University and state-agency payrolls anchor an unusually stable local economy
Home to Illinois State University and a major State Farm corporate campus, the Bloomington-Normal metro votes more competitively than its downstate neighbors, reflecting a white-collar, degree-dense workforce that tempers the region's broader rural lean.
| Group | Bloomington, IL | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 82.1% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 7.5% | 12.2% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(14) | 4.4% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 3.9% | 6.0% |
Multiracial / Other | 2.1% | 4.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(9) | 0.6% | 0.9% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(1) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -42.4pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22.3% | 50.5% | — | — | |
| 9.4% | 21.2% | — | — | |
| 5.6% | 12.6% | — | — | |
| 5.3% | 12.1% | — | — | |
| 1.5% | 3.4% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.8% | 1.8% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 55.9% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Bloomington, IL metro area? 658,929 residents across 4 counties.
42% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 9pp above the national average. Places with similar education levels vote D+16 on average nationally.
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate vs Governor | D+1.3 | D+1.2 | 0.0pp |