• county
  • FIPS 19053
  • Largest town: Lamoni

Decatur County, Iowa

Decatur County had 7,656 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 531.9 square miles of land. It ranks 86th of 99 in Iowa by population and 65th by land area.

Population
7,656
#86 of 99 in Iowa · #2,600 in US
Area
531.9 sq mi
#65 of 99 in Iowa · #1,968 in US
Density
14 / sq mi
#90 of 99 in Iowa · #2,417 in US
Median household income
$54,409
#99 of 99 in Iowa · #2,385 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Decatur County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Decatur County

Decatur County population, land area and income

Decatur County had 7,656 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 531.9 square miles of land. It ranks 86th of 99 in Iowa by population and 65th by land area. That works out to 14.4 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and in the bottom quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents; Decatur County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $54,409 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

7,656

3144th1st

2600th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

532 sq mi

3144th1st

1968th of 3,144 (US)

Density

14.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

2417th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$54,409

3143rd1st

2385th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

7,656

99th1st

86th of 99 (IA)

Land area

532 sq mi

99th1st

65th of 99 (IA)

Density

14.4 / sq mi

99th1st

90th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$54,409

99th1st

99th of 99 (IA)

How Decatur County's population changed since 2020

Decatur County lost 77 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.0%. That ranks 58th of 99 in Iowa for growth. The median Iowa county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Decatur County recorded 331 births and 440 deaths, a natural change of -109. Net international migration added +63 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -58. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 109 people.

7,73320207,79720217,82220227,78120237,6562024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
331
Deaths
440
Net international migration
+63
Net domestic migration
-58
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-125

Where Decatur County is

The Census internal point of Decatur County is at 40.736400, -93.784600. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Iowa's 99 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Decatur County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Monroe County: -2.9%Worth County: -1.7%Buena Vista County: +0.0%Jasper County: +0.8%Van Buren County: -0.0%Hardin County: -2.2%Ida County: -3.1%Marshall County: +0.8%Fayette County: -1.5%Ringgold County: -0.8%Wapello County: +1.0%Webster County: -0.2%Adams County: -2.8%Buchanan County: +0.6%Cerro Gordo County: -1.2%Lucas County: +1.6%Emmet County: -1.9%Floyd County: -3.8%Crawford County: -0.7%Linn County: +0.6%Montgomery County: -2.6%Polk County: +4.7%Cherokee County: +0.0%Bremer County: +1.3%Grundy County: +0.5%Adair County: -0.8%Cedar County: -1.4%Story County: +3.9%Mahaska County: -0.6%Davis County: +0.9%Clay County: +0.8%Johnson County: +4.6%Greene County: -1.0%Palo Alto County: -2.0%Benton County: +1.0%Cass County: -0.7%Wright County: -1.5%Audubon County: -2.1%Henry County: -5.3%Boone County: +0.1%Appanoose County: -1.4%Washington County: +0.4%Chickasaw County: -2.2%Poweshiek County: -0.9%Osceola County: -2.6%Wayne County: +1.8%Mitchell County: +0.4%Jefferson County: +0.5%Union County: -1.4%Butler County: -1.2%Hancock County: -1.3%Marion County: +1.9%Delaware County: +0.9%Humboldt County: +0.2%Sioux County: +1.8%Des Moines County: -1.1%O'Brien County: +0.8%Clayton County: -0.6%Black Hawk County: +1.0%Winnebago County: -2.6%Harrison County: +0.4%Decatur County: -1.0%Pocahontas County: -0.9%Lyon County: +3.8%Iowa County: -1.4%Franklin County: +0.3%Dickinson County: +2.2%Madison County: +3.2%Allamakee County: +0.8%Jones County: +2.2%Carroll County: -1.6%Kossuth County: -2.6%Hamilton County: -1.0%Howard County: -1.4%Page County: -1.1%Guthrie County: +1.5%Tama County: -1.8%Monona County: -3.6%Clarke County: -2.1%Lee County: -3.4%Mills County: +2.1%Sac County: -2.7%Scott County: +0.6%Keokuk County: -1.6%Jackson County: -0.3%Warren County: +7.1%Calhoun County: -1.9%Shelby County: +0.8%Fremont County: -1.1%Dubuque County: -0.1%Louisa County: -1.8%Taylor County: -0.6%Woodbury County: +1.2%Clinton County: -0.9%Winneshiek County: -1.6%Pottawattamie County: -0.1%Plymouth County: +0.5%Muscatine County: -2.4%Dallas County: +14.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.0%
  4. < +0.9%
  5. ≥ +0.9%
no data

Orange pin: Decatur County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
40.736400, -93.784600
DMS
40°44'11.04"N 93°47'4.56"W
UTM
15N 433751.4E 4509791.7N
Geohash
9zjr9zu4s
Plus code
86G8P6P8+H5

Towns in Decatur County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Decatur County, 3,851 people together, or 50% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Decatur County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Lamoni with 2,072.

  1. 01Lamoni2,072
  2. 02Leon1,779
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Decatur County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Decatur County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Union County, IA, with 11,955 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 59.8 miles N of Decatur County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Des Moines, IA (population 213,096), 58.5 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Indianola, IA (population 16,297), 44.8 miles away.

Decatur County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Decatur County is 19053: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 053. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $54,409.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Decatur County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 7,656. That is down 77 people (1.0%) from the July 2020 estimate of 7,733.

What is the FIPS code of Decatur County?

19053. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (053) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Decatur County?

Lamoni, with 2,072 residents inside Decatur County in 2024.

Which counties border Decatur County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Union County, IA; Clarke County, IA; Lucas County, IA; Harrison County, MO; Wayne County, IA; Ringgold County, IA; Mercer County, MO.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.