Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Decatur’s best subject grades are a B+ for history and cost of living; its weakest is a D− for health. 34% of residents live below the poverty line in Decatur, above both Tennessee’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 24 of Tennessee’s 291 towns score lower on incomes. Decatur has 6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Meigs County Courthouse and Decatur Methodist Church. Decatur has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Decatur beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 99 in 1870, a low of 99 in 1870, 1,563 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Decatur is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Decatur, and how to reach them.
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 Decatur.
Decatur beats the Tennessee average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 24% of Decatur adults smoke cigarettes, above both the Tennessee town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 30% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Decatur.
| Decatur | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 24% | 19% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 23% |
| What stands out | Decatur | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78.8% | 76.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.3% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Meigs County school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Meigs County High School, with 527 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meigs Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 406 | C+ |
| Meigs County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 527 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Decatur for work: only 18% work in town. Decatur’s median household income is $43,000. Jobs based in Decatur grew to 1,300 in 2023, 322 more than in 2013.
| Decatur | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $43,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Decatur has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 29° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Decatur home is worth about $275,000, up 7.5% in a year, 17% below the Tennessee typical home. 58% of Decatur households own their home.
| Decatur | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $847 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Decatur since 2017.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Decatur
About 1 of every 100 Decatur residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Decatur’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Decatur on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Tennessee, United States
Decatur ( dih-KAY-tər) is a town in Meigs County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,563 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Meigs County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($61,438 across the Athens, TN area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
