Decatur County, Iowa

Decatur County, Iowa
Location in the state of Iowa
Iowa's location in the U.S.
Founded	1846
Seat	Leon
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	533.32 sq mi (1,381 km²) 531.80 sq mi (1,377 km²) 1.52 sq mi (4 km²), 0.29%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	8,457 16/sq mi (6/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Footnotes: Population [1]

Decatur County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 8,457 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,689 in the 2000 census.^[1][2] The county seat is Leon.^[3] This county is named for Stephen Decatur, Jr., a hero in the War of 1812.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 533.32 square miles (1,381.3 km²), of which 531.80 square miles (1,377.4 km²) (or 99.71%) is land and 1.52 square miles (3.9 km²) (or 0.29%) is water.^[4]

Major highways

• Interstate 35
• U.S. Highway 69
• Iowa Highway 2

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	965		—
1860	8,677		799.2%
1870	12,018		38.5%
1880	15,336		27.6%
1890	15,643		2.0%
1900	18,115		15.8%
1910	16,347		−9.8%
1920	16,566		1.3%
1930	14,903		−10.0%
1940	14,012		−6.0%
1950	12,601		−10.1%
1960	10,539		−16.4%
1970	9,737		−7.6%
1980	9,794		0.6%
1990	8,338		−14.9%
2000	8,689		4.2%
2010	8,457		−2.7%
Iowa Data Center [2]

2010 census

The 2010 census recorded a population of 8,457 in the county, with a population density of 15.897/sq mi (6.138/km²). There were 3,834 housing units, of which 3,223 were occupied.^[1]

2000 census

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Decatur County.

As of the census ^[5] of 2000, there were 8,689 people, 3,337 households, and 2,149 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 3,833 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). 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 out 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.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.00% 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 income for a household in the county was $27,343, and the median income for a family was $34,831. Males had a median income of $25,569 versus $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.

Localities

Cities

Davis City Decatur City Garden Grove Grand River

Lamoni Leon Le Roy

Pleasanton Van Wert Weldon

Townships

Decatur County is divided into these townships:

Bloomington Burrell Center Decatur Eden Fayette

Franklin Garden Grove Grand River Hamilton High Point

Long Creek Morgan New Buda Richland Woodland

See also

• Decatur County Courthouse (Iowa)
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Decatur County, Iowa

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Population & Housing Occupancy Status 2010". United States Census Bureau American FactFinder. http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST05&prodType=table. Retrieved May 8, 2011. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Data from the 2010 Census". State Data Center of Iowa. http://www.iowadatacenter.org/archive/2011/02/feb10. Retrieved May 8, 2011. 
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
4. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
5. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

Iowa portal

• Article Discussing Poverty and Politics in Decatur County

Coordinates: 40°44′29″N 93°46′51″W / 40.74139°N 93.78083°W / 40.74139; -93.78083