| | Decatur, AL | Bessemer, AL | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $12,058 | $13,194 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $10,895 | $11,144 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $6,441 | $6,493 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 17.8 | 19.32 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 479 | 547 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 379 | 417 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 7.1% | 4.4% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 9.2% | 11.2% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 83.7% | 84.3% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 21.9% | 23.1% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 8.9% | 7.7% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 23.6% | 13.6% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 5.3% | 3.2% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 1.4% | 0.4% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 0.8% | 0.2% | 1.5% |