City · Winneshiek County, Iowa

Decorah, Iowa

Decorah is a city in Winneshiek County, Iowa. It has 7,535 residents. Decorah, Iowa has a quality-of-life score of 98 out of 100 (very high), ranking #279 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Iowa it ranks #7 of 281 cities and towns. It ranks best on mammography screening (high), average commute time (low) and flu vaccinations (high). It ranks worst on new business applications (low), pharmacies (low) and distance to an airport (high).

98Very high

Quality-of-life score: #279 of 15,651 cities and towns
Iowa: #7 of 281 in IA
Population: 7,535 (2020-2024)
Land area: 7 mi²
Density: 1,040.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 1919405

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety94#873/15,637
Economy49#7,976/15,631
Housing79#3,115/14,977
Health87#1,981/15,609
Healthcare88#1,846/15,650
Environment94#878/15,453
Education98#322/15,649
Infrastructure67#5,107/15,650
Community99#202/15,651
Leisure & amenities89#1,671/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Decorah, Iowa ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Winneshiek County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mammography screening · high66.0%
100/100Iowa 57.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWinneshiek County value
Average commute time · low12.8 min
99/100Iowa 19.8 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Flu vaccinations · high60.0%
99/100Iowa 51.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWinneshiek County value
Drought exposure · low0%
98/100Iowa 13%United States 43%Oct 2025–Sep 2026National Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAAWinneshiek County value
Preventable hospital stays · low1,357 /100k
98/100Iowa 2,368 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWinneshiek County value
Property crime rate · low261 /100k
98/100Iowa 1,172 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationWinneshiek County value

Weaknesses

New business applications · low7.0 /1k
2/100Iowa 10.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauWinneshiek County value
Pharmacies · low0.5 /10k
4/100Iowa 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWinneshiek County value
Distance to an airport · high97 mi
11/100Iowa 44 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWinneshiek County value
Job growth · low-1.6%
17/100Iowa -0.1%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataWinneshiek County value
Average weekly wage · low$1,033
24/100Iowa $1,221United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWinneshiek County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · high48 mi
28/100Iowa 60 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWinneshiek County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedWorsening
9.1 /1k (2021) → 2.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−78%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
46.1% (2015-2019) → 37.9% (2020-2024)
−8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.5% (2015-2019) → 89.5% (2020-2024)
+7 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
3.0× (2015-2019) → 3.8× (2020-2024)
+25%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Bachelor's degree or higherWorsening
46.7% (2015-2019) → 42.2% (2020-2024)
−4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Child poverty rateImproving
6.1% (2015-2019) → 2.9% (2020-2024)
−3.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Decorah, Iowa improved on 1 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+7 points82.5% → 89.5%

Declined1

Price / income+0.8×3.0× → 3.8×

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Decorah, Iowa between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	13.3 min2015-2019	12.8 min2020-2024	−0.5 min	Within the margin of error	54%
Bachelor's degree or higher	46.7%2015-2019	42.2%2020-2024	−4.4 points	Within the margin of error	8%
Broadband subscriptions	82.5%2015-2019	89.5%2020-2024	+7 points	Improved	44%
Effective property tax rate	1.48%2015-2019	1.28%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	58%
High school diploma or higher	96.7%2015-2019	96.2%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.8×	Declined	33%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4242015-2019	0.4512020-2024	+0.028	Within the margin of error	28%
Median household income	$62,3362015-2019	$64,3662020-2024	+3.3%	Within the margin of error	10%
Poverty rate	9.2%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	54%
Rent as share of income	28.6%2015-2019	26.5%2020-2024	−2.1 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent-burdened households	46.1%2015-2019	37.9%2020-2024	−8.2 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Unemployment rate	2.6%2015-2019	4.0%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	2.2%2015-2019	4.5%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Within the margin of error	23%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Decorah, Iowa five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Decorah, Iowa in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Decorah, Iowa itself moved −3.2 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

7,535 residents (±37)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

3,038 households (±169)

Decorah, Iowa
Iowa share

Under $25k16%476
$25k–50k23%692
$50k–75k19%578

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

3,038 households (±169)

Decorah, Iowa
Iowa share

Own62%1,869
Rent38%1,169

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−9.2 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

4,001 workers (±322)

Decorah, Iowa
Iowa share

Drive alone59%2,376
Carpool5.1%†204
Public transit0.3%†12

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Winneshiek County, the county holding most of Decorah's residents.

Winneshiek County has 604 employer establishments, 307 for every 10,000 residents (1.23× the US rate of 248; 1.18× Iowa's), with 9,065 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,157. The Census Bureau also counts 1,847 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 604; 1,847 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 307; US 248 · Iowa 259
Paid employees: 9,065
Average annual pay: $46,157; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Winneshiek County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	44	22.3	1.44×More than typical	284	$76,342	137
Restaurants and other eating places	32	16.2	0.88×About typical	502	$17,767	3
Ambulatory health care services	29	14.7	0.71×Fewer than typical	329	$89,875	48
Religious organizations	27	13.7	2.47×More than typical	90	$16,389	—
Truck transportation	20	10.2	2.01×More than typical	129	$87,566	74
Construction of buildings	19	9.6	1.28×More than typical	50	$56,880	71
Automotive repair and maintenance	18	9.1	1.81×More than typical	52	$43,019	33
Building equipment contractors	17	8.6	1.43×More than typical	177	$69,424	24
Full-service restaurants	15	7.6	0.99×About typical	249	$19,462	—
Banks and credit unions	14	7.1	2.20×More than typical	188	$75,894	—
Individual and family services	14	7.1	2.54×More than typical	136	$42,309	16
Insurance agencies and brokerages	13	6.6	1.50×More than typical	60	$46,683	35

Rank places for an industry Open Winneshiek County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 19,703 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $2,106 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Decorah, Iowa: $0.28 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2,106; −93% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.28; US $1,994
Sole-source: 57%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$1,15355%
Social Security Administration$95345%

Top recipients

ROCKWELL COLLINS, INC.$1,20757%
FRANCONIA REAL ESTATE SERVICES, INC.$95345%
SKYLINE MATERIALS, LTD.$00.0%
ASAP SAFETY, L.L.C.-$53.960.0%

Spending by fiscal year

946.5FY2017
519.6FY2018
19.4KFY2019
10KFY2020
7.1KFY2021
4.3KFY2022
7.6KFY2023
28.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$1,20757%
Offices of real estate agents and brokers · 5312$95345%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Decorah, Iowa, so they do not add up across cities.

Decorah, Iowa's figures are part of those of Winneshiek County, IA ($89.8K in FY2026), never added to them: 2.3% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Decorah is mostly in Winneshiek County.

See federal money in Winneshiek County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Decorah, Iowa is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Ashley HinsonR-IA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.5%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Winneshiek County100100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Winneshiek County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1919405

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends