Jobs, pay and daily life in Bloomington, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Bloomington is a city in Indiana with 80,049 residents. The median household earns $50,465 a year and the median rent is $1,200 a month, which is 28.5% of the median household income. It is part of the Bloomington, IN metropolitan area, where BLS counts 73,240 jobs.
How Bloomington compares. Among the 80 largest places in Indiana, Bloomington is #7 by population, #79 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #7 for college degrees (#1 = most), #9 for remote work (#1 = most). Its county, Monroe County, is #17 of 92 counties for average pay ($58,879).
Bloomington has 80,049 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 1.2% of the population of Indiana. It covers 23 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 3,443 people per square mile. The median age is 25.1, 34% younger than the state median (25.1 against 38.1).
The median gross rent is $1,200 a month (rent plus utilities), 13% above the state median ($1,200 against $1,062). Over a year that is 28.5% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $321,400, which is 6.4 times the median household income ($50,465); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 34.8% of households own their home, 51% below the state average (34.8% against 70.5%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Bloomington, IN metropolitan area has 73,240 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $47,660 a year, 7% below the national median ($47,660 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are food preparation and serving related (8,210 jobs, median $29,320); office and administrative support (7,550 jobs, median $44,440); production (6,440 jobs, median $46,900). The area is most specialised in production (1.6 times) and educational instruction and library (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are educational instruction and library ($65,180) and production ($46,900). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Monroe County was 3.7%. 59.0% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Monroe County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 55.7% drive alone, 3.6% use public transit, 10.8% walk, 18.2% work from home. 5.9% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 54% below the state average (5.9% against 12.7%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
58.8% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 100% above the state share (58.8% against 29.5%). 12.6% of residents were born outside the United States, 100% above the state share (12.6% against 6.3%). The poverty rate is 29.8%, 142% above the state rate (29.8% against 12.3%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 76°F (24.4°C), and the coolest is Jan at 29°F (-1.5°C). About 1,240 mm (49 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; May is the wettest month (132 mm) and Feb the driest (79 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Martinsville (18 miles, rent 18% lower); Bedford (21 miles, rent 31% lower); Bargersville (31 miles, rent 15% higher); Columbus (33 miles, rent 4% lower). Rent differences are against Bloomington; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Indiana (770) →State guide: IndianaCountry guideMonroe CountyIndiana rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 770 federal postings open in Indiana (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Indiana →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 2,390 | 1.32 | $28,230 | $21,540 | $35,370 | -10% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 2,270 | 3.43 | $37,900 | $37,370 | $47,330 | -15% |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,980 | 1.08 | $30,890 | $23,550 | $45,760 | -13% |
| Registered Nurses | 1,630 | 1.02 | $80,370 | $68,210 | $98,920 | -18% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,620 | 1.51 | $28,540 | $17,270 | $46,630 | -19% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 1,410 | 0.70 | $31,750 | $29,390 | $37,950 | -11% |
| Cashiers | 1,390 | 0.96 | $29,120 | $22,530 | $36,070 | -11% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 1,190 | 1.15 | $39,680 | $29,490 | $43,550 | +8% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,150 | 0.86 | $34,850 | $28,000 | $42,680 | -7% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,020 | 0.74 | $38,130 | $31,040 | $47,530 | -5% |
| Office Clerks, General | 970 | 0.84 | $43,570 | $28,070 | $63,310 | -3% |
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors | 960 | 4.13 | $52,710 | $44,720 | $84,630 | -11% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 930 | 1.40 | $34,910 | $26,800 | $43,260 | -7% |
| Nursing Assistants | 830 | 1.21 | $36,820 | $35,290 | $44,920 | -13% |
| General and Operations Managers | 820 | 0.50 | $101,310 | $51,550 | $256,460 | -4% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 770 | 0.63 | $39,660 | $29,970 | $60,290 | -11% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 760 | 1.06 | $47,200 | $34,950 | $73,230 | -5% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 710 | 1.10 | $46,800 | $33,270 | $63,580 | -8% |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | 640 | 2.27 | $60,360 | $38,760 | $72,890 | +24% |
| Security Guards | 600 | 0.99 | $35,510 | $29,110 | $53,630 | -7% |
These figures are for the whole Bloomington, IN metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $47,660 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.7% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 40.2% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 14.3% |
| Manufacturing | 9.0% |
| Retail trade | 8.3% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 6.8% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 4.3% |
| Other services | 3.9% |
| Public administration | 3.4% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.3% |
| Construction | 2.9% |
| Information | 2.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.0% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.3% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Bloomington lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe County | 140,965 | $9,347 million | $66,308 | 67,215 | 3,439 | $58,879 | +0.2% | 3.7% | 72,239 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 10,741 | 21.4% | $61,795 | 1.11 |
| Manufacturing | 8,097 | 16.2% | $71,328 | 1.47 |
| Accommodation and food services | 7,802 | 15.6% | $22,500 | 1.28 |
| Retail trade | 6,113 | 12.2% | $33,829 | 0.91 |
| Construction | 2,737 | 5.5% | $69,698 | 0.78 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,405 | 4.8% | $84,820 | 0.51 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,972 | 3.9% | $41,527 | 0.50 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 1,911 | 3.8% | $45,367 | 0.94 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,883 | 3.8% | $73,684 | 0.71 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,383 | 2.8% | $73,497 | 0.51 |
| Real estate and rental | 1,049 | 2.1% | $52,134 | 1.01 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 792 | 1.6% | $56,938 | 0.28 |
| Information | 700 | 1.4% | $75,918 | 0.56 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 674 | 1.3% | $26,900 | 0.60 |
| Educational services | 652 | 1.3% | $38,584 | 0.47 |
| Management of companies | 564 | 1.1% | $130,023 | 0.50 |
| Utilities | 282 | 0.6% | $125,788 | 1.10 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 221 | 0.4% | $61,553 | 0.87 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 100 | 0.2% | $31,581 | 0.18 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 55.7% |
| Public transit | 3.6% |
| Walk | 10.8% |
| Work from home | 18.2% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 5.9% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,465 |
| Income per person | $35,299 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,200 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 28.5% |
| Median home value | $321,400 |
| Homeowners | 34.8% |
| Poverty rate | 29.8% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 95.1 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $47,660 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 2.95%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 25.1 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 94.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 58.8% |
| Born abroad | 12.6% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 59.0% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -1.5 | 29 | 85 |
| Feb | -0.1 | 32 | 79 |
| Mar | 5.8 | 42 | 108 |
| Apr | 12.3 | 54 | 125 |
| May | 17.8 | 64 | 132 |
| Jun | 22.5 | 72 | 129 |
| Jul | 24.4 | 76 | 114 |
| Aug | 24.2 | 76 | 84 |
| Sep | 20.4 | 69 | 88 |
| Oct | 13.2 | 56 | 104 |
| Nov | 6.2 | 43 | 94 |
| Dec | 0.8 | 33 | 98 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martinsville | IN | 18 mi | 11,933 | $60,177 | $983 |
| Bedford | IN | 21 mi | 13,837 | $49,553 | $828 |
| Bargersville | IN | 31 mi | 10,752 | $114,231 | $1,379 |
| Columbus | IN | 33 mi | 51,824 | $77,456 | $1,157 |
| Franklin | IN | 34 mi | 26,168 | $82,380 | $1,186 |
| Seymour | IN | 37 mi | 22,371 | $64,426 | $1,011 |
| Plainfield | IN | 37 mi | 36,369 | $87,272 | $1,499 |
| Greenwood | IN | 38 mi | 66,029 | $83,608 | $1,312 |
| Danville | IN | 41 mi | 11,714 | $97,083 | $1,151 |
| Avon | IN | 42 mi | 23,437 | $98,486 | $1,538 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
80,049 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,200 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 28.5% of the median household income.
$50,465 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.7% (BLS county, Monroe County (latest month 2026M09)).
Indiana. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.