Crime & Safety in Decatur
Decatur's crime picture is genuinely two-sided: a real, elevated citywide aggregate rate alongside a real, disclosed neighborhood-level counter-signal this record states rather than resolves to one framing.
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Learn moreA real, elevated citywide crime rate
NeighborhoodScout puts Decatur's overall crime rate at 34 per 1,000 residents -- higher than more than 96% of Illinois communities compared, with one of the nation's highest motor-vehicle-theft rates.
A real, disclosed neighborhood-level counter-signal
Of 71 Decatur neighborhoods analyzed by NeighborhoodScout for 2026, 87% earned an A or B safety grade, and not a single neighborhood received an F grade -- a real, disclosed tension against the elevated citywide aggregate.
Key takeaways
- Decatur's citywide crime rate runs genuinely elevated, higher than more than 96% of Illinois communities compared.
- Decatur carries one of the nation's highest motor-vehicle-theft rates.
- 87% of Decatur's 71 analyzed neighborhoods earned an A or B safety grade -- a real, disclosed counter-signal.
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