Decatur, Michigan

Township in Van Buren County · population 3,575 (2020 Census)

Median home: $158,000
Household income: $67,917
Jan low / Jul high: 16° / 82°
Snow a year: 80 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 9
Median age: 41.3

Decatur is a township of 3,575 people in Van Buren County, Michigan. The median home is worth $158,000, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). It ranks more walkable than 77% of Michigan towns, better transit than 73% of Michigan towns, better for young professionals than 70% of Michigan towns.

How Decatur ranks

Percentile among Michigan towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Michigan towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Decatur is worth $158,000, below the typical Michigan town ($193,900). Homes cost about 2.3 times the median household income of $67,917, which is more affordable than 84% of Michigan towns. Median rent is $831 a month. 81.1% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Michigan towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Decatur	Typical Michigan town
Median home value	$158,000	$193,900
Median rent	$831	$955
Median household income	$67,917	$69,792
Home value ÷ income	2.3×	2.8×
Homeownership	81.1%	86.8%
Median year built	1959	1975
Seasonal / vacation homes	7.8%	—

Who lives in Decatur

People	Decatur	Typical Michigan town
Median age	41.3	43.7
Age 65 and over	12.6%	20.7%
Under 18	22.0%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.5%	21.5%
Below the poverty line	18.2%	10.4%
Veterans	4.2%	—
Born outside the U.S.	2.4%	—
Work from home	8.4%	9.1%
Average commute	23.4 min	25.6 min
Homes with broadband	92.7%	88.8%

Weather in Decatur

July highs average 81.5°F and January lows 16.2°F. About 41.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 79.9 inches of snow (typical Michigan town: 52.1 in). Expect about 11 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 145 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Dowagiac 1 W station (13.8 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 3 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

9 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Decatur since 1950, compared with 10 for the typical Michigan town. 4 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF2, struck on August 6, 2024 about 10.0 miles from the town center. The most recent was on August 6, 2024.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 21 times; the largest was 2.75 inches on May 9, 2000.

Severe weather in Van Buren County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Van Buren County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 6 deaths recorded.

Van Buren County has been included in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, tornado, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
March 27, 2020	Biological	DR-4494: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3455: Covid-19
September 7, 2005	Hurricane	EM-3225: Hurricane Katrina Evacuation
June 30, 2004	Severe Storm	DR-1527: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
January 10, 2001	Snowstorm	EM-3160: Snow

Jobs and pay in Van Buren County

Van Buren County had 21,597 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $51,293 a year. Unemployment was 4.7% in 2023; in Decatur itself the ACS puts it at 4.4%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Decatur

Porter, MI
5.6 mi · 2,568 people · home $306,800
Paw Paw, MI
6.0 mi · 6,881 people · home $197,400
Paw Paw, MI
7.2 mi · 3,362 people · home $148,200
Antwerp, MI
8.5 mi · 13,425 people · home $243,400
Wayne, MI
8.7 mi · 2,576 people · home $207,900
Lawrence, MI
8.8 mi · 3,289 people · home $179,500
Mattawan, MI
9.7 mi · 2,550 people · home $181,600
Waverly, MI
12.1 mi · 2,506 people · home $222,400

Decatur questions

Is Decatur, Michigan a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Decatur scores better for retirees than 33% of Michigan towns and quieter than 69%. 12.6% of residents are 65 or older (median age 41.3).

How much does a house cost in Decatur?

The median owner-occupied home in Decatur is valued at $158,000 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $67,917, so homes cost about 2.3 times income. Median rent is $831 a month.

What is the weather like in Decatur?

July highs average 81.5°F and January lows 16.2°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 41.7 inches of precipitation a year and 79.9 inches of snow.

Does Decatur get tornadoes?

9 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Decatur since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF2 on August 6, 2024. The typical Michigan town has had 10.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Decatur's Census boundary (GEOID 2615921060). Comparisons use the median of Michigan towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.