Metro Life Score
Decatur, IL
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade A-, 88th percentile of the national corpus.
- 60.7
- Life Score / 100
- A-
- Grade (curved)
- #46
- of 387 metros
- 88%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
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The verdict
Decatur is top-quartile composite Life Score — #46 of 387 (60.7/100, grade A-, 88th percentile). Carried by rent at 87/100; held back most by childcare at 27/100.
- 88th
- composite percentile
- #46
- of 387 peers
- 84th
- cost dimension percentile
- 59th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · TOP · BALANCED · signature composite
Decatur: top-third composite Life Score
Decatur clears the top third of US metros on composite Life Score (#46 of 387, 60.7/100, grade A-, 88th percentile). Stamps TOP · BALANCED; cost CHEAP (84th) · wages MID (59th). Rent at 87/100 carries the lead; Childcare (27/100) is the residual gap. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Decatur, IL ranks #46 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #62 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 88.4 (rent-RPP 56.2). BLS median salary $65,802, 36,440 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Maintenance and Repair Workers, General, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,063/mo (studio $840).
FBI UCR (IL): 277 violent, 1665 property/100K. NCES: 13.4:1 ratio, 3.5% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,257/yr. EPA: 56 Superfund sites (IL).
Where Decatur sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
61 Top 12% higher than 88% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 60.7 is built
Decatur's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Decatur scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are IL state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Decatur With...
Ranking Context
Decatur outranks 88% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #43 | Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 60.8 | A- |
| #44 | Topeka, KS | 61.0 | A- |
| #45 | Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 61.0 | A- |
| #46 | Decatur, IL | 60.7 | A- |
| #47 | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 60.7 | A- |
| #48 | Lake Charles, LA | 60.6 | A- |
| #49 | Grand Island, NE | 60.3 | A- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Decatur, IL's quality rank (top 12% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 16% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
IL Metro Scores
Read with Decatur
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Decatur (TOP · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
ABS(composite) peer at 60.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Parkersburg-Vienna, WV
ABS(composite) peer at 60.8 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Lake Charles, LA
ABS(composite) peer at 60.6 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD
ABS(composite) peer at 61.0 (Δ 0.3 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade A- vs this page's TOP · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID.
Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 84/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Greenville, NC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 84/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Decatur, IL relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for TOP · BALANCED · CHEAP/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Decatur's top-third Life Score
Decatur scores 60.7/100 overall, but Rent (86.5) and Childcare (27.4) sit 59.2 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Rent is the strongest of Decatur's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Childcare is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Peoria is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Peoria
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.