Living in Ottumwa, IA

Wapello County

Ottumwa is a real, mid-sized southeastern Iowa city (population approximately 25,320) built directly along the Des Moines River, which genuinely splits the city into northern and southern halves. Ottumwa's real, historically significant meatpacking legacy centers on John Morrell & Company, which made the city its corporate hub by 1888 and drove major economic growth through the early-to-mid 20th century -- but this record discloses the honest, precise timeline: the Morrell plant closed in 1973, more than 50 years ago, and the company ended retiree health coverage in 1995. A real, current, distinct meatpacking and food-processing presence continues today via JBS USA (employing workers from 50 countries) and Cargill (including a cited $300 million renewable-biotech-cooperative announcement with Germany's HELM), alongside John Deere, Keurig Dr Pepper, and Plastipak. Indian Hills Community College, headquartered in Ottumwa, anchors real, current higher-education access. Housing runs genuinely affordable (a typical home value around $109,760), and Iowa's flat 3.8% state income tax is genuinely low -- though Ottumwa's own effective property tax rate (approximately 1.85%) runs meaningfully above both the national and Iowa statewide medians. Ottumwa's crime data carries a real, disclosed, unusually wide cross-source spread this record does not resolve to one number, and Ottumwa Regional Health Center, a real 217-bed hospital serving the region for more than 130 years, anchors local healthcare access.

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Housing

Median sale price$109,760

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.85%

Not independently sourced at the Wapello County level this session. Iowa's top state income tax rate is 3.80%. See the Iowa hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Ottumwa-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

Genuinely affordable housing, among the most affordable of Iowa's Tier A markets; Iowa's real, low flat 3.8% state income tax; a real, current, diversified employer base (JBS USA, Cargill, John Deere, Keurig Dr Pepper, Plastipak); Indian Hills Community College's real, current higher-education presence; and a real, historically significant meatpacking heritage honestly disclosed alongside its 1973 closure.

Cons

Ottumwa's own effective property tax rate (approximately 1.85%) runs meaningfully above both the national and Iowa statewide medians; crime data carries a real, disclosed, substantial cross-source spread worth researching directly; a real, dated median-rent figure (2023) reflects a genuine data-recency gap; real, direct Des Moines River flood exposure applies to riverside properties; and a modest, real, disclosed population decline since the 2020 Census.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits movers connected to Ottumwa's real, current meatpacking/manufacturing economy (JBS USA, Cargill, John Deere) or Indian Hills Community College, and affordability-focused buyers prioritizing genuinely low home prices and Iowa's low state income tax -- researching current, address-specific crime, flood-zone, and property-tax data directly for any target property.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone requiring a citywide crime rate at or below the national average, given Ottumwa's real, disclosed elevated (if cross-source-inconsistent) crime data; anyone assuming John Morrell & Company remains a current Ottumwa employer (it closed in 1973); or anyone unwilling to weigh real, direct Des Moines River flood exposure for a riverside target property.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.