County · Kansas

Decatur County, Kansas

Decatur County, Kansas. Decatur County had 2,716 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.8% since 2020, while Kansas grew 1.3%. It holds 30 places (5 cities, villages and boroughs and 25 towns and townships) and 1 census tract. GEOID 20039.

Residents, July 2025 estimate

2,716

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 2,764 · ACS 2020-2024: 2,726

Median household income

$53,870

±$3,964 (90% margin)
Kansas: $74,275

Median home value

$89,500

±$12,973 (90% margin)
Kansas: $217,200

Median gross rent

$676

±$93 (90% margin)
Kansas: $1,060

How many people live in Decatur County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 2,764 residents in Decatur County. The Census Bureau estimates 2,716 for July 1, 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, while Kansas grew 1.3%. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 2,726 over 894 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 +9 (2,771)
2021→2022 −74 (2,697)
2022→2023 +43 (2,740)
2023→2024 −27 (2,713)
2024→2025 +3 (2,716)

Decatur County in Kansas. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Decatur County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	2,726	2,947,197	−134
Households	1,327±79	1,174,060	−115
Average household size	2.01±0.12	2.44	no clear change
Housing units	1,634±15	1,293,635	−155

Decatur County's population since 2000

From 3,472 in 2000 to 2,716 in 2025: down 21.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 3,472
2005 (estimate) 3,128
2010 Census 2,961
2015 (estimate) 2,927
2020 Census 2,764
2025 (estimate) 2,716

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Decatur County?

Decatur County holds 30 places: 5 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 25 towns and townships (county subdivisions with their own government). The largest is Oberlin with 1,606 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Decatur County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Oberlin	city	1,644	1,734±176	$52,284	$88,700	11.5%	100%
Lincoln Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003940600	township	168	197±89	$53,906	$65,000	12.7%	100%
NorcaturGEOID 2050925	city	159	197±89	$53,906	$65,000	12.7%	100%
Jennings TownshipGEOID 2003935400	township	109	130±65	$71,250	$46,200	10.8%	100%
Dresden Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003918625	township	91	110±63	not published	$109,700	5.0%	100%
JenningsGEOID 2035375	city	81	118±63	$51,250	$41,200	14.4%	100%
Oberlin TownshipGEOID 2003952025	township	81	28±29	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Beaver Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003905050	township	69	56±40	$59,000	$47,100	0.0%	100%
Olive TownshipGEOID 2003952675	township	53	15±23	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Center Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003911650	township	52	12±15	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Allison TownshipGEOID 2003901300	township	49	15±18	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Custer Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003916850	township	48	161±127	not published	not published	54.0%	100%
DresdenGEOID 2018600	city	43	60±41	not published	not published	10.0%	100%
Finley TownshipGEOID 2003923425	township	43	9±13	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Garfield Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003925525	township	42	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Liberty Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003939975	township	41	74±64	$133,542	$229,200	0.0%	100%
Logan Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003941825	township	39	6±8	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Harlan Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003930050	township	31	39±39	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Pleasant Valley Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003956525	township	27	49±38	not published	not published	24.5%	100%
Prairie Dog TownshipGEOID 2003957475	township	27	3±6	not published	not published	100.0%	100%
Summit Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003969075	township	20	88±67	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
Cook TownshipGEOID 2003915375	township	19	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Lyon Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003943450	township	19	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Bassettville TownshipGEOID 2003904475	township	18	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Grant Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003927600	township	17	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Sappa TownshipGEOID 2003963050	township	17	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Sherman Township, Decatur CountyGEOID 2003964900	township	17	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Altory TownshipGEOID 2003901650	township	16	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
Roosevelt TownshipGEOID 2003961025	township	7	0±11	not published	not published	–	100%
ClaytonGEOID 2013675	city	44	33±26	$74,250	not published	18.2%	2%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Decatur County?

The median resident of Decatur County is 50.1 years old; 20.8% are under 18 and 29.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 90.5%, then Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) at 4.8%. 2.1% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Decatur County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	50.1±3.4	37.4	no clear change
Under 18 years	20.8%±1.3 pts	23.8%	–
65 years and over	29.8%±1.0 pts	17.0%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	4.8%	13.6%	+1.8 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	90.5%±0.8 pts	72.7%	−4.8 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	1.1%±1.2 pts	5.2%	–
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±1.1 pts	2.9%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.7 pts	0.4%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±1.1 pts	0.1%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.6%±1.4 pts	4.8%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.5%±0.8 pts	0.4%	–
Born outside the United States	2.1%±1.2 pts	7.4%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	2.7%±1.4 pts	12.1%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	5.0%±1.9 pts	6.8%	–
With a disability	18.0%±4.1 pts	13.5%	–
No health insurance coverage	5.2%±1.8 pts	8.8%	−4.9 pts
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	94.1%±2.5 pts	92.0%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	27.0%±5.9 pts	35.6%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	6.6%±2.3 pts	13.4%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	2.3%±1.6 pts	3.0%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Decatur County earn?

Half of Decatur County's 1,327 households earn less than $53,870 a year (±$3,964), against $74,275 in Kansas. In 2015-2019 it was $59,227 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 12.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Decatur County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$53,870±$3,964	$74,275	no clear change
Mean household income	$70,420±$9,071	$100,417	–
Per capita income	$35,100±$4,447	$40,978	no clear change
People below the poverty line	12.7%±6.2 pts	11.3%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	27.6%±17.3 pts	13.1%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	5.1%±3.3 pts	6.8%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	88.6%±4.0 pts	90.7%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Decatur County?

Owners occupy 77.7% of Decatur County's occupied homes and renters 22.3%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $89,500 by its owner (±$12,973). The median renter pays $676 a month including utilities.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Decatur County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$89,500±$12,973	$217,200	no clear change
Median gross rent	$676±$93	$1,060	−$147
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	17.4%±12.8 pts	34.5%	–
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,117±$231	$1,689	–
Owner-occupied homes	77.7%±6.4 pts	67.2%	no clear change
Housing units	1,634±15	1,293,635	−155
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.1%±1.7 pts	0.9%	–
Rental vacancy rate	2.0%±3.2 pts	6.2%	–
Single-family detached homes	92.8%±3.1 pts	71.8%	–
Mobile homes	2.9%±2.3 pts	4.0%	–
Built 2020 or later	0.0%±1.8 pts	1.4%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	33.5%±6.5 pts	15.4%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Decatur County building?

Builders took permits for 0 new housing units across Decatur County in 2025 (0 single-family), 0.0 per 1,000 residents.

2019 0 units
2020 0 units
2021 1 units
2022 0 units
2023 3 units
2024 2 units
2025 0 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Decatur County get to work?

70.6% of Decatur County's workers drive alone and 15.3% work from home. The average trip to work takes 17.9 minutes.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Decatur County	Kansas	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	61.2%±4.7 pts	66.1%	–
Unemployment rate	4.1%±2.9 pts	3.9%	–
Drove alone to work	70.6%±6.5 pts	75.4%	–
Carpooled	6.7%±3.4 pts	8.7%	–
Public transportation	3.6%±4.8 pts	0.4%	–
Walked	3.8%±2.6 pts	2.3%	–
Worked from home	15.3%±5.8 pts	11.8%	no clear change
Mean travel time to work	17.9 min±4.3	19.7 min	no clear change

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Decatur County's census tracts?

Decatur County is a single census tract.

Census tracts of Decatur County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 951320039951300	Oberlin (20%)	2,764	2,726	$53,870	$89,500	$676	12.7%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Decatur County compare with Kansas's other counties?

Decatur County's rank among Kansas's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	86th of 105
Growth 2020-2025	60th of 105
Residents per square mile	89th of 105
Median household income	99th of 105
Median home value	91st of 105
Median gross rent	87th of 104
Poverty rate	33rd of 102
Bachelor's degree or higher	29th of 105
Median age	3rd of 105

Every county in Kansas

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Decatur County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.