What is the cost of living in Bloomington?

Bloomington has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 95.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 85.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,210/month.

What is the median salary in Bloomington?

The median salary in Bloomington is $64,582 annually (mean: $68,080). Top occupations include Fast Food and Counter Workers, Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators, Retail Salespersons.

How safe is Bloomington?

The violent crime rate in the Bloomington area is 308 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1321 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Bloomington?

The state of IN has 1,865 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.9:1. Charter schools make up 6.5% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Bloomington?

Childcare cost data is not currently available for Bloomington.

Is Bloomington a good place to relocate?

Bloomington has a Life Score of 47.2/100 (D), based on 6 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Bloomington sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Bloomington ranks #174 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Bloomington, IN

BEA RPP 95.1 sits mid-pack (#221 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

95.1
Cost index (US=100): $1,210
2BR rent / mo: $64,582
Median salary: 52.5
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Bloomington ranks #174 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (52.5/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and housing.

#174
of 387 US metros · Above median: 6,924,275
metro-area population: 308
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,865
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: climate (38/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Bloomington ranks #174 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 95.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,210/mo, median salary $64,582; LiveAbility Score 52.5/100, strongest in low hazard and housing.

Signature: BEA RPP 95.1 sits mid-pack (#221 of 387 metros); cost is not the extreme signal here.

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 95.1 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,210/mo.

LiveAbility 52.5/100 keeps Bloomington in the middle third (#174 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Bloomington area is 63,280.

Bloomington vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

53 Top 45% higher than 55% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

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 and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Bloomington housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Bloomington MSA; housing RPP 85.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,210/mo.

Studio

$966

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,072

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,210

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,572

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,906

/month

Bloomington wages and employment

Bloomington posts 63,280 total employment with median salary $64,582.

Median Salary

$64,582

Mean Salary

$68,080

Total Employment

63,280

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$28,230
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$37,900
Retail Salespersons	$30,890
Registered Nurses	$80,370
Waiters and Waitresses	$28,540

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Bloomington area from NCES.

Schools

1,865

Enrollment

1,033,761

Student:Teacher

15.9:1

Title I %

Life Score Breakdown

Bloomington's composite Life Score is 47.2/100 (D), computed across 6 of 7 dimensions (missing dims omitted; remaining weights renormalized).

Cost

43/100

Below average

Wages

50/100

Average

Rent

62/100

Above average

Crime

51/100

Average

Schools

55/100

Above average

Environment

15/100

Bottom decile

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Bloomington ranks #174 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 52.5/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (75/100)

Low hazard

75
Housing

62
Air quality

58
Safety

51
Job market

50
Schools

45
Cost of living

43
Climate

38

What this shows Bloomington's strongest dimensions are low hazard and housing; its weakest among scored dims is climate at 38/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Bloomington to

Logan Longview-Kelso Longview Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Louisville/Jefferson County Lubbock

Metros near Bloomington on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Bloomington on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Bloomington cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Bloomington wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Bloomington?

Bloomington runs a $64,582 median salary at a 95.1 cost index, ranking #174 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Bloomington's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Bloomington head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Bloomington
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.