ISU Economics professor says Decorah is "way above" similar towns in retail sales

Iowa State University economics professor Dr. David Swanson shared a statistical analysis of the Decorah business community with members of the Downtown Decorah Betterment Association on Wednesday.

Swanson says when compared with other small Iowa towns that are regional trade center, Decorah is "way above" in performance.  Swanson told the group Decorah has been able to hold steady in population, which is "really good," and has retail trade totals that are double what is normal for a town its size.

Much of that activity is due to Decorah's role as a regional employment center, said Swanson.  Of the 5,000 jobs in Decorah, 70 percent are filled by people who live outside the Decorah city limits.  Swanson says that although these people take their paychecks home, they wind up spending some of it in Decorah.