Louisville vs Bloomington
The short version
- Louisville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Bloomington area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $233,900 in Louisville and $321,400 in Bloomington.
- Households earn more in Louisville ($66,849 vs $50,465 median).
- Louisville has the warmer winter: January highs of 44°F vs 37°F.
- Louisville has more scorching days: 43 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 21.
- Bloomington is growing faster: +3.9% since 2020 vs +1.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in Bloomington (18 vs 23 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Louisville, KY | Bloomington, IN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 641,962 | 83,307 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.6% | +3.9% |
| People per square mile | 2,441 | 3,583 |
| Median age | 37.7 | 25.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34% | 59% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $66,849 | $50,465 |
| Median home value | $233,900 | $321,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.5× | 6.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,120 | $1,200 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.1 | 95.1 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 78.6 | 85.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,800 | $71,300 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 35% |
| Top state income tax | 3.5% | 2.95% |
| Combined sales tax | 6% | 7% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 22.5 | 17.5 |
| Work from home | 13% | 18% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.5% | 6.6% |
| Poverty rate | 15.8% | 29.8% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 44° / 28° | 37° / 21° |
| July high / low | 89° / 71° | 85° / 65° |
| Precipitation per year | 48 in | 49 in |
| Snowfall per year | 13 in | 18 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 43 | 21 |
| Nights below freezing | 74 | 108 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.3 | 76.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 44% | 68% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.8% | +0.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +40.2% | +33.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Louisville: June and September to October. Bloomington: August to October.
Full monthly tables: Louisville weather by month and Bloomington weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,800 in Louisville and $71,300 in Bloomington. Moving from Louisville to Bloomington, you would need about $76,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Louisville and Bloomington
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Louisville and Bloomington.
Which would you pick?
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