Decatur County, Iowa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Decatur County, Iowa
Map
Map of Iowa highlighting Decatur County
Location in the state of Iowa
Map of the U.S. highlighting Iowa
Iowa's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded 1846
Seat Leon
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

533 sq mi (1,381 km²)
532 sq mi (1,377 km²)
2 sq mi (4 km²), 0.29%
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density

8,689
16/sq mi (6/km²)
Time zone Central: UTC-6/-5

Decatur County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 8,689 at the 2000 census. Its county seat is Leon.[1] This county is named for Stephen Decatur, Jr., a hero in the War of 1812.

Contents

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 533 square miles (1,381 km²), of which, 532 square miles (1,377 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (4 km²) of it (0.29%) is water.

[edit] Major highways

[edit] Adjacent counties

[edit] Demographics

2000 Census Age Pyramid for Decatur County.
2000 Census Age Pyramid for Decatur County.
Historical populations
Census Pop.  %±
1900 18,115
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%
IA Counties 1900-1990

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 8,689 people, 3,337 households, and 2,149 families residing in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6/km²). There were 3,833 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile (3/km²). 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.

[edit] Localities

[edit] Cities

[edit] Townships

Decatur County is divided into these townships:

[edit] References

  1. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

Coordinates: 40°44′29″N, 93°46′51″W