Decatur is a city in Macon County, Illinois, home to about 69,815 people across 43 square miles. Its ZIP codes are 62521, 62522, 62523 and 62526, and parts of 62501, 62535 and 62554 are in Decatur too.
Homes sold for a median of $83 per square foot across 4 ZIP codes in the three months ending August 2026, and 3 of 4 were seller’s markets.
Mostly Decatur; also Long Creek and Mount Zion
Mostly Decatur; also Harristown
All in Decatur
Mostly Decatur
Mostly Argenta; part is in Decatur
Mostly Forsyth; part is in Decatur
Mostly Oreana; part is in Decatur
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Decatur. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Decatur’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL)108 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Decatur Airport (DEC)4 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | St. Louis, MO109 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL152 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Decatur; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Decatur had 70,522 residents in the 2020 census, down 14% since 2000.
It’s the 17th largest of 1,450 towns in Illinois by population.
Macon County grew from 44,003 residents in 1900 to 103,998 in 2020.
Macon County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 85°F in summer, and winter lows average 20°F. About 40.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 14 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Decatur Wtp, IL weather station (2 miles away).
42,511 jobs at 2,241 businesses in Macon County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
889 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Decatur’s ZIP codes.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 153 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 190 |
| Dentists | 56 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 173 |
| Mental health providers | 207 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 83 |
| Optometrists | 11 |
| Chiropractors | 16 |
| Pharmacies | 26 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (53 nearby)
Grocery stores (8 nearby)
Pharmacies (4 nearby)
Libraries (2 nearby)
Museums (7 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (4 nearby)
Counts are within about 4.5 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1823.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Decatur SD 61, Macon-Piatt Spec Educ Jnt Agr, Macon/Piatt ROE. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montessori Academy for PeaceDecatur | Pre-K–8 | 586 | Public | 3.5 mi |
| Pershing Early Learning CenterDecatur | Pre-K | 416 | Public | 2.3 mi |
| Robertson Charter SchoolDecatur | Pre-K–8 | 327 | Charter | 1.2 mi |
| American Dreamer STEM AcademyDecatur | K–8 | 423 | Public | 3.1 mi |
| Decatur Pub. Schs. Alt. EducationDecatur | K–12 | — | Alternative Education | 2.5 mi |
| Dennis Lab SchoolDecatur | K–8 | 579 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Franklin Grove Elem SchoolDecatur | K–6 | 461 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Hope AcademyDecatur | K–8 | 501 | Public | 0.1 mi |
| Johns Hill Magnet SchoolDecatur | K–8 | 627 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Michael E Baum Elem SchoolDecatur | K–6 | 313 | Public | 3.0 mi |
| Muffley Elem SchoolDecatur | K–6 | 386 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| Parsons Elementary SchoolDecatur | K–6 | 505 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| Social-Emotional Learning AcademyDecatur | K–12 | — | Special Education | 0.9 mi |
| South Shores Elem SchoolDecatur | K–6 | 335 | Public | 2.8 mi |
| Macon/Piatt ROE 39 ALOPDecatur | 4–12 | — | Alternative Education | 2.6 mi |
| Milligan Academy RsspDecatur | 6–11 | — | Alternative Education | 3.0 mi |
| Option ThreeDecatur | 6–12 | — | Alternative Education | 2.6 mi |
| Stephen Decatur Middle SchoolDecatur | 7–8 | 413 | Public | 2.5 mi |
| Eisenhower High SchoolDecatur | 9–12 | 909 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Futures UnlimitedDecatur | 9–12 | — | Alternative Education | 3.0 mi |
| MacArthur High SchoolDecatur | 9–12 | 1,059 | Public | 1.8 mi |
| Heartland Technical AcademyDecatur | 11–12 | — | Career and Technical | 3.6 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hillside Bethel Christian SchoolDecatur | Pre-K–6 | 6 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 2.9 mi |
| Holy Family Catholic SchoolDecatur | Pre-K–8 | 195 | Roman Catholic | 2.7 mi |
| Lutheran School AssociationDecatur | Pre-K–12 | 376 | Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod | 2.8 mi |
| Our Lady of Lourdes SchoolDecatur | Pre-K–8 | 185 | Roman Catholic | 3.1 mi |
| Prairie Flower Montessori SchoolDecatur | Pre-K–K | 7 | Nonsectarian | 3.7 mi |
| St Teresa High SchoolDecatur | 7–12 | 237 | Roman Catholic | 1.6 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Forsyth, Long Creek, Harristown, Oreana, Mount Zion and Argenta.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.