Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ottumwa earns a D, better than 7% of U.S. towns, mostly because of schools and safety. Its public schools trail 94% of Iowa towns on state tests and graduation. Its crime rate is higher than 84% of U.S. towns, with 71 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 24 places on the National Register. 49% of working residents work locally in Ottumwa, above both the Iowa town median (31%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include U.S. Post Office and Jefferson Street Viaduct. On health, just 14 of Iowa’s 276 towns do worse.
Where Ottumwa beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
U.S. Post Office| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Pickwick Early Childhood Center | PK–K | 560 |
| Fahrney Elementary | 3–5 | 490 |
| Wilson Elementary School | K–5 | 335 |
Census counts: 1,632 in 1860, 25,529 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
24 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Iowa), ordered by how far Ottumwa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ottumwa, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Ottumwa.
Ottumwa has homes that are cheap against local pay, has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more and has colder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Iowa.
Its public schools are run by the Ottumwa Community School District. Three of its 14 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–7 | Grades 6–7 | 633 | D |
| Ottumwa High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 910 | C− |
| Eisenhower Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 248 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IA on state tests and graduation
At 1.9 years of the Ottumwa area’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $121K) costs less against local pay than in 95% of Iowa towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living.
The typical Ottumwa home is worth about $121,000, up 2% in a year, 49% below the Iowa typical home. 62% of Ottumwa households own their home.
| Ottumwa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 70% | 73% |
| Median rent | $921 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 862 to 634 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Ottumwa’s property crime rate is 21.9 per 1,000 residents. Ottumwa reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 84% report less. Ottumwa’s violent crime rate is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Ottumwa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
38% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Ottumwa. Ottumwa beats the Iowa average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 19% of adults smoke cigarettes in Ottumwa.
| Ottumwa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 26% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 36% |
| What stands out | Ottumwa | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 18.6% | 12% |
| More uninsured adults | 11.2% | 7.3% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.6% | 6.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 14.1°: colder than most of the country, but milder than 89% of Iowa places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.7°.
Ottumwa has cold winters and warm summers. The January low in Ottumwa is 14°F. About 24 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Ottumwa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 14°F | 12°F | 22°F |
| July high | 86°F | 84°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based in Ottumwa fell to 12,318 in 2023, 846 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Des Moines (3%), Oskaloosa (3%) and Fairfield (2%). Half commute less than 5 miles.
| Ottumwa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 4.3% | 8.5% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 19 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $61,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ottumwa.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.9 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Greater Ottumwa Park, at 264 acres.
| Ottumwa | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.9% | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Greater Ottumwa Park | 0.1 mi | 264 |
| 2. Wildwood Park | — | 59 |
| 3. Memorial Park | — | 46 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ottumwa
About 4 of every 100 Ottumwa residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
24 places in Ottumwa on the National Register of Historic Places.
30 notable people were born in Ottumwa.
City in Iowa, United States
Ottumwa ( ə-TUM-wə) is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,529 at the time of the 2020 U.S. census. Located in the state's southeastern section, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River. The original town was founded on the former camps of Meskwaki Chiefs Wapello and Appanoose. Ottumwa first developed as an industrious city economically based in farm-equipment manufacturing and meatpacking, those being John Deere and John Morrell & Co. (now JBS) respectively. The city is also home to Indian Hills Community College to provide for higher education. Ottumwa is the center of the Ottumwa Micropolitan Area …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ottumwa grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns. It grades C− for health, C− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
30 notable people were born here, including Tom Arnold and Adam Young.
