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Crime Rate in Decatur, AL (2025)

The FBI-based Crime Index for Decatur, built from FBI Crime Data Explorer reports for 2025. Scores run 0–100 (higher = safer).

54/100
DElevated risk

Crime Index

Population: 58,187
Data year: 2025 · FBI Crime Data Explorer
#4 most dangerous of 10 cities in Alabama
100% of population covered by reporting agencies · updated July 8, 2026

Is Decatur safe?

For 2025, Decatur scores 54/100 on our FBI-based Crime Index — a grade D (elevated risk), which means it reports more crime than the typical US city. Its violent-crime rate of 632 per 100k is 2.0× the US average, and arson stands out most: 92 reported in 2025, 16.8× the national rate. It ranks #4 most dangerous of 10 cities in Alabama.

Violent crime
632/100k
2.0× US avg
1.8× AL avg
Property crime
1,880/100k
+26% vs US avg
+27% vs AL avg
Homicide
8.6/100k
2.1× US avg
in line with AL avg
Total reported
2,513/100k
+39% vs US avg
+37% vs AL avg
19%

Safer than 19% of the 759 US cities we track

1 in 158

Annual odds of a reported violent crime per resident

1 in 53

Annual odds of a reported property crime per resident

Odds are the reported 2025 rate expressed per resident, city-wide — your actual risk varies by neighborhood, time, and situation.

Crime trend in Decatur

3,9232,295667202120222023202420251,2522,513
Reported crime per 100,000 residents · hover a year for detail

Reported crime by offense

Each bar is scaled to the US average for that offense — the dashed line marks 1×. Bars past it run above the national norm; hover a row for detail.

Violent crime

Homicideanchor
2.1× US
8.6
5 total
Rape
+27% US
44.7
26 total
Robbery
-10% US
43
25 total
Aggravated assault
2.4× US
536
312 total

Property crime

Burglary
+9% US
205
119 total
Larceny-theft
+22% US
1,344
782 total
Motor vehicle theft
-9% US
174
101 total
Arson
›
16.8× US
158
92 total

Rates shown are per 100,000 residents.

Homicide rate

8.59per 100k

Homicide anchors the Crime Index — see methodology.

+108% higher than the national homicide rate of 4.12 per 100k.

How Decatur compares

Decatur against the Alabama and US averages for 2025.

MetricDecaturAlabamaUnited States
Crime Index (higher = safer)54D71C73C
Violent crime /100k632348315
Property crime /100k1,8801,4801,487
Homicide /100k8.68.54.1
Total reported /100k2,5131,8281,802

Grade shown per index band (88–100 = A … 0–29 = F). Rates are reported offenses per 100,000 residents.

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Security guides for Decatur

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No area has zero risk

A high Crime Index score means lower reported crime relative to other US cities — it is not a guarantee of safety. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.

Scores on this page reflect FBI-reported data for 2025. See the full methodology →

Compare Decatur to other Alabama cities

Ranked by Crime Index — closest to Decatur.

Huntsville63 CMobile59 DTuscaloosa59 DMontgomery44 EDothan40 EBirmingham3 F

Head-to-head comparisons

Decatur vs MobileDecatur vs TuscaloosaDecatur vs MontgomeryDecatur vs Dothan

Frequently asked questions

Is Decatur safe?
Decatur has a Crime Index of 54 out of 100 (grade D — elevated risk) for 2025, based on FBI-reported violent and property crime rates relative to other US cities. That ranks it #7 of 10 cities in Alabama by reported crime. Reported crime is not the same as actual crime. Research on the gap between crime that occurs and crime that gets reported to police — often called the "dark figure" of crime — estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime go unreported each year. Every index built on official statistics, including this one, necessarily undercounts real crime. That gap is exactly why homicide — the offense with the smallest dark figure — anchors the calculation instead of a more commonly reported but less reliable category like theft.
What does a "D" grade mean?
A "Elevated risk" grade means Decatur's severity-weighted crime rate falls in the 45–59 range on the Crime Index, out of a national distribution of every city we track for 2025. Grades are calibrated against the national distribution of every area we track for the same data year — they describe an area's relative standing, not an absolute promise. A "Very safe" grade means an area sits among the lowest-crime places in the country with usable data, not that nothing ever happens there.
What is the most common crime in Decatur?
The most frequently reported offense in Decatur for 2025 was larceny-theft, with 782 reported incidents. See the full breakdown by offense above for how violent and property crime compare to the US average.
Is crime in Decatur getting better or worse?
There isn't enough multi-year data to state a reliable trend for Decatur.
What are the odds of being a victim of crime in Decatur?
Based on 2025 reported rates, Decatur residents face roughly a 1 in 158 annual chance of a violent crime and about 1 in 53 for a property crime, calculated city-wide. Your individual risk varies widely by neighborhood, time of day, and circumstances.
How does Decatur compare to other US cities?
Decatur is safer than 19% of the 759 US cities we track for 2025, ranked by Crime Index. Its violent-crime rate is 1.8× the Alabama average and its property-crime rate is +27% vs the Alabama average.
Does reported crime equal real crime?
No. National research on the dark figure of crime estimates that roughly 40% of violent crime and about a third of property crime are never reported to police, so any index built on official statistics — including this one — measures a floor on real crime, not a ceiling. That's part of why the index leans most heavily on homicide, the category with the smallest reporting gap.
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