Ottumwa is a medium-sized city located in the state of Iowa. With a population of 25,648 people and eight associated neighborhoods, Ottumwa is the 18th largest community in Iowa.

Residents of the city have the good fortune of having one of the shortest daily commutes compared to the rest of the country. On average, they spend only 18.50 minutes getting to work every day.

The education level of Ottumwa citizens, measured as those with bachelor's degrees or advanced degrees, is similar to the national average for all American cities and towns. 20.78% of adults 25 and older in Ottumwa have a college degree.

The per capita income in Ottumwa in 2022 was $30,586, which is low income relative to Iowa, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $122,344 for a family of four. However, Ottumwa contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Ottumwa is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Ottumwa home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Ottumwa residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Ottumwa also has a sizeable Hispanic population (people of Hispanic origin can be of any race). People of Hispanic or Latino origin account for 17.13% of the city’s residents. Important ancestries of people in Ottumwa include German, English, Irish, Dutch, and Swedish.

The most common language spoken in Ottumwa is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and African languages.