Permits through August 2026Yearly permits since 1995Wapello County index 1983–2025
Wapello County (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recession
House prices are indexed by county, not by city: this is Wapello County's FHFA index, with the national index rebased to the same start.
Census Bureau notes: building permit figures cover new privately owned housing units authorised by permit-issuing places; permits do not mean the units were started or completed, and places that report less often than monthly are imputed in monthly totals. FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties.
In the 12 months to August 2026, building permits in Ottumwa, Iowa, covered 48 housing units (+20.0% year on year); the place lies in Wapello County.
19 of those units were single-family houses (40%), 9 were in two- to four-unit buildings and 20 in buildings of five or more units. That is 1.9 units per 1,000 residents, above the county's 1.5 and well below the state's 4.0.
Since 1995 the place has authorised 850 units, with the busiest year 2005 (88 units). Wapello County's FHFA house price index rose +53.7% over the ten years to 2025.
48units permitted, 12 months to August 2026+20.0% on the previous 12 months
19single-family units40% of the total
20units in 5+ unit buildings42% of the total
1.9units per 1,000 residentsWapello County 1.5 · Iowa 4.0
Permits by month and structure type
Housing units authorised in Ottumwa by month, latest 24 monthssingle-family2+ unit buildings
Units, 12 months to August 2026
Ottumwa
Wapello County
Iowa
United States
All housing units
48
54
12,933
1,418,086
Single-family (1 unit)
19 (40%)
25 (46%)
7,399 (57%)
888,241 (63%)
2 units
0
0
462
34,814
3–4 units
9
9
322
17,298
5 or more units
20 (42%)
20 (37%)
4,750 (37%)
477,733 (34%)
Units per 1,000 residents
1.9
1.5
4.0
4.1
Change on previous 12 months
+20.0%
+17.4%
−5.1%
−0.1%
Permits by year since 1995
Housing units authorised in Ottumwa by year, 1995–2025single-family2+ unit buildings
850 units since 1995; the busiest year was 2005. Annual figures include units imputed for months a place did not report.
Home prices in Wapello County
FHFA's index for Wapello County rose +53.7% over the ten years to 2025 (+4.4% a year) and −1.4% in the latest year, against +65.4% and +3.2% for Iowa. Full county page: decade table, peak-to-low declines, every ZIP code and every permit-issuing place in the county.
Questions and answers
How many homes are being built in Ottumwa, IA?
48 housing units were authorised by building permits in the 12 months to August 2026, against 40 in the previous 12 months.
What kind of housing is being permitted in Ottumwa?
19 single-family units, 0 in two-unit buildings, 9 in three- and four-unit buildings and 20 in buildings of five or more units.
How does Ottumwa compare with its county and state?
1.9 units per 1,000 residents in Ottumwa, 1.5 in Wapello County and 4.0 in Iowa.
How have home prices moved in Wapello County?
FHFA's index for Wapello County rose +53.7% over the ten years to 2025 and −1.4% in the latest year; the county page has the full series.
What does a permit count?
A housing unit authorised by a building permit for new privately owned residential construction, as reported to the Census Bureau Building Permits Survey by the permit-issuing office. Permits are not completions; some permitted units are never built, and places that report only annually are imputed in monthly figures.
Provenance
Permits: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, place-level monthly and annual files through August 2026 (permit office 552700); county and state comparisons from the county and state files. Population: Census Bureau vintage 2025 estimates for incorporated places, matched on FIPS place code where the permit office is one. House price index: Federal Housing Finance Agency. Public domain. Corrections · Building Permits Survey.