Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 18,442, settled in 1892.
North Decatur's standout: residents are healthier than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Overall it grades C+, 88th of 258 graded towns in Georgia. It is more walkable than 95% of U.S. towns and it has 10 miles of trail. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $475K for a typical one and 5.3 times the Atlanta metro’s $90K median household income. 74% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in North Decatur, above both Georgia’s towns (25%) and U.S. towns (29%). North Decatur has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Decatur Waterworks and Steele-Cobb House.
Where North Decatur beats most towns.
| Widest gap | North Decatur | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 14.5% |
4.4% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far North Decatur is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 11,830 in 1980, 18,511 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2017 and 5 maps from 1954 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Decatur. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaMercedes-Benz Stadium
Big draw8 mi MountainStone Mountain
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaState Farm Arena
7 mi Zoo & aquariumGeorgia Aquarium
Big draw15 mi Theme parkSix Flags Over Georgia
12 mi Stadium & arenaTruist ParkMercedes-Benz Stadium: Atlanta Falcons, CC BY 3.0 · Stone Mountain: KyleAndMelissa22, Public domain · State Farm Arena: Hermann Luyken, CC0 · Georgia Aquarium: Diliff, CC BY 2.5 · Six Flags Over Georgia: hagerman, CC BY 2.0 · Truist Park: Thechased at English Wikipedia, CC BY 4.0
North Decatur is unincorporated, so DeKalb County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in North Decatur.
North Decatur has less tooth loss than most of Georgia, trades workers with Atlanta and other neighbors and has hotter summers than most of the country, though not than most of Georgia.
North Decatur’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Mason Mill Park, 106 acres with 5.5 miles of trail. 9.5 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves.
| North Decatur | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.9 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.4% | 2.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mason Mill Park | 5.5 mi | 106 |
| 2. Clyde Shepherd Nature Preserve | 1.5 mi | 28 |
| 3. Medlock Park | 0.7 mi | 25 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the DeKalb County school district. One of its 4 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Druid Hills Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 985 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Georgia is tooth loss: 6.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 14.5% statewide.
7.3% of adults smoke cigarettes in North Decatur. Only 5 of the 261 Georgia towns we compare have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than North Decatur. 16% of adults binge drink in North Decatur.
| North Decatur | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 19% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | North Decatur | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.3% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8% | 17.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 89°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 82% of Georgia places with climate records; January nights average 33.1°.
North Decatur has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in North Decatur is 33°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| North Decatur | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 33°F | 33°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 90°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 80 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Decatur.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Decatur has about as many jobs (10,009) as working residents, but only 282 people both live and work here. 25.4% of workers work from home, against 15.9% across Georgia.
Most working residents leave North Decatur for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, North Decatur has added 1,166 jobs, to 10,009 in 2023. The top destinations are Atlanta (44%), Sandy Springs (5%) and Brookhaven (3%).
| North Decatur | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.2% | 9.2% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 9.7% | 15% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median property tax bill is $4,763, against $2,341 across Georgia, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
55% of North Decatur households own their home.
| North Decatur | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,913 a month | $1,152 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 55% | 58% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
26 within 15 miles of the center of North Decatur
About 8 of every 100 North Decatur residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
16,698 counted in 2010 and 18,511 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
2 places in North Decatur on the National Register of Historic Places.
Place in Georgia, United States
North Decatur is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,511 in 2020.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with North Decatur.
| Town | GA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Decatur | #88 | C+ | D | — | C− | A+ |
| Decatur | #17 | A− | D− | C | A+ | A+ |
| Scottdale | #91 | C+ | C− | — | C− | A− |
| North Druid Hills | #65 | B− | D− | — | C− | A+ |
| Druid Hills | #75 | B− | D− | — | C− | A+ |
North Decatur, Scottdale, North Druid Hills and Druid Hills report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare North Decatur with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
North Decatur grades C+ overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #88 of 258 in Georgia. It grades A+ for health and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $475,000, 44% above the Georgia typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
