Metro Life Score
Bloomington, IN
Above-median composite Life Score — grade B-, 50th percentile of the national corpus.
- 49.7
- Life Score / 100
- B-
- Grade (curved)
- #195
- of 387 metros
- 50%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Bloomington is above-median composite Life Score — #195 of 387 (49.7/100, grade B-, 50th percentile). Carried by rent at 62/100; held back most by environment at 15/100.
- 50th
- composite percentile
- #195
- of 387 peers
- 43rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 52nd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · MID · BALANCED · signature cost
Bloomington: mid-pack cost with a distinct Life Score shape
Bloomington sits mid-pack on cost (≈43rd percentile, MID) with composite #195 of 387 (49.7/100). Profile BALANCED; wages mark MID. Strongest rent 62/100; weakest environment 15/100. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Bloomington, IN ranks #195 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #221 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 95.1 (rent-RPP 85.6). BLS median salary $64,582, 63,280 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Retail Salespersons). HUD 2BR FMR $1,210/mo (studio $966).
FBI UCR (IN): 308 violent, 1321 property/100K. NCES: 15.2:1 ratio, 6.5% charter. EPA: 53 Superfund sites (IN).
Where Bloomington sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
50 50th percentile higher than 50% 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 49.7 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 IN 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 50% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #192 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 49.8 | B- |
| #193 | Fort Smith, AR-OK | 49.8 | B- |
| #194 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 49.8 | B- |
| #195 | Bloomington, IN | 49.7 | B- |
| #196 | Bangor, ME | 49.7 | B- |
| #197 | Corpus Christi, TX | 49.7 | B- |
| #198 | Harrisonburg, VA | 49.7 | B- |
Quality vs. Affordability
Bloomington, IN's quality rank (top 50% highest-quality) and affordability rank (bottom 43% least affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
IN Metro Scores
Read with Bloomington
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Bloomington (MID · BALANCED · MID/MID), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Bangor, ME
ABS(composite) peer at 49.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Corpus Christi, TX
ABS(composite) peer at 49.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Harrisonburg, VA
ABS(composite) peer at 49.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Springfield, MO
ABS(composite) peer at 49.7 (Δ 0.0 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B- vs this page's MID · BALANCED · MID/MID.
Lansing-East Lansing, MI (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 43/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
St. Louis, MO-IL (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 43/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp MID vs this metro's MID.
Bloomington, IN relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for MID · BALANCED · MID/MID - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Bloomington's middle-third Life Score
Bloomington scores 49.7/100 overall, but Rent (62.4) and Environment (14.8) sit 47.7 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Rent 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
- Environment is the weakest (weighted 10% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Muncie is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Muncie
A middle-third composite is a weighted blend; individual dimensions can sit well above or below it.