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Decatur County, Iowa facts for kids

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Decatur County
Decatur County Courthouse
Map of Iowa highlighting Decatur County
Location within the U.S. state of Iowa
Map of the United States highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Iowa
Founded 1846
Named for Stephen Decatur Jr.
Seat Leon
Largest city Lamoni
Area
 • Total 533 sq mi (1,380 km2)
 • Land 532 sq mi (1,380 km2)
 • Water 1.6 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 7,645
 • Density 14.343/sq mi (5.538/km2)
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 2nd

Decatur County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,645. The county seat is Leon. This county is named for Stephen Decatur Jr., a hero in the War of 1812.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 533 square miles (1,380 km2), of which 532 square miles (1,380 km2) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km2) (0.3%) is water.

Major highways

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
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%
2020 7,645 −9.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018
DecaturCountyIowaPop2020
Population of Decatur County from US census data

2020 census

The 2020 census recorded a population of 7,645 in the county, with a population density of 14.3482/sq mi (5.5399/km2). 96.44% of the population reported being of one race. 89.86% were non-Hispanic White, 1.41% were Black, 2.76% were Hispanic, 0.26% were Native American, 0.51% were Asian, 0.31% were Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and 4.88% were some other race or more than one race. There were 3,653 housing units of which 2,986 were occupied.

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.

Country Officials

Supervisors
J.R. Cornett
Gary Boswell
Jimmy Fulton

Treasurer
Beth Andrew

Attorney
Lisa Hynden-Jeanes

Auditor
Stephanie Daughton

Recorder
Gale Norman

Sheriff

Ben Boswell

Assesor
Justin Cornett

Engineer
Dan Doerfler, PE

Clerk of Court
Traci Tharp

Public Health Administrator
Shelley Bickel

Veterans Affairs Administrator
Samantha Schaff

Conservation Director
Rich Erke

Mental Health Director
Kathy Lerma

Communities

Ancient Map of Decatur County, Iowa
Ancient Map of Decatur County, Iowa (1894)

Cities

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

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Decatur County.

county seat

Rank City/Town/etc. Municipal type Population (2010 Census)
1 Lamoni City 2,324
2 Leon City 1,977
3 Grand River City 236
4 Van Wert City 230
5 Garden Grove City 211
6 Davis City City 204
7 Decatur City City 197
8 Weldon (partially in Clarke County) City 125
9 Pleasanton City 49
10 Le Roy City 15

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Decatur (Iowa) para niños

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