Ottumwa, IA, Iowa: Recent convert metro. In 2024, voted R+31%. Democratic peak: D+43 in 1964.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- R+31MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- Recent convertAkashic typology
- Population
- 35,3622024 5-year
- Median household income
- $64,7662024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 79.1%2024 5-year
- Black
- 3.0%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 13.4%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+43 in 1964MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+40 in 1920MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for Ottumwa, IA, IAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | 4,896 | 9,479 | 14,583 | ||
| R | 5,821 | 9,516 | 15,633 | ||
| R | 5,594 | 8,715 | 15,277 | ||
| D | 8,663 | 6,789 | 15,770 | ||
| D | 8,820 | 6,663 | 15,931 | ||
| D | 9,125 | 7,403 | 16,707 | ||
| D | 8,355 | 6,313 | 15,139 | ||
| D | 8,437 | 4,828 | 14,770 | ||
| D | 8,670 | 4,852 | 16,083 | ||
| D | 10,177 | 5,350 | 15,673 | ||
| D | 10,545 | 7,098 | 17,800 | ||
| D | 8,923 | 7,475 | 17,668 | ||
| D | 10,249 | 6,786 | 17,268 | ||
| R | 8,348 | 9,301 | 18,171 | ||
| D | 9,375 | 7,825 | 18,647 | ||
| D | 13,971 | 5,524 | 19,546 | ||
| D | 11,116 | 11,036 | 22,167 | ||
| D | 10,960 | 10,401 | 21,381 | ||
| R | 10,449 | 11,571 | 22,150 | ||
| D | 10,841 | 7,875 | 18,976 | ||
| D | 10,732 | 8,244 | 19,089 | ||
| D | 11,880 | 9,039 | 21,006 | ||
| D | 10,578 | 7,647 | 18,512 | ||
| D | 9,504 | 7,256 | 17,076 | ||
| R | 5,793 | 11,586 | 17,528 | ||
| R | 3,039 | 9,870 | 17,329 | ||
| R | 4,131 | 9,884 | 14,537 | ||
| R | 3,994 | 4,398 | 9,229 | ||
| D | 3,102 | 2,755 | 8,470 | ||
| R | 3,724 | 4,541 | 8,959 | ||
| R | 2,473 | 4,912 | 8,105 | ||
| R | 3,902 | 4,742 | 8,912 | ||
| R | 4,041 | 4,319 | 8,510 | ||
| R | 3,380 | 3,643 | 7,804 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
German
17.6%
English
12.5%
Irish
9.9%
American
6.4%
Italian
1.7%
French
1.5%
Scottish
1.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 39.2 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$64,766
Ottumwa, IA ranks near the middle of US counties.
Ottumwa, IA$64,766
Iowa$75,059
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
15.8%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1821.4%
Working age (18–64)14.3%
Seniors (65+)11.6%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
84.9%
speak English only
Spanish9.2%
Asian & Pacific Islander3.5%
Other Indo-European1.2%
Other languages1.2%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 70.7% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
Ottumwa anchors Wapello County along the Des Moines River, where a large Latino workforce tied to the IBP/Tyson plant has gradually reshaped a historically union-Democrat electorate that has swung sharply toward Republicans in recent presidential cycles.
The 2016 election was the turning point, when the Republican candidate carried the metro by twenty points. The 2024 margin was thirty-one points, in line with the metro's new direction.
The demographics suggest why. A population of 35,362, a 79% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $64,766 situate the metro in the broader realignment patterns of recent cycles.
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Ottumwa, IA, Iowa — The Long Memory. Akashic Intelligence — The Long Memory. https://tiers.akashic.app/cbsa/36900/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did Ottumwa, IA, Iowa vote in 2024?
In 2024, Ottumwa, IA, Iowa voted Republican by 31.4 points (R+31), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 14,583 votes cast, 4,896 went Democratic and 9,479 went Republican.
What is Ottumwa, IA, Iowa's political archetype?
Akashic classifies Ottumwa, IA, Iowa as a "Recent convert" metro based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the metro has voted Democratic 20 times, Republican 14 times, and other 0 times.
When did Ottumwa, IA, Iowa last vote Democratic?
The most recent presidential election in which Ottumwa, IA, Iowa voted Democratic was 2012.
How many people live in Ottumwa, IA, Iowa?
Ottumwa, IA, Iowa has a population of 35,362 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Ottumwa, IA, Iowa?
Median household income in Ottumwa, IA, Iowa is $64,766 — below the national median of $80,734. The Iowa state median is $75,059.
What is the political history of Ottumwa, IA, Iowa?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Ottumwa, IA, Iowa from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 20 went Democratic and 14 went Republican. The metro's archetype — "Recent convert" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.