Decker is a town in

Johnson Township, Knox County, Indiana Johnson Township is one of ten townships in Knox County, Indiana Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana in the United States. The oldest county in Indiana, it was one of two original counties created in the Northwest Territory ...

, United States. The population was 199 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1869 by Isaac Decker. Decker is near the White River, and is well known for the watermelon and cantaloupe produced in the surrounding rural area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, Decker has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

2010 census

At the 2010

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 249 people, 92 households and 68 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 109 housing units at an average density of . The racial make-up of the town was 97.6%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.8% Asian and 0.4% from two or more races. There were 92 households, of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.2% had a male householder with no wife present and 26.1% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age was 39.3 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18, 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24, 22.8% were from 25 to 44, 30.4% were from 45 to 64 and 12.9% were 65 years of age or older. The sex make-up of the town was 52.2% male and 47.8% female.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 283 people, 107 households and 80 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 120 housing units at an average density of . The racial mak-eup of the town was 99.65%

and 0.35% from other races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population. There were 107 households, of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were

living together, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present and 24.3% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.05. 28.6% of the population were under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64 and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of und ...

was $24,821 and the median family income was $28,750. Males had a median income of $25,000 and females $15,714. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $15,482. About 14.3% of families and 21.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 26.7% of those under the age of eighteen and 20.6% of those 65 or over.

Education

The school at Decker provided all grades until 1967, when the middle and high school grades were consolidated into South Knox High School. The school continued to provide grades K-5 until 1999, when those grades were also consolidated. The school mascot was the "Aces", which originally referred to wartime airplane pilots, and later to the aces in playing cards. The old high school building was struck by lightning, and subsequently destroyed by fire on July 9, 2024.

References

{{authority control Communities of Southwestern Indiana Towns in Knox County, Indiana Towns in Indiana