Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety73#252/924
Economy75#235/925
Housing70#275/925
Health96#38/925
Healthcare93#68/923
Environment8#843/917
Education98#17/925
Infrastructure90#93/925
Community83#154/925
Leisure & amenities81#178/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bloomington, IL metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Mammography screening · high61.0%
98/100Illinois 47.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Some college · high79.0%
98/100Illinois 71.4%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · high95.9%
98/100Illinois 90.5%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
98/100Illinois 13 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high55.0%
97/100Illinois 48.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Bachelor's degree or higher · high47.2%
96/100Illinois 37.8%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.11%
1/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Child care cost burden · high40.2%
7/100Illinois 30.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high109 mi
13/100Illinois 35 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
High ozone days · high2 days
16/100Illinois 5 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
New business applications · low9.1 /1k
22/100Illinois 14.9 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.5 µg/m³
22/100Illinois 8.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Drought exposureWorsening
6% (2021) → 50% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+44 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
1.7 /1k (2021) → 3.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+118%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
High ozone daysWorsening
1 days (2017) → 2 days (2022)
+100%5 yearsUS 9 days → 7 days
Child care cost burdenWorsening
24.2% (2020 & 2021) → 40.2% (2023 & 2024)
+16 pts3 yearsUS 24.5% → 27.9%
Mental health providersImproving
276 /100k (2021) → 417 /100k (2025)
+51%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
5.4 /100k (2021) → 2.9 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−46%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bloomington, IL metro area improved on 16 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 6 moved within the margin of error and 6 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved16

Libraries+7%0.8 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Firearm deaths−38%12.3 /100k → 7.6 /100k
Suicides−19%15.2 /100k → 12.3 /100k
Grocery stores+12%1.5 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Restaurants+7.5%9.2 /10k → 9.9 /10k

Declined3

Uninsured+0.8 points4.5% → 5.3%
Traffic deaths+19%7.6 /100k → 9.1 /100k
Price / income+0.1×2.5× → 2.6×

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Bloomington, IL metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	4.0 /10k2020	4.7 /10k2025	+16%	Improved	67%
Average commute time	17.9 min2015-2019	18.3 min2020-2024	+0.4 min	Within the margin of error	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	44.8%2015-2019	47.2%2020-2024	+2.4 points	Improved	41%
Broadband subscriptions	82.3%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Improved	32%
Child poverty rate	11.2%2015-2019	9.4%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Improved	43%
Distance to an airport	109 mi2020	109 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	9.9 /100k2020	9.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−5.1%	Improved	32%
Effective property tax rate	2.32%2015-2019	2.11%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	76%
Firearm deaths	12.3 /100k2020	7.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−38%	Improved	96%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+12%	Improved	80%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.5 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+3.7%	Little change	51%
High school diploma or higher	95.9%2015-2019	95.9%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+0.1×	Declined	86%
Homicide rate	2.8 /100k2020	2.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.6%	Little change	19%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,4082019	$70,6572024	+35%	Improved	71%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4732015-2019	0.4742020-2024	+0.002	Within the margin of error	49%
Median household income	$67,6752015-2019	$79,9052020-2024	+18%	Improved	9%
New business applications	6.8 /1k2020	9.1 /1k2025	+33%	Improved	30%
Pharmacies	1.5 /10k2020	1.5 /10k2025	+3.9%	Little change	82%
Poverty rate	14.9%2015-2019	12.9%2020-2024	−2 points	Improved	74%
Property crime rate	1,221 /100k2020	1,258 /100k2025	+3%	Little change	5%
Public libraries	0.8 /10k2019	0.9 /10k2024	+7%	Improved	88%
Public transit commuters	1.1%2015-2019	0.7%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent as share of income	26.7%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Rent-burdened households	43.1%2015-2019	45.0%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Restaurants and bars	9.2 /10k2020	9.9 /10k2025	+7.5%	Improved	73%
Suicide rate	15.2 /100k2020	12.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−19%	Improved	86%
Traffic deaths	7.6 /100k2015-2019	9.1 /100k2020-2024	+19%	Declined	29%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2020	3.9%2025	−2.5 points	Improved	36%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	4.5%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	+0.8 points	Declined	23%
Violent crime rate	296 /100k2020	260 /100k2025	−12%	Improved	44%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Bloomington, IL metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bloomington, IL metro area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bloomington, IL metro area itself moved +0.2 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

171,556 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

70,220 households (±669)

Bloomington, IL metro area
United States share

Under $25k17%11,839
$25k–50k17%11,642
$50k–75k14%9,947

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

70,220 households (±669)

Bloomington, IL metro area
United States share

Own65%45,704
Rent35%24,516

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

85,768 workers (±1,189)

Bloomington, IL metro area
United States share

Drive alone69%59,288
Carpool7.8%6,712
Public transit0.7%†609

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Bloomington, IL employ 17,400 people. 9 pay a median below the US median.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Bloomington, IL by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,430 jobs	2,430	$31,200US $31,200	0%	1.11×
Registered Nurses1,990 jobs	1,990	$79,970US $97,550	−18%	1.04×
Cashiers1,980 jobs	1,980	$31,200US $32,880	−5%	1.13×
Retail Salespersons1,910 jobs	1,910	$31,670US $35,410	−11%	0.87×
General and Operations Managers1,900 jobs	1,900	$93,250US $105,770	−12%	0.96×
Software Developers1,570 jobs	1,570	$123,320US $135,980	−9%	1.64×
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners1,570 jobs	1,570	$36,660US $36,840	0%	1.25×
Financial Managers1,400 jobs	1,400	$156,240US $166,570	−6%	2.93×
Waiters and Waitresses1,370 jobs	1,370	$31,200US $35,230	−11%	1.06×
Customer Service Representatives1,280 jobs	1,280	$39,120US $44,770	−13%	0.87×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Bloomington, IL.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Bloomington, IL has 3,481 employer establishments, 204 for every 10,000 residents (0.82× the US rate of 248), with 75,617 paid employees at an average annual pay of $72,957. The Census Bureau also counts 10,895 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,481; 10,895 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 204; US 248
Paid employees: 75,617
Average annual pay: $72,957; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Bloomington, IL by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	288	16.8	0.92×About typical	6,739	$21,040	37
Ambulatory health care services	259	15.2	0.73×Fewer than typical	3,914	$76,258	414
Specialty trade contractors	199	11.6	0.75×Fewer than typical	1,719	$68,267	574
Limited-service restaurants	143	8.4	1.04×About typical	3,438	$19,864	17
Religious organizations	126	7.4	1.33×More than typical	891	$26,246	—
Lessors of real estate	119	7	0.57×Fewer than typical	576	$41,891	1,104
Full-service restaurants	115	6.7	0.88×About typical	2,742	$23,395	11
Services to buildings and dwellings	110	6.4	0.95×About typical	1,811	$31,874	539
Offices of other health practitioners	87	5.1	0.84×About typical	651	$51,988	237
Construction of buildings	85	5	0.66×Fewer than typical	383	$64,809	256
Automotive repair and maintenance	84	4.9	0.98×About typical	822	$85,925	86
Building equipment contractors	81	4.7	0.79×Fewer than typical	962	$71,830	90

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 170,931 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2M on contracts performed in Bloomington, IL metro area: $11.49 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2M; +14% vs FY2025
Per resident: $11.49; US $1,994
Sole-source: 40%; US 30%
Single offer: 15%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Internal Revenue Service$1.6M81%
Department of the Army$217.8K11%
USTRANSCOM$142K7.2%
Defense Logistics Agency$116.6K5.9%
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service$76.6K3.9%
Federal Aviation Administration$37.8K1.9%
Rural Housing Service$13.8K0.7%
Commodity Futures Trading Commission$12K0.6%

Top recipients

QUICKSILVER MAILING SERVICES, LLC$466.4K24%
ORBITAX LLC$450K23%
SOFTEON, INC.$254.9K13%
CANON U.S.A., INC.$146.2K7.4%
JASMINE HUNTER$116.6K5.9%
VIKING BROS LLC

Spending by fiscal year

5.6MFY2017
1.4MFY2018
3.2MFY2019
3.4MFY2020
3.2MFY2021
1.8MFY2022
5.2MFY2023
941.1K

Top industries (NAICS)

Business support services · 5614$466.4K24%
Software publishers · 5132$450K23%
Computer systems design and related services · 5415$288.9K15%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$245.6K12%
Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing · 3333$243.6K12%

Largest awards

FIRST CLASS MAIL: THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE (IRS) NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION CENTER (NDC) REQUIRES A CONTRACTOR TO COLLECT OUTGOING MAIL TO PRESORT, MARK AND POST MAIL PIECES AND COMPLY WITH THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE (USPS)$466.4K
QUICKSILVER MAILING SERVICES, LLC· McLean County, IL· Professional services· Apr 24, 2026 – Jul 27, 2026· 2043FY26P00054
ORBITAX TAX MODELING SOFTWARE AND SUPPORT$450K
ORBITAX LLC· McLean County, IL· IT & telecom· Sep 28, 2026 – Sep 28, 2026· 2043FY26C00034
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH REHABILITATION SERVICES FOR OJS$364.4K
CHESTNUT HEALTH SYSTEMS INC· McLean County, IL· Professional services· May 23, 2025 – Apr 1, 2026· 140A1625F0069

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $961.1M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Bloomington, IL metro area: $5,607 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $961.1M; −0.9% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5,607; US $12,955
Loan face value: $27.9M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.6%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$580.5M60%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$56M5.8%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$55.7M5.8%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$54.1M5.6%
20.938 · Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program$52.9M5.5%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$44.6M4.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$15.5M1.6%
20.116 · Airport Improvement Program$12.1M1.3%

Top recipients (organizations)

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$69.7M7.3%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY$51.5M5.4%
NORMAL, IL
CENTRAL ILLINOIS REGIONAL AIRPORT AUTHORITY$15.1M1.6%
BLOOMINGTON, IL
CHESTNUT HEALTH SYSTEMS INC$9.2M1.0%
BLOOMINGTON, IL
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF BLOOMINGTON

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$696.7M72%
Federal Highway Administration$69.7M7.3%
Department of Transportation
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$64.1M6.7%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$59.3M6.2%
Federal Aviation Administration$15.1M

Assistance by fiscal year

874.7MFY2021
779.5MFY2022
832.7MFY2023
880MFY2024
970.2MFY2025
961.1MFY2026

County aggregates

80%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Bloomington, IL

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

McLean CountyCentral county82171,419

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

BloomingtonPrincipal city78,907

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Illinois

Areas based in Illinois, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M14010

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined3

Metro and micro areas like Bloomington, IL metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Bloomington, IL

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Illinois

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved16

Declined3

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought