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Moving to
Bloomington.
Bloomington is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, CA. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Bloomington
Bloomington is an unincorporated community in California with a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Bloomington deals with home prices well above the national average, county unemployment above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- High home prices
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
How Bloomington compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Bloomington
Based on Bloomington's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,218
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $64,360 a year
- 54% of Bloomington renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$93,840
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $46,920
- Homes cost 5.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 14% above US
$1,609/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,609 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices are steep, with a median around $469,200. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.
Median home value $469,200 · 54% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
5.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in San Bernardino County is 5.4%, somewhat above the national average of 4.3%. Lining up work before the move is the safer route. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
San Bernardino County (county-wide)
Safety
444 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Bloomington doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs above the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1113/100k · Policed by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 22% above US
32 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 31.7 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 44°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 69% below US
11% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 21:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (17 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Bloomington's strongest point is a population that has grown fast since 2020; the main tradeoffs are home prices well above the national average and county unemployment above the national average. A year of median rent ($1,609/mo) equals 24% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Bloomington
All California guides →Moving to Fontana →
4 mi away · pop. 214,169
Rent $1,839/mo · Income $102,821
Compare with Bloomington →Moving to Grand Terrace →
5 mi away · pop. 13,078
Rent $2,024/mo · Income $83,628
Compare with Bloomington →Not sure Bloomington is the one?
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