Decatur County is one of about 3,141 counties and county equivalents in the United States. It has 372.6 sq. miles in land area and a population density of 67.0 per square mile. In the last three decades of the 1900s its population grew by 8.0%. On the 2000 census form, 99.5% of the population reported only one race, with <0.1% of these reporting African-American. The population of this county is 0.5% Hispanic (of any race). The average household size is 2.58 persons compared to an average family size of 3.03 persons. In 2006 manufacturing was the largest of 20 major sectors. It had an average wage per job of $39,266. Per capita income grew by 7.7% between 1996 and 2006 (adjusted for inflation).

People & Income Overview (By Place of Residence)	Value	Rank in U.S.	Industry Overview (2006) (By Place of Work)	Value	Rank in U.S.
Population (2007)	24,959	1587	Covered Employment	12,390	1263
Growth (%) since 1990	5.6%	1855	Avg wage per job	$31,197	1122
Households (2000)	9,389	1562	Manufacturing - % all jobs in County	39.2%	74
Labor Force (persons) (2007)	12,335	1557	Avg wage per job	$39,266	1087
Unemployment Rate (2007)	4.5	1631	Transportation & Warehousing - % all jobs in County	2.5%	1369
Per Capita Personal Income (2006)	$28,503	1280	Avg wage per job	$37,244	1437
Median Household Income (2005)	$44,424	709	Health Care, Social Assist. - % all jobs in County	5.3%	1823
Poverty Rate (2005)	11.2	2252	Avg wage per job	$23,023	1678
H.S. Diploma or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	79.1	1,576	Finance and Insurance - % all jobs in County	2.0%	2087
Bachelor's Deg. or More - % of Adults 25+ (2000)	11.5	2,275	Avg wage per job	$40,053	831