Living in Normal, Illinois: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 6.5% below the U.S. average in the Bloomington metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 3.3 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood152 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.8 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 16.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town25 public schools: 15 elementary, 4 middle and 6 high schools.
A hospital close byCarle Bromenn Medical Center is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityChicago is about 114 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Normal meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

College town. About 1 in 3 residents is a college student, with Illinois State University and Illinois Wesleyan University in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $213,600U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 21%McLean County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $965 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $64,785U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 55%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $4,749 a yearIllinois: $5,298
Homes built before 1940: 5%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 10%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 93.5U.S. average = 100 (the Bloomington metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 21% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Bloomington metro area, not Normal alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 53,2752020: 53,009
Median age: 25 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 16%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 53%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 15%U.S.: 6%
College students: 32%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (29%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (14%); finance, insurance and real estate (13%)
Unemployment rate: 4%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 17 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 13%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 21%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Carle Bromenn Medical Center, Normal, IL, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

25 public schools in Normal, run by McLean County USD 5 and Bloomington SD 87.

Colleges in or next to town: Illinois State University (20,000 or more students); Heartland Community College (1,000 to 4,999 students); Illinois Wesleyan University (1,000 to 4,999 students).

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Illinois's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 77%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 87%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 16°F
July average high: 86°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 26 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 133 a year
Rain and melted snow: 38.5 inches a year
Snow: 6 inches a year
Elevation: 816 feet

Weather stations: Normal 4NE (3 miles away) and Bloomington Wtr Wks (2 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Bloomington, ILCity of 79,0003

Chicago, ILMetro of 9.4 million114

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Bloomington, Chicago.

McLean County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

8 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Cedar Crest Addition Historic District and the Children's Village-Illinois Soldiers' and Sailors' Children's School.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Springfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument60 miles

Campus life. Check Illinois State University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Normal's history on Wikipedia.

Know Normal?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Hudson, IL1,800 people, 6 miles
Danvers, IL1,100 people, 10 miles
Downs, IL1,200 people, 10 miles
Lexington, IL2,100 people, 14 miles
Heyworth, IL2,900 people, 14 miles
El Paso, IL2,700 people, 15 miles

Smaller places

Towanda, IL423 people, 6 miles
Twin Grove, IL (unincorporated)1,458 people, 6 miles
Carlock, IL593 people, 8 miles
Shirley, IL (unincorporated)103 people, 9 miles
Kappa, IL231 people, 11 miles
Congerville, IL500 people, 13 miles
Stanford, IL586 people, 13 miles
Cooksville, IL153 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.