Macon Reporter

In a recent ranking by SmartAsset of the best places to work in manufacturing for 2020, Decatur came in fourth in the country out of a comparison of 378 metro areas across the nation.

Metrics that SmartAsset considered in developing rankings included where manufacturing jobs placed as a percentage of the local workforce, how much growth there was in both jobs and income levels in recent years, the cost of housing as a percentage of income, and unemployment rates for the area, according to the SmartAsset website.

In Decatur, the income level for manufacturing jobs grew by 33.08% between 2015 and 2018, according to SmartAsset. That places Decatur fourth out of the 378 metro areas examined for income growth, and well-above the national manufacturing income growth of 6.44%.

Additionally, average manufacturing income in the city jumped 12.88% just between 2017 and 2018, placing the city 10th overall in terms of that measure, according to SmartAsset. 

At the same time, Decatur has a relatively favorable housing market, according to SmartAsset. On average, housing costs only take up 10.81% of a household’s income, which is the 5th-lowest rate among the 378 metro areas that were examined.

Some of those factors offset areas where Decatur did not fare nearly as well as communities close-by on either side in the rankings, such as unemployment. With a 6.7% unemployment rate, Decatur stands out among other communities nearby in the rankings, most of which have unemployment rates between 3% and 4%.

Andrew Taylor, economic development officer of the Economic Development Corporation of Decatur-Macon County, told WAND 17 that the results show the strength of the area’s manufacturing sector.

"There is a popular belief in America today that Manufacturing is something that we once did," Taylor was quoted as saying by WAND 17. "At 22.5% of our employment base, Macon County is living proof that it is something that we still do."