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Place dossier plate
SheetIA-DECORAH-IA · Decorah, IA 7,597 pop · income 39th pct · 5 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Decorah
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Decorah on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Marion · lowest
44,472
Marion · lowest
44,472 median HH income
32.9% of the leader · rank #1
Elk Mound · near
62,167
Elk Mound · near
62,167 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #2
Norfolk · near
62,175
Norfolk · near
62,175 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #3
Decorah · this city
62,177
Decorah · this city
62,177 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #4
Carthage · near
62,177
Carthage · near
62,177 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #5
Madison · near
62,180
Madison · near
62,180 median HH income
46.0% of the leader · rank #6
Hewlett · highest
135,139
Hewlett · highest
135,139 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Decorah on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 7,597.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Decorah - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Decorah places in the 39th percentile for household income and the 91st percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
39th
percentile, household income
52nd
percentile, home value
11th
percentile, median rent
91st
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Decorah, IA
7,597 people live in Decorah, Iowa - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Decorah brings in $62,177 a year, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 4.5%. Typical homes in Decorah are valued around $234,600, and the median resident age is 36.5 years. Educational attainment runs 46.1% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 63.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 19 residential building permits were authorized in Decorah (Growing), up 6% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Decorah reports a comparatively low crime rate: per-100,000 total crime stands at 343.1 in FBI UCR data, below the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Decorah's yearly average temperature at 48.5°F with 37.6 inches of precipitation per year and 37.5 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Iowa run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Iowa at 87.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $989 per month statewide. Monthly utility costs average around $212 across Iowa, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 39.7 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Decorah's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist to population change to within-city variation to work and mobility to schools and households to reported crime to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Decorah, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
1. Climate and hazard context
What physical conditions frame life in Decorah?
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 48.5°F, with 37.6 inches of precipitation and 37.5 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Iowa is 39.7 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
Which cities make useful reference points for Decorah?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Iowa, the closest population matches are Clear Lake (7,603 residents, $70,278 income); Knoxville (7,493 residents, $70,136 income); Creston (7,466 residents, $50,752 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Madras, OR (7,596 residents); Marshfield, MO (7,599 residents); Hewlett, NY (7,599 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -165 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -2.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 19 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Decorah?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 58.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Drive alone
58.0%
Work from home
9.7%
Public transit
0.4%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 4,126 workers age 16+.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 46.1% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
Poverty estimate
4.5%
Bachelor's degree+
46.1%
Matched public schools
4
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Decorah?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 343.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 85% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
Total reported rate
343.1
Violent rate
118.8
Property rate
224.3
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
How far does income reach against housing in Decorah?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 4.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
3.8×
Home value
$234,600
Household income
$62,177
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Below median income · poverty 4.5% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
87.8 (US=100)
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Iowa average
B-
City profile score · Decorah, IA
67/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
87.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share A-
46.1%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate B-
4.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime B-
119 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income F
$62,177
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Decorah profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 94/100 (A+) · 87.8 index
Bachelor's+ share: 80/100 (A-) · 46.1%
Poverty rate: 69/100 (B-) · 4.5%
Violent crime: 66/100 (B-) · 119 /100k
Household income: 38/100 (F) · $62,177
Where Decorah sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Decorah's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Decorah highlighted among 11 peers.Read the chart values
Decorah, IA (this city): home $234,600, crime 343/100k
Madras, OR : home $291,400, crime 2,797/100k
Marshfield, MO : home $201,300, crime 2,636/100k
Marion, NC : home $131,100, crime 3,443/100k
Hubbard, OH : home $123,600, crime 1,483/100k
Clear Lake, IA : home $235,100, crime 1,884/100k
Knoxville, IA : home $147,600, crime 2,044/100k
Creston, IA : home $112,600, crime 1,307/100k
Webster City, IA : home $115,400, crime 1,615/100k
Charles City, IA : home $118,900, crime 1,157/100k
Washington, IA : home $144,500, crime 2,091/100k
How does Decorah compare to other US cities?
Where Decorah sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income39% higher than other cities
Home value52% pricier than other cities
Median rent11% pricier than other cities
Safety91% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Iowa, Decorah ranks #30 of 141 Iowa cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Decorah against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Iowa only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Iowa-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Decorah near the bottom of Iowa's cities
Among the 858 Iowa cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Decorah ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Decorah only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#493 of 845
42nd percentile in Iowa
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 858
0th percentile in Iowa
Median Home Value
#85 of 849
90th percentile in Iowa
Poverty Rate
#513 of 858
39th percentile in Iowa
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#44 of 858
95th percentile in Iowa
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Iowa only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
39th percentile nationally for median household income · 91st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Decorah's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Decorah's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Decorah's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$234,60048th percentilemore affordable than 48% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Decorah's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#9,968 of 15,516
More affordable than 36% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#7,891 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 3.8×, Decorah sits in the moderate band:
national rank #9,968 of 15,516 and #7,891 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$62,177Decorah, IA median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Decorah, IA median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Decorah, IA.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)46.1%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)4.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)63.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
7,597
Median Income
$62,177
Median Home Value
$234,600
Median Age
36.5
Poverty Rate
4.5%
Labor force participation
63.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
46.1%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
343.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
118.8
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
224.3
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
48.5°F
Annual Precipitation
37.6"
Annual Snowfall
37.5"
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Decorah's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
7,582 residents
2021
7,606 residents
2022
7,620 residents
2023
7,451 residents
2024
7,390 residents
2025
7,417 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Growing
Total Permits (2024)
19
housing units authorized
Single-Family
7
detached homes
Multifamily
12
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.5
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
18
12
6
$6.1M
2020
66
5
61
$10.8M
2021
71
6
65
$11.1M
2022
18
8
10
$6.1M
2023
15
9
6
$5.9M
2024
19
7
12
$6.9M
Permit volume increased 6% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
58.0%
Carpool
7.6%
Public Transit
0.4%
Walk
23.0%
Work from Home
9.7%
Other
1.3%
Based on 4,126 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Iowa statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $212
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Iowa at $212 (electricity about $95 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Iowa statewide averages, not a meter reading for Decorah. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Iowa's BEA cost-of-living index is 87.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Decorah is $989/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Iowa statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.7 / 100 (Very Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Iowa statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Decorah sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Decorah compares to similar-size Iowa cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.