Decorah is a somewhat small city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 7,578 people and two associated neighborhoods, Decorah is the 53rd largest community in Iowa. Decorah has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Decorah real estate is some of the most expensive in Iowa, although Decorah house values don't compare to the most expensive real estate in the U.S.

A relatively large number of people in Decorah telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 9.72% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Decorah is a place where college students are a big part of the character and culture of the town. Small towns have often struggled with declining populations over the past few decades, but the presence of such a large college student population has helped Decorah to fight this trend. Not only does the college population add spending and jobs to local economy, but it also contributes a very tangible, youthful energy to the town.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 13.03 minutes getting to work every day.

The citizens of Decorah are among the most well-educated in the nation: 46.06% of adults in Decorah have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree, whereas the average US city has 21.84% holding at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Decorah in 2022 was $34,046, which is lower middle income relative to Iowa, and middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $136,184 for a family of four. However, Decorah contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

The people who call Decorah home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Decorah residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Decorah include German, Norwegian, Irish, English, and Czech.

The most common language spoken in Decorah is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and German/Yiddish.