Population

Iowa City

75,264

Bloomington

88,838

Median Income

Iowa City

$57,533

Bloomington

$90,677

Home Value

Iowa City

$273,600

Bloomington

$346,200

Rent

Iowa City

$1,094

Bloomington

$1,526

Crime Rate

Iowa City

3.21

Bloomington

3.13

Cost of Living

Iowa City

107.8

Bloomington

144.3

Avg Temp

Iowa City

N/A

Bloomington

N/A

Unemployment

Iowa City

4.2%

Bloomington

4.5%

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How Similar Are Iowa City & Bloomington?

Bloomington is Iowa City's #13 most similar city

5/10

5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Iowa City

75,264

vs

Bloomington

88,838

Different · 15% difference

Bloomington has a 15% larger population than Iowa City.

Violent Crime

Iowa City

3.21

vs

Bloomington

3.13

Match · 3% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 3% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Iowa City

16.74

vs

Bloomington

34.64

Different · 52% difference

Bloomington's property crime is significantly higher than Iowa City's — 52% difference.

Political Leaning

Iowa City

30.3%

vs

Bloomington

27.5%

Match · 9% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Democratic with similar vote shares — 9% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Iowa City

4.2%

vs

Bloomington

4.5%

Match · 7% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.

Median Income

Iowa City

$57,533

vs

Bloomington

$90,677

Different · 37% difference
💰

Bloomington has a 37% higher median income than Iowa City.

Home Values

🏠

Iowa City

$273,600

vs

Bloomington

$346,200

Different · 21% difference

Bloomington has a 21% higher home values than Iowa City.

Education

Iowa City

31.7%

vs

Bloomington

32.8%

Match · 3% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 3% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Iowa City

75.1%

vs

Bloomington

68.7%

Match · 9% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.

Cost of Living

Iowa City

107.8

vs

Bloomington

144.3

Different · 25% difference
💵

Bloomington has a 25% higher cost of living than Iowa City.

5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Iowa City and Bloomington share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Iowa City

vsof 8

0

Bloomington

Bloomington leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Iowa City leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Iowa City scores 78.2 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 138.6 in Bloomington. Iowa City has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,141 vs $1,709 in Bloomington (33% lower). Iowa City has a fair market rent (1br) of $961 vs $1,405 in Bloomington (32% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Iowa City107.8
Bloomington144.3

Housing Index

Iowa City139.6
Bloomington173.2

Food Index

Iowa City94.0
Bloomington119.3

Transportation Index

Iowa City78.2
Bloomington138.6

Healthcare Index

Iowa City95.2
Bloomington115.4

Utilities Index

Iowa City104.3
Bloomington126.2

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Iowa City$47,436
Bloomington$63,471

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Iowa City$112,122
Bloomington$150,022

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Iowa City$961
Bloomington$1,405

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Iowa City$1,141
Bloomington$1,709

Housing Market — Bloomington leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bloomington has a vacancy rate of 4.2% compared to 9.1% in Iowa City. Bloomington has a owner-occupied of 66.2% compared to 46.3% in Iowa City. Iowa City has a median rent of $1,094 vs $1,526 in Bloomington (28% lower).

Median Home Value

Iowa City$273,600
Bloomington$346,200

Median Rent

Iowa City$1,094
Bloomington$1,526

Median Property Tax

Iowa City$4,765
Bloomington$3,736

Owner-Occupied

Iowa City46.3%
Bloomington66.2%

Vacancy Rate

Iowa City9.1%
Bloomington4.2%

Single-Family Homes

Iowa City49.8%
Bloomington63.2%

Jobs & Economy — Bloomington leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bloomington has a poverty rate of 9.1% compared to 26.3% in Iowa City. Bloomington has a work from home of 19.6% compared to 11.2% in Iowa City. Bloomington has a median household income of $90,677 vs $57,533 in Iowa City (37% higher).

Median Household Income

Iowa City$57,533
Bloomington$90,677

Per Capita Income

Iowa City$37,123
Bloomington$49,908

Poverty Rate

Iowa City26.3%
Bloomington9.1%

Unemployment Rate

Iowa City4.2%
Bloomington4.5%

Labor Force

Iowa City45,100
Bloomington50,456

Mean Commute

Iowa City16 min
BloomingtonN/A

Work from Home

Iowa City11.2%
Bloomington19.6%

Private Sector

Iowa City78.0%
Bloomington93.2%

Government Sector

Iowa City31.9%
Bloomington44.9%

Crime & Safety — Bloomington leads

Source: FBI UCR

Iowa City has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.01 in Bloomington. Bloomington has a property crime clearance of 54.7% compared to 21.9% in Iowa City. Iowa City has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 13.89 compared to 30.22 in Bloomington.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City3.21
Bloomington3.13

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City16.74
Bloomington34.64

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City0.00
Bloomington0.01

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City0.50
Bloomington0.42

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City2.17
Bloomington2.14

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City1.57
Bloomington2.19

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Iowa City13.89
Bloomington30.22

Violent Crime Clearance

Iowa City52.0%
Bloomington53.1%

Property Crime Clearance

Iowa City21.9%
Bloomington54.7%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

Iowa CityN/A
BloomingtonN/A

Avg Annual High

Iowa CityN/A
BloomingtonN/A

Avg Annual Low

Iowa CityN/A
BloomingtonN/A

Sunny Days per Year

Iowa CityN/A
BloomingtonN/A

Annual Rainfall

Iowa CityN/A
BloomingtonN/A

Annual Snowfall

Iowa CityN/A
BloomingtonN/A

Avg Humidity

Iowa CityN/A
BloomingtonN/A

Schools & Education — Bloomington leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Bloomington has a high school diploma or higher of 45.9% compared to 38.9% in Iowa City. Bloomington has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.8% compared to 31.7% in Iowa City.

Public Schools

Iowa City0
Bloomington0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

Iowa CityN/A
BloomingtonN/A

Colleges & Universities

Iowa City0
Bloomington0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Iowa City31.7%
Bloomington32.8%

High School Diploma or Higher

Iowa City38.9%
Bloomington45.9%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Bloomington has a population of 88,838, about 1.2x the size of Iowa City (75,264). Iowa City skews younger with a median age of 26.3 vs 40.8.

Population

Iowa City75,264
Bloomington88,838

Median Age

Iowa City26
Bloomington41

Avg Household Size

Iowa City2.2
Bloomington2.3

Married Population

Iowa City28.9%
Bloomington42.7%

Foreign Born

Iowa City12.2%
Bloomington13.9%

White

Iowa City75.1%
Bloomington68.7%

Black

Iowa City8.4%
Bloomington11.2%

Hispanic

Iowa City8.1%
Bloomington10.7%

Asian

Iowa City6.8%
Bloomington5.2%

Iowa City

Bloomington

Healthcare — Bloomington leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Bloomington: 4.3 vs Iowa City: 3.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Iowa City5
Bloomington5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Iowa City3.6
Bloomington4.3

With Emergency Services

Iowa City5
Bloomington5

Transportation & Commute

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Iowa City has a bicycle of 3.1% compared to 0.3% in Bloomington. Iowa City has a public transit of 6.7% compared to 3.7% in Bloomington. Bloomington has a work from home of 19.6% compared to 11.2% in Iowa City.

Mean Commute Time

Iowa City16 min
BloomingtonN/A

Drive Alone

Iowa City56.0%
Bloomington66.6%

Public Transit

Iowa City6.7%
Bloomington3.7%

Bicycle

Iowa City3.1%
Bloomington0.3%

Work from Home

Iowa City11.2%
Bloomington19.6%

Airports

Iowa City0
Bloomington0

Cities Similar to Iowa City, IA

Compare Iowa City 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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