ZIP Code 52501 — Ottumwa city, IA Demographics & Data

ZIP code 52501 covers Ottumwa, IA in Wapello County with a population of about 30,341.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 39.4 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 641; U.S. House district IA-3; the OTTUMWA - KIRKSVILLE media market.

Ottumwa, IA sits in a university / college context (near indian hills community college (2.0 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 52501 is about $59,091 — about 21% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 17.6%; unemployment rate near 3.8%; 20.1% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 13.6 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Manufacturing, Retail trade, and Healthcare; about 4.1% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 11.1 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $109,600 — about 69% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $714 (about 39% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 65.5% (roughly in line with the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 52501 in Ottumwa, IA, a household would need roughly $30,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $704. That sits below the local median household income ($59,091), suggesting the typical household income is closer to a workable buy-in level under these assumptions. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Ottumwa city, IA as Relatively Low (composite score 65.3), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (69.3) and wildfire (61.6). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Ottumwa city, IA show little to no average snow and around 37.0 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,740 for ZIP 52501 (Ottumwa city, IA) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.