Population
San Luis Obispo
48,039
Bloomington
78,791
Median Income
San Luis Obispo
$66,711
Bloomington
$48,918
Home Value
San Luis Obispo
$896,500
Bloomington
$289,700
Rent
San Luis Obispo
$1,906
Bloomington
$1,160
Crime Rate
San Luis Obispo
4.24
Bloomington
2.87
Cost of Living
San Luis Obispo
174.0
Bloomington
100.1
Avg Temp
San Luis Obispo
N/A
Bloomington
N/A
Unemployment
San Luis Obispo
6.7%
Bloomington
6.2%
How Similar Are San Luis Obispo & Bloomington?
Bloomington is San Luis Obispo's #13 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
San Luis Obispo
48,039
Bloomington
78,791
Bloomington has a 39% larger population than San Luis Obispo.
Violent Crime
San Luis Obispo
4.24
Bloomington
2.87
San Luis Obispo has a 32% higher violent crime than Bloomington.
Property Crime
San Luis Obispo
26.69
Bloomington
27.18
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 2% difference.
Political Leaning
San Luis Obispo
43.1%
Bloomington
35.5%
Both cities lean Democratic, but San Luis Obispo has a stronger Democratic lean (17% difference).
Unemployment
San Luis Obispo
6.7%
Bloomington
6.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 7% difference.
Median Income
San Luis Obispo
$66,711
Bloomington
$48,918
San Luis Obispo has a 27% higher median income than Bloomington.
Home Values
San Luis Obispo
$896,500
Bloomington
$289,700
San Luis Obispo's home values is significantly higher than Bloomington's — 68% difference.
Education
San Luis Obispo
28.4%
Bloomington
29.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 5% difference.
Demographics
San Luis Obispo
75.9%
Bloomington
77.8%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
San Luis Obispo
174.0
Bloomington
100.1
San Luis Obispo has a 42% higher cost of living than Bloomington.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. San Luis Obispo and Bloomington share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
San Luis Obispo
0
Bloomington
Bloomington leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bloomington leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBloomington scores 133.5 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 297.5 in San Luis Obispo. Bloomington has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,210 vs $2,512 in San Luis Obispo (108% lower). Bloomington has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,072 vs $1,914 in San Luis Obispo (79% lower).
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 — San Luis Obispo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Luis Obispo has a median home value of $896,500 vs $289,700 in Bloomington (209% higher). Bloomington has a median property tax of $2,370 vs $5,528 in San Luis Obispo (133% lower). Bloomington has a median rent of $1,160 vs $1,906 in San Luis Obispo (64% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — San Luis Obispo leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Luis Obispo has a per capita income of $45,462 vs $32,643 in Bloomington (39% higher). San Luis Obispo has a median household income of $66,711 vs $48,918 in Bloomington (36% higher). Bloomington: 41,798 vs San Luis Obispo: 27,661 for labor force.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Bloomington leads
Source: FBI UCRSan Luis Obispo has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.00 compared to 0.04 in Bloomington. Bloomington has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.66 compared to 2.82 in San Luis Obispo. Bloomington has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.87 compared to 4.24 in San Luis Obispo.
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 high school diploma or higher of 38.1% compared to 35.0% in San Luis Obispo. Bloomington has a bachelor's degree or higher of 29.9% compared to 28.4% in San Luis Obispo.
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 78,791, about 1.6x the size of San Luis Obispo (48,039). Bloomington skews younger with a median age of 24.9 vs 26.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
San Luis Obispo
Bloomington
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareBloomington: 4.0 vs San Luis Obispo: 2.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5). San Luis Obispo: 5 vs Bloomington: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSSan Luis Obispo has a bicycle of 4.5% compared to 2.0% in Bloomington. Bloomington has a public transit of 3.7% compared to 1.4% in San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo has a drive alone of 64.0% compared to 56.5% in Bloomington.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to San Luis Obispo, CA
Compare San Luis Obispo 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.