A meatpacking river city where blue-collar heritage shapes the ballot
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.
| Group | Ottumwa, IA | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 86.4% | 57.4% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(11) | 8.1% | 19.3% |
▶Black / African American(7) | 1.8% | 12.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 1.7% | 4.0% |
▶Asian(4) | 1.1% | 6.0% |
▶Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander(2) | 0.6% | 0.2% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.3% | 0.9% |
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -31.4pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.6% | 53.0% | — | — | |
| 7.7% | 26.2% | — | — | |
| 3.5% | 12.0% | — | — | |
| 1.8% | 6.2% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.9% | 3.2% | — | — |
| 0.8% | 2.6% | — | — | |
Non-religiousPopulation | 70.7% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Ottumwa, IA metro area? 142,139 residents across 4 counties.
17% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 16pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+22 on average nationally.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate vs Governor | R+26.5 | R+32.6 | 6.1pp |