Decorah, IA

Census Place

2024 Population

7,535

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

39.5

8.22% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

8.14%

5.82% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$64,366

3.52% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$244,500

Population & Diversity

Decorah, IA is home to a population of 7.54k people, from which 95.5% are citizens.

As of 2024, 5.52% of Decorah, IA residents were born outside of the country (416 people).

In 2024, there were 35.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (6.77k people) in Decorah, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 191 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) and 183 Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

95.5%

2024 Citizenship

97.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 95.5% of Decorah, IA residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Decorah, IA was 97.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Decorah, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Decorah, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
6.77k ± 136
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
191 ± 62
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
183 ± 91

3.77%

Hispanic Population

284 people

3.77% of the people in Decorah, IA are hispanic (284 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Decorah, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
44,333 ± 5,134 people
India
11,889 ± 2,672 people
Guatemala
8,189 ± 2,219 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 44,333 Iowa residents, followed by India with 11,889 and Guatemala with 8,189.

Foreign-Born Population

5.52%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

416 people

3.8%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

289 people

As of 2024, 5.52% of Decorah, IA residents (416 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Decorah, IA was 3.8%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Decorah, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
183 ± 79
Gulf War (2001-)
106 ± 70
Gulf War (1990s)
65 ± 62

Decorah, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.73 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Decorah, IA.

Economy

The economy of Decorah, IA employs 4.08k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Decorah, IA were Educational Services (1,078 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (537 people), and Manufacturing (451 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($85,179), Public Administration ($71,250), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($55,702).

Employment

Occupations

4.08k

2024 Value

± 414

−3.43%

1 Year decline

± 14.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Decorah, IA declined at a rate of −3.43%, from 4.22k employees to 4.08k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Decorah, IA, are Management Occupations (513 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (421 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (404 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Decorah, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

4.08k

2024 Value

± 414

−3.43%

1 Year decline

± 14.3%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Decorah, IA declined at a rate of −3.43%, from 4.22k employees to 4.08k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Decorah, IA, are Educational Services (1,078 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (537 people), and Manufacturing (451 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Decorah, IA, though some of these residents may live in Decorah, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$37,096

Median earning men ± $5,793

$34,384

Median earning women ± $4,734

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($97,875), Retail Trade ($61,750), and Manufacturing ($49,545).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($70,875), Other Services Except Public Administration ($55,497), and Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($46,538).

Education

The student population of Decorah, IA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 663 male students and 721 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Decorah, IA are White (326 and 87.2%), Hispanic or Latino (19 and 5.08%), Black or African American (11 and 2.94%), and Asian (5 and 1.34%).

The largest universities in Decorah, IA by number of degrees awarded are Luther College (401 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Decorah, IA are Registered Nursing (46 and 11.5%), General Business Administration & Management (34 and 8.48%), and General Biological Sciences (28 and 6.98%).

The median tuition cost for private four year colleges is $51,140.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Decorah, IA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 71.5%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 19.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 1,384 (47.9% men and 52.1% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 1,384 students enrolled in Decorah, IA, 47.9% men and 52.1% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 980 records, of which 58.7% were women and 41.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Registered Nursing
46 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
34 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
28 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Decorah, IA was Registered Nursing with 46 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Decorah, IA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Luther College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

401 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Luther College with 401 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 172 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Decorah, IA, which is 0.751 times less than the 229 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 326 degrees mean that there were 17.2 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 19 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($51,140) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($980) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,040) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Decorah, IA was $244,500 in 2024, which is 0.735 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $234,600 to $244,500, a 4.22% increase. The homeownership rate in Decorah, IA is 61.5%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Decorah, IA have an average commute time of 12.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Decorah, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$244,500

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,919

$1,869

Median Property Taxes

±$241

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Decorah, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Decorah, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

61.5%

Homeownership

2024

63.9%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 61.5% of the housing units in Decorah, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 64.7%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Decorah, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$64,366

Median Household Income

± $4,690

3.04k

Number of Households

± 337

In 2024, the median household income of the 3.04k households in Decorah, IA grew to $64,366 from the previous year's value of $62,177.

The following chart displays the households in Decorah, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Decorah, IA is from Iowa.

0.435

2024 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2024, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.435 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 1.29% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (59.4%)
Walked (21.6%)
Worked At Home (10.8%)

In 2024, 59.4% of workers in Decorah, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who walked to work (21.6%) and those who worked at home (10.8%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

12.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Decorah, IA have a shorter commute time (12.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.672% of the workforce in Decorah, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Decorah, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Decorah, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Decorah, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

8.14% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Decorah, IA (478 out of 5.87k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 75+, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Decorah, IA is White, followed by Hispanic and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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