Decorah is home to 7,535 people in Iowa. Getting to work takes 13 minutes on average. 6% of residents were born outside the United States. Renters pay $853 a month at the median. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $244,500. 42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $64,366, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 39.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
42% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 38%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Decorah
What changed most since 1990
White share97.2% → 89.8%(−7.4 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Median age29.0 → 39.5(+10.5 years)US over the same years: +6.0 years
Hispanic share0.2% → 3.8%(+3.6 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
Its weight in Winneshiek County
Decorah's population equals 38% of Winneshiek County's. Its number of foreign-born residents equals 81% of the county's. Its number of households without a car equals 65% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)22.5%(106)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)35.4%(167)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era41.9%(198)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War6.8%(32)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 472 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Decorah, decade by decade
Decorah population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
8,063
$61,586
$139,204
28.3%
6.7
2000
8,172
$68,285
$176,883
30.6%
11.5
2010
8,127
$63,919
$202,695
34.1%
15.9
2020
7,587
$67,777
$233,560
43.8%
22.7
2024
7,535
$64,366
$244,500
42.2%
23.7
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
