Decorah's retail trade remains robust

At a time when many small Iowa towns are struggling, Decorah continues to have a strong performance as a regional trade center.

A Retail Trade Analysis Report issued in February shows there were $168 million in taxable retail sales in the 2014-2015 fiscal year--an increase of 1.8 percent from the year before.

Average sales per capita also increase, rising to $20,773.

Largely because of Decorah's Wal-Mart supercenter, the biggest category of retail sales is "General Merchandise," with $46 million in sales.  Service businesses, restaurants and bars and specialty retail stores are also major categories.

Winneshiek County is below the state average in only three business categories--building materials, apparel and utilities & transportation.  Overall, however, Decorah's retail trade is nearly double what an average Iowa town of its size would have.