Ottumwa, IA — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Iowa·Ottumwa

Wapello County · Ottumwa · population 25,648

Affordability
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
61
Stable
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Ottumwa stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $122,649
1-year +1.1%
5-yr CAGR +5.6%
vs 5-yr peak -1.8%
Population +0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-08$123k$69k$89k$110k$130k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
70/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
56 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
68 · w22%
Distance from peak
79 · w18%
Population growth
47 · w16%
Home 10-yr CAGR
47 · w10%
Long thesis

Ottumwa offers a $122,649 median home with +5.6% annualized 5-year appreciation. Affordability + positive trend is one of the better risk/reward setups in US residential — small downside, room to compound.

Short thesis

Ottumwa's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Ottumwa

Ottumwa is a city in Wapello County, Iowa, with an estimated population of 25,648. The median home value in Ottumwa is $122,649 as of 2026-04, up 1.1% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +5.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. The composite momentum score is 61 of 100 (Stable). Conditions are neither hot nor cold, so the local fit matters more than market timing.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +5.6% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -1.8% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Cheap entry point: $122,649 median home is well below the US median of $355k — room to grow without overpaying.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

Playbook

Buyer

Lifestyle fit matters more than market timing in a Stable market. Take your time on the home and neighborhood; the macro trend isn't urgent. Negotiate normally.

Seller

Price competitively from day one or risk a 60+ day listing. Staging, photography, and presentation matter more in Stable markets than in Hot ones.

Investor

Stable cap rates, no big appreciation story to lean on. Underwrite this as a pure cash-flow play — the math has to work on rent alone.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Wapello County right now.

NWS active alerts (IA)Iowa Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Wapello County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Ottumwa

Waterloo, IA63 · RisingLe Mars, IA66 · RisingWebster City, IA64 · RisingCouncil Bluffs, IA65 · Rising

Run the numbers for Ottumwa

ToolCan I afford Ottumwa?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Ottumwa rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Ottumwa to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolOttumwa cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
28° / 11°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
84° / 64°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
200
~55% of year
Annual precip
36″ rain
30″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Ottumwa listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Ottumwa area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
72%
Humid climate
Median household income
$70,500
Iowa state median
Top industries (state-level)
InsuranceManufacturingAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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