Scores by category

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

Safety46#502/924
Economy58#392/925
Housing75#228/925
Health71#271/925
Healthcare75#234/923
Environment5#873/917
Education83#156/925
Infrastructure68#294/925
Community76#219/925
Leisure & amenities71#269/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Cost of buying a home today · low21.7%
97/100Illinois 31.5%United States 34.1%Aug 2026Zillow Research
Home price to income ratio · low2.3×
92/100Illinois 3.2×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Primary care physicians · high95 /100k
89/100Illinois 82 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from countiesCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figure
Average weekly wage · high$1,333
87/100Illinois $1,539United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Some college · high71.2%
86/100Illinois 71.4%United States 67.8%2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
High school diploma or higher · high93.8%
85/100Illinois 90.5%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003

Weaknesses

Effective property tax rate · high2.04%
1/100Illinois 1.88%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.0 µg/m³
9/100Illinois 8.8 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Distance to an airport · high119 mi
9/100Illinois 35 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
New homes permitted · low0.6 /1k
12/100Illinois 1.5 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Distance to an emergency room · high11.2 mi
14/100Illinois 4.0 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesAggregated from counties
Job growth · low-1.9%
16/100Illinois 0.0%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 48% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+48 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
6.2 /1k (2020) → 9.6 /1k (2025)
+56%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.6% (2015-2019) → 89.4% (2020-2024)
+9.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Traffic deathsWorsening
8.7 /100k (2015-2019) → 12.6 /100k (2020-2024)
+44%5 yearsUS 11.3 /100k → 12.3 /100k
Homicide rateImproving
11.2 /100k (2021) → 7.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−38%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
New homes permittedWorsening
0.9 /1k (2021) → 0.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−34%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, Peoria, IL metro area improved on 8 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 7. 7 moved within the margin of error and 8 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.

Improved8

Bachelor's++4.1 points27.7% → 31.8%
Unemployment−3.8 points8.6% → 4.8%
New businesses+56%6.2 /1k → 9.6 /1k
High school++2.1 points91.7% → 93.8%
Broadband+9.8 points79.6% → 89.4%

Declined7

Homicides+43%4.9 /100k → 7.0 /100k
Traffic deaths+44%8.7 /100k → 12.6 /100k
Firearm deaths+22%9.3 /100k → 11.3 /100k
Suicides+22%12.1 /100k → 14.7 /100k
Uninsured+0.9 points5.7% → 6.6%

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Peoria, IL metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.8 /10k2020	3.9 /10k2025	+2%	Little change	34%
Average commute time	20.6 min2015-2019	20.8 min2020-2024	+0.2 min	Within the margin of error	58%
Average weekly wage	$1,1122020	$1,3332025	+20%	Improved	20%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.7%2015-2019	31.8%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Improved	80%
Broadband subscriptions	79.6%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	+9.8 points	Improved	60%
Child poverty rate	15.5%2015-2019	15.8%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Distance to an airport	119 mi2020	119 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	79%
Drug overdose deaths	19.3 /100k2020	18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−4.3%	Little change	32%
Effective property tax rate	2.14%2015-2019	2.04%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Little change	42%
Firearm deaths	9.3 /100k2020	11.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+22%	Declined	23%
Grocery stores	1.5 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+3.1%	Little change	63%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.1 /10k2025	−5.7%	Declined	29%
High school diploma or higher	91.7%2015-2019	93.8%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Improved	62%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	93%
Homicide rate	4.9 /100k2020	7.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+43%	Declined	6%
Income adjusted for local prices	$53,0032019	$70,3392024	+33%	Improved	58%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4552015-2019	0.4562020-2024	+0.000	Within the margin of error	53%
Median household income	$59,3972015-2019	$71,8572020-2024	+21%	Improved	18%
New business applications	6.2 /1k2020	9.6 /1k2025	+56%	Improved	65%
Pharmacies	2.0 /10k2020	1.8 /10k2025	−12%	Declined	40%
Poverty rate	12.2%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	26%
Public libraries	1.1 /10k2019	1.1 /10k2024	−1.6%	Little change	51%
Public transit commuters	1.1%2015-2019	0.8%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	47%
Rent as share of income	27.0%2015-2019	28.0%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Rent-burdened households	42.9%2015-2019	45.5%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Restaurants and bars	11.3 /10k2020	11.1 /10k2025	−2.1%	Little change	36%
Suicide rate	12.1 /100k2020	14.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+22%	Declined	23%
Traffic deaths	8.7 /100k2015-2019	12.6 /100k2020-2024	+44%	Declined	8%
Unemployment rate	8.6%2020	4.8%2025	−3.8 points	Improved	74%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.7%2015-2019	6.6%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Declined	21%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 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; 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 Peoria, IL metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Peoria, 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, Peoria, IL metro area itself moved −5 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

365,202 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

153,870 households (±851)

Peoria, IL metro area
United States share

Under $25k16%25,265
$25k–50k18%28,173
$50k–75k17%26,362

Homes

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

Owners and renters

153,870 households (±851)

Peoria, IL metro area
United States share

Own73%112,894
Rent27%40,976

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.2 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

168,448 workers (±1,778)

Peoria, IL metro area
United States share

Drive alone78%131,608
Carpool7.5%12,553
Public transit0.8%1,276

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 Peoria, IL employ 34,710 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 7 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Peoria, 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
Registered Nurses5,460 jobs	5,460	$81,010US $97,550	−17%	1.51×
General and Operations Managers4,140 jobs	4,140	$98,290US $105,770	−7%	1.11×
Cashiers4,020 jobs	4,020	$31,200US $32,880	−5%	1.22×
Retail Salespersons3,710 jobs	3,710	$33,870US $35,410	−4%	0.89×
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners3,620 jobs	3,620	$35,870US $36,840	−3%	1.53×
Fast Food and Counter Workers3,260 jobs	3,260	$31,200US $31,200	0%	0.79×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand2,750 jobs	2,750	$37,420US $40,240	−7%	0.87×
Nursing Assistants2,740 jobs	2,740	$43,040US $42,260	+2%	1.77×
Home Health and Personal Care Aides2,590 jobs	2,590	$36,330US $35,800	+1%	0.56×
Office Clerks, General2,420 jobs	2,420	$41,600US $45,010	−8%	0.92×

Look up any occupation

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

Peoria, IL has 8,084 employer establishments, 222 for every 10,000 residents (0.90× the US rate of 248), with 159,361 paid employees at an average annual pay of $63,100. The Census Bureau also counts 21,549 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,084; 21,549 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 222; US 248
Paid employees: 159,361
Average annual pay: $63,100; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	615	16.9	0.92×About typical	10,934	$20,867	62
Ambulatory health care services	584	16.1	0.77×Fewer than typical	13,828	$79,549	950
Specialty trade contractors	497	13.7	0.88×About typical	5,205	$80,936	1,125
Religious organizations	339	9.3	1.68×More than typical	2,992	$30,696	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	278	7.7	1.13×About typical	4,133	$34,749	1,295
Limited-service restaurants	271	7.5	0.93×About typical	5,303	$19,230	24
Full-service restaurants	262	7.2	0.94×About typical	4,856	$22,720	20
Lessors of real estate	240	6.6	0.54×Fewer than typical	803	$50,889	1,971
Building equipment contractors	216	5.9	0.99×About typical	3,036	$79,980	169
Automotive repair and maintenance	214	5.9	1.17×About typical	1,151	$47,292	243
Construction of buildings	214	5.9	0.78×Fewer than typical	1,839	$78,786	515
Truck transportation	196	5.4	1.07×About typical	1,755	$62,708	374

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 363,364 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 $24.9M on contracts performed in Peoria, IL metro area: $68.59 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $24.9M; −59% vs FY2025
Per resident: $68.59; US $1,994
Sole-source: 6.2%; US 30%
Single offer: 11%; 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

Agricultural Research Service$7.6M30%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$5.4M22%
Defense Logistics Agency$4.2M17%
Federal Aviation Administration$2.8M11%
Agricultural Marketing Service$2.3M9.4%
Department of the Air Force$799.1K3.2%
Department of the Army$563.4K2.3%
Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services$557.9K2.2%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

192.1MFY2017
292.4MFY2018
266.2MFY2019
296.5MFY2020
158.4MFY2021
196.6MFY2022
155.3MFY2023
198.5M

Top industries (NAICS)

Foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors · 2381$6.7M27%
Other residential care facilities · 6239$2.4M9.6%
Fruit and vegetable preserving and specialty food manufacturing · 3114$2.3M9.4%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$2.2M8.9%
Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing · 3344$2.1M8.3%

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

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 $2.4B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Peoria, IL metro area: $6,546 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $2.4B; −5.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,546; US $12,955
Loan face value: $75.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 1.4%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$1.5B63%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$199.2M8.4%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$156.8M6.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$152.6M6.4%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$60.7M2.6%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$44.8M1.9%
20.287 · Surface Transportation Block Grant Program$42.8M1.8%
14.195 · Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)$24.3M1.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$105.2M4.4%
SPRINGFIELD, IL
PEORIA HOUSING AUTH$23.1M1.0%
PEORIA, IL
ILLINOIS CENTRAL COLLEGE$11.7M0.5%
EAST PEORIA, IL
BRADLEY UNIVERSITY$8.4M0.4%
PEORIA, IL
PEORIA CITIZENS COMMITTEE FOR ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, INC

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$1.9B79%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$223.7M9.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$105.2M4.4%
Department of Transportation
Farm Service Agency$29.4M1.2%
Department of Agriculture
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing

Assistance by fiscal year

2.2BFY2021
2.1BFY2022
2.1BFY2023
2.2BFY2024
2.5BFY2025
2.4BFY2026

County aggregates

89%

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 Peoria, 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.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

PeoriaPrincipal city112,169

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/M37900

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved8

Declined7

Metro and micro areas like Peoria, 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)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Peoria, 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

Improved8

Declined7

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

Look up any occupation

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

What was bought