Decatur County, Iowa
Decatur County is a
county located in the
U.S. state of
Iowa. As of
2000, the population is 8,689. Its
county seat is
Leon, Iowa6. This county is named for
Stephen Decatur, Jr., a hero in the
War of 1812.
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Map_of_Iowa_highlighting_Decatur_County.png |
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,381
km² (533
mi²). 1,377 km² (532 mi²) of it is land and 4 km² (2 mi²) of it (0.29%) is water.
Adjacent counties
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Clarke County (north)
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Wayne County (east)
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Mercer County, Missouri (southeast)
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Harrison County, Missouri (southwest)
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Ringgold County (west)
As of the
census2 of 2000, there were 8,689 people, 3,337 households, and 2,149 families residing in the county. The
population density was 6/km² (16/mi²). There were 3,833 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (7/mi²). 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.
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Article Discussing Poverty and Politics in Decatur County
