Metro Life Score
Bloomington, IL
Below-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 45th percentile of the national corpus.
- 48.7
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #213
- of 387 metros
- 45%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Bloomington is below-median composite Life Score — #213 of 387 (48.7/100, grade B-, 45th percentile). Carried by safety at 71/100; held back most by schools at 27/100.
- 45th
- composite percentile
- #213
- of 387 peers
- 50th
- cost dimension percentile
- 60th
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · SAFE-LED · signature wages
Bloomington: mid-wage metro with a distinct composite shape
Bloomington is mid-curve on wages (≈60th percentile, MID) with composite #213 (48.7/100, grade B-). Cost mark MID; profile SAFE-LED. Gap between strongest and weakest dimensions: 44 points. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Bloomington, IL ranks #213 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #194 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 93.5 (rent-RPP 74.7). BLS median salary $66,137, 70,320 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Registered Nurses, Cashiers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,302/mo (studio $927).
FBI UCR (IL): 277 violent, 1665 property/100K. NCES: 13.4:1 ratio, 3.5% charter. DOL infant childcare $12,257/yr. EPA: 56 Superfund sites (IL).
Where Bloomington sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
49 45th percentile higher than 45% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 48.7 is built
Bloomington's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Bloomington scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are IL state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Bloomington With...
Ranking Context
Bloomington outranks 45% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #210 | Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI | 48.9 | B- |
| #211 | Michigan City-La Porte, IN | 48.9 | B- |
| #212 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 49.0 | B- |
| #213 | Bloomington, IL | 48.7 | B- |
| #214 | Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 48.7 | B- |
| #215 | Charlottesville, VA | 48.3 | B- |
| #216 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 48.2 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Bloomington, IL's quality rank (bottom 45% lowest-quality) and affordability rank (top 50% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
IL Metro Scores
Read with Bloomington
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Bloomington (MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA
ABS(composite) peer at 48.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Michigan City-La Porte, IN
ABS(composite) peer at 48.9 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Racine-Mount Pleasant, WI
ABS(composite) peer at 48.9 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Columbia, MO
ABS(composite) peer at 49.0 (Δ 0.3 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID.
Billings, MT (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 50/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 50/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Bloomington, IL relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · SAFE-LED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Bloomington's middle-third Life Score
Bloomington scores 48.7/100 overall, but Safety (71.0) and Schools (26.9) sit 44.0 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Safety is the strongest of Bloomington's seven dimensions (weighted 15% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Schools is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Decatur is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Decatur
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.