Decatur, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Decatur · DeKalb County, Georgia
Population 24,470 (est. 2026: ~24,600)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.2% annual growth projection

Decatur, Georgia

DeKalb County, Georgia · Population 24,928

Decatur sits four miles east of downtown Atlanta, close enough to share a skyline view but distinct enough to feel like its own city. It is one of the few places in metro Atlanta that functions as a genuine walkable small city — with a true downtown square, a neighborhood school system residents routinely move specifically to access, and incomes that rank among the highest in the state. It occupies roughly four square miles inside DeKalb County, which surrounds it with 764,382 residents. Decatur is not a suburb that wishes it were a city. It already is one.

People & Demographics

Decatur's population of 24,928 is spread across 9,053 households with an average size of 2.61 people. The median age of 38.7 reflects a community of working adults and families — 7,455 residents are children under 18, a substantial share for a city this size. The racial breakdown shows 16,759 white residents, 3,557 Black residents, 1,040 Asian residents, and 1,929 Hispanic or Latino residents. About 1,503 residents fall below the poverty line, modest in proportion to the overall population but not absent.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Decatur is $129,992 — more than double Georgia's statewide median. Per capita income reaches $68,394. Of the 11,422 residents in the labor force, 433 are unemployed. The presence of Agnes Scott College, Columbia Theological Seminary, Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service, and DeVry University-Georgia creates an institutional employment base, and proximity to Atlanta's job market means a significant share of residents commute into the city or work in the professional, academic, and healthcare sectors that cluster in this part of metro Atlanta.

Housing

Decatur's median home value of $654,400 reflects both the desirability of the school system and the scarcity of land in a built-out four-square-mile city. Median rent runs $1,611 per month. Of 10,173 total housing units, 9,053 are occupied and 1,120 sit vacant. Owner-occupied units number 5,812 against 3,241 renter-occupied — a 64/36 split that tilts toward ownership but leaves a meaningful renter population. For buyers entering from elsewhere in Georgia, where statewide home values run far lower, Decatur's prices require deliberate financial preparation.

Schools

Decatur operates its own independent city school system, separate from DeKalb County Schools — an unusual arrangement that is one of the primary reasons families choose to live within city limits specifically rather than nearby unincorporated areas.

City of Decatur Schools (within city limits): - Decatur High School — Grades 9–12 — 1,853 students - Beacon Hill Middle School — Grades 6–8 — 1,323 students - Talley Street Upper Elementary School — Grades 3–5 — 661 students - Oakview Elementary — Grades PreK–5 — 668 students - Peachcrest Elementary School — Grades PreK–5 — 677 students

DeKalb County Schools (serving surrounding areas): - Southwest DeKalb High School — Grades 9–12 — 1,307 students - Columbia High School — Grades 9–12 — 898 students - Towers High School — Grades 9–12 — 764 students - Druid Hills Middle School — Grades 6–8 — 956 students - McNair Middle School — Grades 6–8 — 857 students - Cedar Grove Middle School — Grades 6–8 — 777 students - Miller Grove Middle School — Grades 6–8 — 722 students - Mary McLeod Bethune Middle School — Grades 6–8 — 718 students - Chapel Hill Middle School — Grades 6–8 — 692 students - Columbia Middle School — Grades 6–8 — 604 students

Higher education within the city includes Agnes Scott College (404-471-6000), Columbia Theological Seminary (404-378-8821), Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service (770-593-2257), and DeVry University-Georgia (404-270-2706).

Getting Around

Of 10,841 workers, 5,808 drive alone — just over half. That figure is notably lower than typical Georgia communities. 3,253 residents work from home, reflecting the high professional and graduate-degree workforce. Another 612 use public transit and 592 walk to work — numbers that would be unremarkable in a dense city but stand out significantly in a Georgia context. MARTA rail serves Decatur directly, connecting it to downtown Atlanta and the airport. Aggregate commute time across all workers totals 203,185 minutes, averaging roughly 19 minutes per commuter. Decatur is one of the few places in metro Atlanta where a car-free lifestyle is genuinely viable.

Healthcare

Decatur sits in close proximity to Atlanta's major medical infrastructure, including Emory University Hospital and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, both accessible within a short drive. For a searchable list of licensed healthcare providers registered in Decatur through CMS, the NPI Registry provides current provider data.

Library

The Decatur Library serves city residents directly and is reachable at 404-370-3070. It operates as part of the DeKalb County Public Library system, which extends branch access across the county for residents holding library cards.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units sit within reasonable distance of Decatur:

Natural Hazards

DeKalb County has accumulated 15 FEMA disaster declarations since 1993, a record that reflects both the county's density and its vulnerability to a range of weather events. Severe winter storms struck in 1993, 2000, 2014, and again in January 2026. Tropical systems have repeatedly reached inland Georgia — Hurricane Opal (1995), Ivan (2004), Irma (2017), and Helene (2024) all prompted federal disaster declarations here. Severe storms and flooding hit in 1998, 2008, and 2009. The county also hosted Hurricane Katrina evacuees in 2005, triggering a federal emergency declaration. The COVID-19 pandemic produced two separate declarations in March 2020. The pattern is clear: ice storms and inland tropical remnants are the primary recurring threats, with flash flooding a persistent secondary hazard.

Government & Municipal Code

Decatur operates under a city manager form of government with an elected city commission. The municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/north-decatur-cdp-georgia. No separate local building code is listed in the municipal code index; construction permitting defaults to state-adopted codes.

Weather

Current forecasts for Decatur are available through the National Weather Service. Active weather alerts for the area are posted at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is DECATUR 3.9 SE, approximately 2.5 miles from the city center. Atlanta's climate delivers hot, humid summers, mild winters punctuated by occasional ice events, and a spring severe weather season.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)