Decorah is a somewhat small city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 7,680 people and two associated neighborhoods, Decorah is the 53rd largest community in Iowa. Decorah has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Decorah real estate is some of the most expensive in Iowa, although Decorah house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 9.13% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Decorah is a small town with a large college student population. Because of this, there is a real youthful, hip vibe to the place, and much of the life in the town is centered on the college. This has helped Decorah to buck the trend of other small towns that have suffered declining populations over the past 20 to 30 years. Spending by students, and faculty and staff jobs, are a big part of the local economy.

Decorah’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the nation, making it a very safe place to live.

One of the benefits of Decorah is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 12.99 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

Decorah is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 45.02% of adults in Decorah have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher.

The per capita income in Decorah in 2022 was $31,226, which is lower middle income relative to Iowa, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $124,904 for a family of four. However, Decorah contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Decorah home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Decorah residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Decorah include German, Norwegian, Irish, English, and Czech.

The most common language spoken in Decorah is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.