Postal Codes

52501 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 52501 covers Ottumwa, Iowa, with a population of about 30,341 and a median household income of $59,091.

Population
30,341135 per square mile
Median age
39.40.7 points above the US average
Median household income
$59,09119% below the Iowa median
Poverty rate
17.6%5.2 points above the US average
Typical home value
$126,439up 27% in five years
Median rent
$955about the Iowa median
Degree or higher
20.1%14.9 points below the US average
Homeownership
65.5%0.5 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
619

Where 52501 is

Ottumwa, Iowa — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population30,341
Median age39.4
Family households64.2%
Born outside the US10.6%
Speaks a language other than English at home16.3%
White (non-Hispanic)74.3%
Black (non-Hispanic)3.6%
Asian (non-Hispanic)1.5%
Hispanic or Latino14.5%
Veterans6.4%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$59,091
Income per person$32,446
Poverty rate17.6%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance17.4%

Household income distribution

Under $10k6.2%
$10–15k5.0%
$15–20k3.9%
$20–25k5.0%
$25–30k4.3%
$30–35k4.1%
$35–40k2.7%
$40–45k4.3%
$45–50k5.0%
$50–60k10.5%
$60–75k10.9%
$75–100k13.0%
$100–125k7.7%
$125–150k6.3%
$150–200k7.2%
$200k or more3.9%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed12,980
Mean adjusted gross income$61,245
Returns declaring $200,000 or more2.5%
Returns, under $25k29.1%
Returns, $25k–$50k26.0%
Returns, $50k–$75k20.2%
Returns, $75k–$100k9.8%
Returns, $100k–$200k12.4%
Returns, $200k or more2.5%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$109,600
Median gross rent$955
Rent as a share of household income28.5%
Owner-occupied65.5%
Vacant homes11%
Median year built1957

What the homes are

Detached house76.9%
Attached house2.1%
2 to 4 units5.2%
5 to 19 units7.7%
20 or more units4.5%
Mobile home3.7%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$126,439as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 1.7%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 27%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 39.9%
Typical home value since 2000
200920172026$128,386$72,290

$73,018 in 2009 to $126,439 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate3.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher20.1%
High school diploma or higher86.8%
Works from home4.1%
Drives to work alone79.3%
Takes public transport0.4%
Commutes 45 minutes or more7.2%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity41.7% 8.3 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes13.5% 1.5 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes18.5% 5.3 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure35.7% 1.6 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health22.8% 2.5 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)10.6% 0.7 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression20.8% 1.1 pts below the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity31.3% 5.9 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis28.7% 3.6 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking18.3% 2.3 pts above the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication78.9% 4.2 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)8.6% 0.9 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma10.5% same as the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease7.6% 1.4 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year77.3% 0.6 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening82.2% 3.7 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability16.3% 1.5 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening64.9% 0.6 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD8.9% 2.3 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist59.3% 2 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability33.7% 3 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support25.1% same as the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity17.5% same as the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps16.4% 2.1 pts above the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability8.7% 2 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol37.5% 1.3 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity12.9% 0.9 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability9.6% 1.2 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport9.4% same as the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness34.2% same as the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use76% same as the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)17.7% 0.9 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability16.1% 2.1 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)15.2% 1.7 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4.6% 0.6 pts above the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat9.1% same as the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours37.4% 1 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4% 0.6 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost15.9% 2.9 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability6% same as the national average of 5.6%
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments619
People employed12,156
Annual payroll$594,010,000
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Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 78.2% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Low to Relatively High across the 13 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss84.5 out of 100
Community resilience58.9 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Drought96.5Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind88.9Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide88.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado86.1Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire83.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail81Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave72.8Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding70.6Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather64.7Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning64Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave60.1Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm53Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane25.1Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake25Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Iowa and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPIowaUnited States
Median household income$59,091$73,147$78,538
Income per person$32,446$39,728$43,289
Poverty rate17.6%11%12.4%
Median home value$109,600$195,900$303,400
Median gross rent$955$949$1,348
Homeownership65.5%71.5%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher20.1%30.9%35%
Unemployment rate3.8%3.6%5.2%
Works from home4.1%10.4%13.5%
Born outside the US10.6%5.7%13.9%
Median age39.438.638.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationOTTUMWA INDUSTRIAL AP, IA US9.1 km away
Rain in a year37 in
Snow in a year24 in

Average high and low by month

January32°F / 13.8°F1.01 in rain, 7.1 in snow
February36.8°F / 18°F1.41 in rain, 5.8 in snow
March50.2°F / 28.9°F2.24 in rain, 3 in snow
April62.8°F / 39.4°F3.75 in rain, 1.4 in snow
May72.9°F / 51°F5.03 in rain
June82.2°F / 61°F5.38 in rain
July85.7°F / 64.5°F3.87 in rain
August84°F / 62°F4.44 in rain
September77.3°F / 53.3°F3.5 in rain
October64.2°F / 41.6°F2.81 in rain, 0.5 in snow
November49.7°F / 29.5°F2.09 in rain, 1.6 in snow
December37.2°F / 19.7°F1.44 in rain, 4.2 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarket2% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket10% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket9% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 4 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Ottumwa Community School District50.5% of this ZIP code's land area
Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont Community School District28.9% of this ZIP code's land area
Cardinal Community School District13% of this ZIP code's land area
Pekin Community School District7.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability42more vulnerable than 42% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status37more vulnerable than 37% of US census tracts
Household characteristics52more vulnerable than 52% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status7more vulnerable than 7% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport59more vulnerable than 59% of US census tracts
Walkability4.4 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

52530 Agency, IA8.8 km away
52548 Chillicothe, IA11.8 km away
52566 Kirkville, IA14.7 km away
52563 Hedrick, IA18.8 km away
52554 Eldon, IA19.3 km away
52536 Blakesburg, IA19.5 km away
52561 Fremont, IA20.2 km away
52560 Floris, IA20.4 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Wapello County99.3% of this ZIP code's land area
Keokuk County0.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Mahaska County0.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area225.34 sq mi
Water area2.64 sq mi
Population density135 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude41.0309, -92.4098

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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