Georgia avg$1,393
US$1,413

Median home value

North Decatur$474,600
Georgia avg$303,300
US$332,700

What it takes to move to North Decatur

Based on North Decatur's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$3,826

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

  • Income to keep rent under 30%: $76,520 a year
  • 54% of North Decatur renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$94,920

a 20% down payment on the median home

  • With 10% down: $47,460
  • Homes cost 4.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 35% above US

$1,913/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $1,913 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $474,600. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $474,600 · 54% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.6% county unemployment

Unemployment in DeKalb County is 3.6%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

DeKalb County (county-wide)

Safety

716 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

North Decatur doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the DeKalb County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 3351/100k · Policed by DeKalb County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting aroundNear US average

25 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 24.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 7 in 10 workers drive to work; 25% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone
60%
Work from home
25%
Carpool
7.8%
Public transit
4.1%
Other
2.1%
Walk
0.9%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 88°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 35°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)
20°40°60°80°100°5"Jan: 4.57" precipitationFeb: 4.47" precipitationMar: 4.70" precipitationApr: 3.87" precipitationMay: 3.83" precipitationJun: 4.69" precipitationJul: 4.71" precipitationAug: 4.51" precipitationSep: 4.12" precipitationOct: 3.39" precipitationNov: 4.21" precipitationDec: 4.36" precipitation33°JJan: high 52°F, low 33°FFFeb: high 56°F, low 36°FMMar: high 64°F, low 42°FAApr: high 73°F, low 49°FMMay: high 80°F, low 59°FJJun: high 86°F, low 66°F89°JJul: high 89°F, low 70°FAAug: high 88°F, low 69°FSSep: high 83°F, low 63°FOOct: high 73°F, low 51°FNNov: high 63°F, low 41°FDDec: high 54°F, low 36°F

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Healthcare

1 hospital

There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.

Medicare-certified hospitals

Education & workforce▲ 106% above US

74% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

3 public schools inside the boundary

There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 13:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park (4 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

North Decatur's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,913/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (25% of workers here already work from home) and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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