Decorah is a somewhat small city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 7,680 people and two associated neighborhoods, Decorah is the 53rd largest community in Iowa. Decorah has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.
Decorah real estate is some of the most expensive in Iowa, although Decorah house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.
Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 9.13% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Decorah is a small town where college students really create the town feel and character. So many small towns have lost population over the last 20-30 years that having the local college presence in the Decorah area, with all of the energy of the students filling area dorms and apartments each fall, really helps Decorah maintain a good economy.
The overall crime rate in Decorah is one of the lowest in the US. This makes it one of the safer places to live in the country in terms of crime.
One of the benefits of Decorah is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 12.99 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.
Decorah is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 45.02% of adults in Decorah have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.
The per capita income in Decorah in 2022 was $31,226, which is lower middle income relative to Iowa, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $124,904 for a family of four. However, Decorah contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call Decorah home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Decorah residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Decorah include German, Norwegian, Irish, English, and Czech.
The most common language spoken in Decorah is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.