2025 Compare Cities Economy:
Highlands, NC vs Decorah, IA

Change Cities
Highlights
- Household income in Decorah, is 7% more than it is in Highlands and is 24% below the National Average.
- Highlands unemployment rate is 4.2%.
- Decorah unemployment rate is 5.3%.
 Highlands, NCDecorah, IAUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock5.3%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock-1.6%1.6%
 Future Job Growth30.4%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.8%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock7.4%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$44,842  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$55,480$69,021
 Family Median Income$85,341  Unlock$85,028
 space
 Est. Households By Income
 Highlands, NCDecorah, IAUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock8.6%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K6.4%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock9.2%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.0%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock11.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K8.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.6%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K10.3%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock14.1%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K6.0%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock3.2%9.5%
 space1
 Population By Occupation
 Highlands, NCDecorah, IAUnited States
 Management, business, finance23.6%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock2.6%6.5%
 Community, social services0.9%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.4%1.2%
 Education, library1.5%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.6%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology6.6%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock3.2%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock8.3%5.4%
 Building maintenance9.9%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock4.3%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support22.5%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.3%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair2.2%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock9.2%13.1%
Reviews for Highlands    4 Reviews

Love BestPlaces, but most of their statistics are incorrect for the actual town of Highlands which is extremely expensive. I assume they are using information from Macon  More

   |    Reply

Over 4 years ago

This used to be a quaint, quiet, sweet little town, but it has ballooned into a rich man's Mecca. Fist of all, it's a tiny town... so parking is at a premium and it gets  More

   |    Reply

Over 14 years ago

I have run two businesses in Highlands. It is a very seasonal business trend. The rents are high and so is the cost of doing business, including labor cost, cost of  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Highlands

Reviews for Decorah    3 Reviews

ridiculously expensive housing for such a small town. The wages in the town do not even remotely compensate for the high cost of housing. Average housing prices start  More

   |    Reply

Over 15 years ago

I have been a resident of Decorah, IA for 26 years. Decorah is located in the northeast corner of Iowa. When we entertain out of town guests they always comment how  More

   |    Reply

Over 15 years ago

This college has the most extensive music program of any liberal arts college around, has a strong connection to public radio, and Decorah is reputed to be a lovely  More

   |    Reply

Start Your Review of Decorah


Premium Subscription
Includes Cost of Living compares for child care, utilities, transportation, health, taxes, housing for home owners vs renters, weather, insurance premiums and so much more.


The premier source for comprehensive city data for over 30 years.

© Best Places. All rights reserved.