Decatur County, Iowa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Decatur County
U.S. county
Decatur County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of 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	3rd

Decatur County (/dɪˈkeɪtər/) 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.

History

Decatur County was organized in 1850 and named for Stephen Decatur, a naval hero of the War of 1812. The current courthouse was dedicated in 1908.

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

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

Transit

• Jefferson Lines
• List of intercity bus stops in Iowa

Adjacent counties

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

Demographics

Population of Decatur County from US census data

2020 census

2022 US Census population pyramid for Decatur County from ACS 5-year estimates

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. 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.

County officials

Supervisors
Steve Fulkerson
Samuel Wengryn
Ward Graham

Treasurer
Janet Pierson

Attorney
Alan Wilson

Auditor
Charlene Hoover

Recorder
Erica Cook

Sheriff
Chris Lane

Assessor
Justin Cornett

Engineer
Vacant

Clerk of Court
Traci Tharp

Public Health Administrator
Shelley Bickel

Veterans Affairs Administrator
Samantha Schaff

Conservation Director
Kayla Clausen

Mental Health Director
Kathy Lerma

Communities

Ancient Map of Decatur County, Iowa (1894)

Cities

Townships

Decatur County is divided into these townships:

Population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2020 census of Decatur County.

† county seat

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Decatur (Iowa) para niños