Ideal CityOpen the map

Bloomington vs Plainfield

Bloomington, Indiana versus Plainfield, Indiana: a factual, side-by-side comparison of cost of living, housing, safety, schools, and climate. Greener figures rank better among US places.

Overall livability

Bloomington

Mixed · objective livability49/100

Plainfield

Mixed · objective livability47/100

Bloomington and Plainfield score about the same overall (49 vs 47 of 100) — the differences are in the individual factors below.

Factor-by-factor comparison

FactorBloomingtonPlainfield
Affordability
Median Household Income$47k$77k
Cost of Living$46k$51k
Home Value$268k$238k
Monthly Rent$1k$1k
Monthly Owner Costs$1k$1k
Property Tax Rate0.81%0.84%
Income Tax4.45%5.20%
Sales Tax7.00%7.00%
Estimated total tax burden11.44%10.10%
Unemployment6.5%3.4%
Weather
Winter Temp (Jan)30°F29°F
Summer Temp (Jul)75°F76°F
Annual Precipitation49.4 in46.2 in
Annual Snowfall17.5 in25.5 in
Sunny Days168 days168 days
Summer Humidity65°F65°F
Comfortable Days91 days85 days
Safety & Wellbeing
Natural Disaster Risk58.951.4
Air Quality52 AQI51 AQI
School Quality60.846.0
Violent Crime1896/100k959/100k
Property Crime2344/100k1791/100k
Community
Population79,00635,078
Median Age24.437.6
Racial Diversity0.360.42
Male/Female Ratio1.021.13
Political LeaningD+29R+25
White (%)76.8%73.6%
Black (%)4.7%9.3%
Hispanic (%)4.5%6.6%
Asian (%)10.5%6.5%
Other / Multiracial (%)3.5%4.0%
Getting Around
Commute Time17 min23 min
Walkability16.4/208.3/20
Airport Distance40 mi5 mi
Lifestyle & Connectivity
Broadband Access87.0%91.6%
Amenities Nearby32.4038.77
Park & Nature AccessExcellentGood

Each figure is colored by how it ranks among all US places: green is strong, amber average, red weaker. Neutral factors (population, demographics, target-style climate) show their percentile without a better/worse claim.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bloomington or Plainfield more affordable?
Bloomington has the lower cost of living: its index is $46k, compared with Bloomington's $46k and Plainfield's $51k. Median rent is $1k in Bloomington versus $1k in Plainfield.
Is Bloomington or Plainfield safer?
Plainfield has the lower violent crime rate. Bloomington reports 1896/100k and Plainfield reports 959/100k (violent crimes per 100,000 residents).
Are homes cheaper in Bloomington or Plainfield?
The median home value is $268k in Bloomington and $238k in Plainfield, so homes are more affordable in Plainfield.
See each on the map

Explore BloomingtonExplore Plainfield

Full profiles