Photo: Derek Jensen (Tysto) · Public domainHow is Decatur run?
Decatur’s city government spent $13.7 million on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, about $1,368 per resident. Water and other utilities ($2.9 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Decatur is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
About $1,368 per resident a year, or $3.75 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 20%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,164 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Decatur’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,164 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,137, and the middle half spent $754–$1,490. Decatur spent more than 55% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($2.5 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Decatur itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 19% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Decatur reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,164 · 2024: $1,368.
full-time in March 2025, up from 81 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,142 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.80% of the home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Decatur’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Decatur’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Decatur →
Who’s in charge in Decatur
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Decatur’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on decaturin.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 119 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (9,990).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
North Adams Community Schools
Decatur’s K–12 school district, shared with Preble Township, Root Township, Union Township, Washington Township. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,022 per pupil, $6,291 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Indiana districts overall: 33% local, 56% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
How Decatur voted in 2024
Official results for Decatur’s own voters, as certified after the November 5, 2024 general election, with the county and the state beside them.
Donald J TrumpRepublican65.2%2,922 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat32.6%1,459 votesOthers: 2.2% (99 votes).
Most votes in Decatur: Donald J Trump
Indiana: Trump 58.6%, Harris 39.6%
of Decatur’s 7,750 adult citizens voted for president in 2024. Across Indiana: 58%.
Votes ÷ citizens of voting age (Census CVAP, 2020–24 ACS).
Most votes in Decatur: Jim Banks
Indiana: Banks 58.6%, McCray 38.8%
Most votes in Decatur: Mike Braun
President, 2024: Decatur, its county and the state
| Trump | Harris | Others | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur | 65.2% | 32.6% | 2.2% | 4,480 |
| Indiana | 58.6% | 39.6% | 1.8% | 2,936,677 |
Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Decatur.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: decaturin.org ↗
- 2Indiana HouseState representatives
- 3Indiana SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Indiana
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Decatur’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Decatur’s government
How much does Decatur spend per resident?
About $1,368 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to December 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,164 was more than 55% of 89 Indiana cities of 2,500–9,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Decatur?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,142 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.80% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.74% across Indiana. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see decaturin.org.
Who runs Decatur’s government?
See decaturin.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Decatur yet.
How did Decatur vote in 2024?
For president, Donald J Trump 65.2%, Kamala D Harris 32.6% (4,480 votes, official results). . Indiana: Trump 58.6%, Harris 39.6%.
How many people work for Decatur?
84 full-time and 39 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $433,758 (about $5.2M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Decatur in the state legislature?
State Senate District 19 (Travis Holdman) and State House District 79 (Matt Lehman). The House district also covers 36 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Decatur’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →