Decatur County, Iowa

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Decatur County (Template:IPAc-en) is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,645.<ref name=cen2020>Template:Cite web</ref> The county seat is Leon.<ref name="GR6">Template:Cite web</ref> This county is named for Stephen Decatur Jr., a hero in the War of 1812.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

History

Decatur County was organized in 1850 and named for Stephen Decatur, a naval hero of the War of 1812. The current courthouse was dedicated in 1908.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert (0.3%) is water.<ref name="GR1">Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Decatur Co IA Pie Chart No Text Version.pdf

Soils of Decatur County

Major highways

Transit

Jefferson Lines

Adjacent counties

Clarke County (north)
Wayne County (east)
Mercer County, Missouri (southeast)
Harrison County, Missouri (southwest)
Ringgold County (west)

Demographics

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File:DecaturCountyIowaPop2020.png

Population of Decatur County from US census data

2020 census

File:DecaturCountyIA2022PopPyr.png

2022 US Census population pyramid for Decatur County from ACS 5-year estimates

The 2020 census recorded a population of 7,645 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. 96.44% of the population reported being of one race. There were 3,653 housing units of which 2,986 were occupied.<ref name=cen2020/>

Decatur County Racial Composition<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Race	Num.	Perc.
White (NH)	7,010	91.7%
Black or African American (NH)	97	1.26%
Native American (NH)	17	0.22%
Asian (NH)	39	0.51%
Pacific Islander (NH)	21	0.27%
Other/Mixed (NH)	250	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino	211	2.8%

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 8,457 in the county, with a population density of Template:Pop density. There were 3,834 housing units, of which 3,223 were occupied.<ref name="USCB">Template:Cite web</ref>

2000 census

At the 2000 census,<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> there were 8,689 people, 3,337 households and 2,149 families residing in the county. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 3,833 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial makeup of the county was 96.46% White, 0.98% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. 1.70% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,337 households, of which 28.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.60% were non-families. 30.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.

23.00% of the population were under the age of 18, 16.30% from 18 to 24, 21.60% from 25 to 44, 21.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.90 males.

The median household income was $27,343 and the median family income was $34,831. Males had a median income of $25,569 compared with $19,309 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,209. About 10.90% of families and 15.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.60% of those under age 18 and 13.70% of those age 65 or over.

Decatur County is considered to be the poorest in Iowa, reporting that almost 20% of its residents live in poverty.<ref>Mike Kilen, "Headline: Who will win in Iowa's poorest county?", Des Moines Register, June 6, 2004 Template:Subscription required</ref>

County officials

Supervisors
Steve Fulkerson
Doug Tharp
Ward Graham

Treasurer
Janet Pierson

Attorney
Alan Wilson

Auditor
Charlene Hoover

Recorder
Erica Cook

Sheriff
Chris Lane

Assessor
Justin Cornett

Engineer
Justin Savage

Clerk of Court
Traci Tharp

Public Health Administrator
Shelley Bickel

Veterans Affairs Administrator
Samantha Schaff

Conservation Director
Kayla Clausen

Mental Health Director
Kathy Lerma

Communities

File:Ancient Map of Decatur County, Iowa.jpg

Ancient Map of Decatur County, Iowa (1894)

Cities

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Townships

Decatur County is divided into these townships: Template:Div col

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Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Decatur County.<ref name=cen2020/>

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Municipal type	Population (2020 Census)
1	Lamoni	City	1,969
2	† Leon	City	1,822
3	Grand River	City	196
4	Davis City	City	179
5	Van Wert	City	178
6	Decatur City	City	175
7	Garden Grove	City	174
8	Weldon (partially in Clarke County)	City	136
9	Pleasanton	City	32
10	Le Roy	City	11

Politics

References

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External links

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