Decatur Sees Shifting Demographics Against National Trends

The City of Decatur is getting older and whiter, a recent demographics and diversity survey commissioned by the city shows.

The aging population of the nation can be seen in microcosm in Decatur, where residents aged 35 to 44 now outnumber residents aged 25 to 34. Additionally, there are about the same number of residents aged 45 to 54 as there are residents aged 25 to 35. Nearly six percent of the city’s population is now aged 85 or older.

Although the national trends show a decrease in the population share of whites, the opposite has been true in Decatur since 1990. The study reports that 73.5 percent of Decatur residents are whites, up from 60 percent in 1990. The black share of the population has decreased from 39 to 20 percent, while non-black minorities have seen an upswing from one to six percent of the city’s population in the same 20 year timespan.

The education level of Decatur resident has remained high over the past 20 years. In 1990, the city’s percentage of degree-holding residents was double the national average; in 2010, the percentage was triple the national average. One in three Decatur residents have completed professional degrees.

Income has spiked since 1990, where the average Decatur resident made 19 percent less than the national average. In 2010, Decatur’s average yearly salary was around $70,000, 30 percent above the national average.

The report recommends further studies and focus groups to flesh out the numbers, and recommends the city begin keeping track of its employees’ addresses to add to the data. Further studies could be launched to investigate political and religious affiliations, pedestrian patterns, and demographics of small business owners.

The full report can be read below:

2014 Diversity Research Report_FINAL