Ottumwa, IA

Census Place

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2024 Population

25,430

US Senator

Chuck Grassley

Republican Party

US Senator

Joni Ernst

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.7

1.87% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

17.2%

9.02% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$61,103

7.21% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$106,300

15% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

11,928

0.831% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Ottumwa, IA reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

91.5% of the residents in Ottumwa, IA are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Ottumwa, IA are Indian Hills Community College (738 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Ottumwa, IA was $106,300, and the homeownership rate was 61.7%.

Most people in Ottumwa, IA drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Ottumwa, IA was 2 cars per household.

United States Iowa Wapello County, IA Ottumwa, IA Wapello, Mahaska, Washington, Jefferson, Keokuk, Davis & Van Buren Counties PUMA, IA

Population & Diversity

Ottumwa, IA is home to a population of 25.4k people, from which 91.5% are citizens. As of 2024, 13.1% of Ottumwa, IA residents were born outside of the country (3.33k people).

In 2024, there were 12.4 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (17.5k people) in Ottumwa, IA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.42k Other (Hispanic) and 1.14k White (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91.5%

2024 Citizenship

92.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 91.5% of Ottumwa, IA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Ottumwa, IA was 92.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Ottumwa, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Ottumwa, IA

White (Non-Hispanic)
17.5k ± 236
Other (Hispanic)
1.42k ± 359
White (Hispanic)
1.14k ± 360

17.1%

Hispanic Population

4.36k people

17.1% of the people in Ottumwa, IA are hispanic (4.36k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Ottumwa, IA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Iowa.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
42,808 ± 5,046 people
India
12,283 ± 2,716 people
China
7,889 ± 2,178 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Iowa was Mexico, the natal country of 42,808 Iowa residents, followed by India with 12,283 and China with 7,889.

Foreign-Born Population

13.1%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

3.33k people

11.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

2.96k people

As of 2024, 13.1% of Ottumwa, IA residents (3.33k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Ottumwa, IA was 11.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Ottumwa, IA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
348 ± 107
Gulf War (2001-)
249 ± 115
Gulf War (1990s)
82 ± 81

Ottumwa, IA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.4 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Ottumwa, IA.

Economy

The economy of Ottumwa, IA employs 11.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Ottumwa, IA were Manufacturing (3,349 people), Retail Trade (1,756 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,611 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($96,400), Public Administration ($70,435), and Educational Services ($58,169).

Employment

Occupations

11.9k

2024 Value

± 801

−0.831%

1 Year decline

± 9.62%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ottumwa, IA declined at a rate of −0.831%, from 12k employees to 11.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Ottumwa, IA, are Production Occupations (2,183 people), Management Occupations (1,129 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (1,073 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Ottumwa, IA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Iowa (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

11.9k

2024 Value

± 801

−0.831%

1 Year decline

± 9.62%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Ottumwa, IA declined at a rate of −0.831%, from 12k employees to 11.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Ottumwa, IA, are Manufacturing (3,349 people), Retail Trade (1,756 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (1,611 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Ottumwa, IA, though some of these residents may live in Ottumwa, IA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,175

Median earning men ± $2,351

$38,451

Median earning women ± $3,366

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($85,114), Information ($60,729), and Manufacturing ($56,763).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($72,228), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($57,713), and Construction ($51,923).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Y-Axis

1.48%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.57M people employed in Iowa. This represents a 1.48% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Iowa.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing the state of Iowa. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Iowa is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Ottumwa, IA. Showing the available data for Iowa.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (55.7%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (42.5%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.789%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Iowa went to Donald J. Trump with 55.7% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (42.5%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.789%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Iowa for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Iowa

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Iowa.

Chuck Grassley

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 1981

Joni Ernst

Senator from Iowa

Assumed office on January 3, 2015

Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are the senators currently representing Iowa.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Iowa over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Education

In 2023, universities in Ottumwa, IA awarded 738 degrees. The student population of Ottumwa, IA in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,571 male students and 1,665 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Ottumwa, IA are White (552 and 78%), Hispanic or Latino (65 and 9.18%), Black or African American (50 and 7.06%), and Two or More Races (29 and 4.1%).

The largest universities in Ottumwa, IA by number of degrees awarded are Indian Hills Community College (738 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Ottumwa, IA are Liberal Arts & Sciences (205 and 27.8%), Welding Technology (89 and 12.1%), and Registered Nursing (34 and 4.61%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 3,236 students enrolled in Ottumwa, IA, 48.5% men and 51.5% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 2,447 records, of which 54% were women and 46% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
205 degrees awarded
Radiographer
26 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
25 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Ottumwa, IA was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 205 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Ottumwa, IA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Indian Hills Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

738 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Indian Hills Community College with 738 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 346 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Ottumwa, IA, which is 0.883 times less than the 392 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 552 degrees mean that there were 8.49 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Hispanic or Latino, with 65 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($4,872) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,512) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Ottumwa, IA was $106,300 in 2024, which is 0.32 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $92,400 to $106,300, a 15% increase. The homeownership rate in Ottumwa, IA is 61.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Ottumwa, IA have an average commute time of 17.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Ottumwa, IA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$106,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,909

$6,161

Median Property Taxes

±$527

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Ottumwa, IA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Ottumwa, IA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

61.7%

Homeownership

2024

58.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 61.7% of the housing units in Ottumwa, IA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 61.2%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Ottumwa, IA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$61,103

Median Household Income

± $4,338

9.98k

Number of Households

± 749

In 2024, the median household income of the 9.98k households in Ottumwa, IA grew to $61,103 from the previous year's value of $56,994.

The following chart displays the households in Ottumwa, IA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Ottumwa, IA is from Iowa.

0.441

2023 Wage GINI in Iowa

0.442

2022 Wage GINI in Iowa

In 2023, the income inequality in Iowa was 0.441 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.304% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Iowa was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Iowa in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Iowa across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (77.1%)
Carpooled (14.1%)
Worked At Home (4.33%)

In 2024, 77.1% of workers in Ottumwa, IA drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.1%) and those who worked at home (4.33%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

17.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Ottumwa, IA have a shorter commute time (17.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.29% of the workforce in Ottumwa, IA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Ottumwa, IA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Ottumwa, IA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Ottumwa, IA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

17.2% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Ottumwa, IA (4.24k out of 24.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Males 6 - 11, followed by Males 25 - 34 and then Males 35 - 44.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Ottumwa, IA is White, followed by Two Or More and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

92.9% of the population of Ottumwa, IA has health coverage, with 45.1% on employee plans, 22.3% on Medicaid, 12.8% on Medicare, 11.5% on non-group plans, and 1.04% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Iowa see 1,385 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,385 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1411 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 466 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.7% were men and 49.3% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.7% under 18 years, 21.9% between 18 and 34 years, 35.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.6% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.7% were men and 49.3% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

7.15%

Uninsured

45.1%

Employer Coverage

22.3%

Medicaid

12.8%

Medicare

11.5%

Non-Group

1.04%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Ottumwa, IA grew by 2.96% from 6.94% to 7.15%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Ottumwa, IA changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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