Population
Bloomington
78,703
Portage
37,951
Median Income
Bloomington
$75,449
Portage
$72,833
Home Value
Bloomington
$198,800
Portage
$210,800
Rent
Bloomington
$1,004
Portage
$1,138
Crime Rate
Bloomington
3.10
Portage
2.35
Cost of Living
Bloomington
109.3
Portage
110.8
Avg Temp
Bloomington
N/A
Portage
N/A
Unemployment
Bloomington
2.6%
Portage
7.3%
How Similar Are Bloomington & Portage?
Portage is Bloomington's #4 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Bloomington
78,703
Portage
37,951
Bloomington (78,703) is about 2.1x larger than Portage (37,951).
Violent Crime
Bloomington
3.10
Portage
2.35
Bloomington has a 24% higher violent crime than Portage.
Property Crime
Bloomington
10.55
Portage
11.09
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
Bloomington
46.8%
Portage
54.3%
Bloomington leans Democratic while Portage leans Republican.
Unemployment
Bloomington
2.6%
Portage
7.3%
Portage's unemployment is significantly higher than Bloomington's — 65% difference.
Median Income
Bloomington
$75,449
Portage
$72,833
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Bloomington
$198,800
Portage
$210,800
Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.
Education
Bloomington
32.5%
Portage
11.1%
Bloomington's education is significantly higher than Portage's — 66% difference.
Demographics
Bloomington
72.3%
Portage
74.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Bloomington
109.3
Portage
110.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 1% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Bloomington and Portage share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Bloomington
0
Portage
Bloomington leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bloomington leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBloomington scores 82.9 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 111.3 in Portage. Bloomington has a fair market rent (1br) of $999 vs $1,082 in Portage (8% lower). Portage scores 115.6 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 119.8 in Bloomington.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Portage leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSPortage has a median property tax of $1,719 vs $4,429 in Bloomington (158% lower). Portage has a vacancy rate of 5.6% compared to 7.5% in Bloomington. Portage has a single-family homes of 73.3% compared to 60.6% in Bloomington.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Bloomington leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBloomington has a work from home of 18.4% compared to 4.5% in Portage. Bloomington: 41,029 vs Portage: 19,246 for labor force. Bloomington has a unemployment rate of 2.6% compared to 7.3% in Portage.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Portage leads
Source: FBI UCRPortage has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.75 compared to 1.80 in Bloomington. Portage has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.10 compared to 0.25 in Bloomington. Portage has a property crime clearance of 46.4% compared to 13.6% in Bloomington.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Bloomington leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauBloomington has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.5% compared to 11.1% in Portage. Bloomington has a high school diploma or higher of 45.7% compared to 38.9% in Portage.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBloomington has a population of 78,703, about 2.1x the size of Portage (37,951). Bloomington skews younger with a median age of 36.0 vs 39.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Bloomington
Portage
Healthcare — Bloomington leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBloomington: 5 vs Portage: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Bloomington leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBloomington has a work from home of 18.4% compared to 4.5% in Portage. Portage has a drive alone of 86.8% compared to 69.4% in Bloomington. Bloomington has a public transit of 0.8% compared to 0.8% in Portage.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Bloomington, IL
Compare Bloomington against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.