Decatur’s Rental Market

Decatur, Illinois is the ideal location for the next apartment living development project. See the data and information below on why your next development project should be located here.


Rental Market Data

  • Current Total Rental Market at $94-158 Million (13,353 Occupied Units)
  • Current Rental Market for Units Over a Monthly Rent of $1,000 is $32.6-46 Million (2,245 Occupied Units)
  • There are 20,437 households in Macon County who could afford a monthly rent of over $1,000, with an average of $1,887/month.
  • There is an estimated potential housing market of $463 Million for households making over $60,000/year.
  • Of the 13,353 occupied rentals in Macon County, 92% of them were built more than 40 years ago. 42% of them were built more than 80 years ago.
  • As of Feb 2023, 42,556 people are living and working in Macon County according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  • Total number of people working in Macon County as of Feb 2023 was 48,500. It is estimated that 5,944 people are commuting in to work every day according to the BLS.
  • In 2020, there were about 5,814 people commuting in to Macon County from a one-hour radius between ages 18-54. Of those 5,814 people, 4,262 are between the ages 30-54 and 1,552 are 29 years old or younger according to the US Census Center for Economic Studies.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017-2021 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates


Zoning Information

Click here to access the GIS Map. Zoning layers and legends can be found on the tool menu.

Additionally, click here to access the City of Decatur Zoning Ordinance Guide.


Quality of Life

You’ll find endless opportunities to enjoy life without limits here in Decatur and Macon County.  Experience dining, shopping, entertainment, arts & culture and more by exploring the Limitless Decatur website here.


Incentives Available

Multi-family properties may qualify for a three-year property tax abatement incentive as provided in the Decatur-Macon County Enterprise Zone. See full details in the EZ Guide Book.

Minimum of ten living units with minimum investment of $50,000/unit and maximum of $250,000/unit. 


Top Employers

The region is home to a diverse set of major industries and broad-based network of ancillary and supporting businesses. Below are our top major employers in the area: manufacturing, service, support, transportation, office, and professional industries.

4,000 Archer Daniels Midland
3,150 Caterpillar
1,903 Decatur Memorial Hospital
1,752 Decatur Public Schools
930 HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital
600 Millikin University
575 The Kelly Group
600 Primient
630 Ameren Illinois
380 Norfolk Southern
585 Mueller
400 Bodine Electric
300 A-Lert Construction Services
250 McLeod Express
175 Fuyao Glass
150 TCR Systems
125 T/CCI Manufacturing
80 Parke Warehouses