Decorah, Iowa
2026 Edition · 10 cards · data as of Oct 30, 2026
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Population
Down 2.2% since 2020.
7,417
people, the 55th-largest of Iowa's cities and towns.
Census Population Estimates, 2025. Rank among Iowa's cities and towns computed by the Almanac. Sources: Census Population Estimates
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The workday
7 in 10 jobs here go to people who live somewhere else.
74.3%
of 6,046 jobs located in Decorah are filled by in-commuters.
Census LEHD LODES, 2023. Sources: Census LEHD LODES
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Rent
Median rent is up 67% since the 2005–2009 survey, before inflation.
$853
a month. Iowa's median is $972.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024 (latest), with earlier 5-year windows. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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The seam
Cross one tract line and median rent jumps $188.
A $188 gap between neighbors, the sharpest rent edge between adjacent tracts in Winneshiek County.
- $783 Tract 9504
- $971 Tract 9501
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024, adjacent tracts compared by the Almanac. Tract estimates carry wide margins of error. Sources: Census ACS 5-year
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Room to build
Local wages can carry more rent than the median charged today.
$963–$1,445
is the monthly rent range local workforce wages support.
- $853 median
Supportable rent computed by the Almanac from 2023 source wage data. Median rent: Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Computed by the Almanac, Census ACS 5-year
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Building
Most of the housing here is older than 2000.
- 119 homes permitted, 2022–2025
- 77% of those were in multifamily buildings
- 85% of all homes were built before 2000
Census Building Permits Survey, 2022–2025; Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census Building Permits Survey, Census ACS 5-year
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Units needed
Closing the gap would add 0.3–1.7% to the 3,433 homes here.
12–60
is the estimated number of missing housing units, from the lowest to the highest of three estimates.
Range computed by the Almanac from 2023 jobs and household data, using three demand models: 1% of jobs located here, 1% of renter households, and a rate by town size applied to renters. The low end is the lowest of the three and the high end the highest. It is an estimate, not a count. Sources: Computed by the Almanac
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Home value
A median home costs 18% more than Iowa's.
$244,500
median home value in Decorah.
- $244,500 Decorah
- $208,000 Iowa
- $332,700 U.S.
Census ACS 5-year, 2020-2024. Sources: Census ACS 5-year