The prefecture-level city of Dezhou administers 11 county-level divisions, including 1 district, 2 county-level cities and 8 counties.

• Decheng District (德城区)
• Leling City (乐陵市)
• Yucheng City (禹城市)
• Ling County (陵县)
• Pingyuan County (平原县)
• Xiajin County (夏津县)
• Wucheng County (武城县)
• Qihe County (齐河县)
• Linyi County (临邑县)
• Ningjin County (宁津县)
• Qingyun County (庆云县)

Dezhou lies on the main rail route from Beijing to Shanghai.

Dezhou's biggest historical attraction is the tomb of Sultan Paduka Batara of Sulu, who died in Dezhou on his return journey from a visit to the Yongle Emperor in 1417. The tomb is well preserved and has been declared a national heritage site. Descendants of the sultan's Muslim followers still live in Dezhou today, and are classfied as the Hui minority.

• Dezhou is well-known for its braised chicken and watermelon.
• The name of Dezhou is the same as the abbreviation of the Chinese name for the state of Texas, USA.

Government website of Dezhou (in Simplified Chinese)