Bloomington–Normal Bloomington–Normal, IL MSA | |
|---|---|
 Uptown Normal, looking east on North Street, 2011 | |
 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Illinois |
| Principal cities | |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 49.2 sq mi (127 km2) |
| • Metro | 1,601 sq mi (4,150 km2) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Urban | 132,600 (243rd) |
| • MSA | 190,345 (225th) |
| • CSA | 229,253 (130th) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (CST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
TheBloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area, commonly known as theBloomington Metropolitan Statistical Area orBloomington–Normal, is ametropolitan statistical area inCentral Illinois anchored by thetwin municipalities ofBloomington andNormal. At the2010 census, the municipalities had a combined urban population of 132,600, while the metropolitan area had a population of 169,572.
Prior to 2013, the metropolitan area consisted of onlyMcLean County.[1] In 2013, theOffice of Management and Budget revised the delineations of the metropolitan area to include all ofDeWitt and McLean counties. Additionally, theBloomington–PontiacCombined Statistical Area was created to combine the Bloomington MSA with thePontiac, Illinoismicropolitan statistical area. The CSA includes McLean, DeWitt, andLivingston counties.[2]
The McLean County Regional Planning Commission (MCRPC) serves as the designatedmetropolitan planning organization (MPO) for Bloomington–Normal. The metropolitan planning area (MPA) of MCRPC includes Bloomington, Normal,Downs, andTowanda.[3]
The Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area had agross domestic product (GDP) of around $15 billion in 2023.[4] The largest industries include finance and insurance, educational services, manufacturing, and health care.[5]
The Bloomington–Normal area is home to the headquarters of major companies and organizations such asState Farm,COUNTRY Financial,FS Growmark,Illinois Farm Bureau,Beer Nuts, and theIllinois High School Association (IHSA).[6]
The area hosts three higher educational institutions. Normal hostsIllinois State University andHeartland Community College. Bloomington hostsIllinois Wesleyan University.[7]
Carle BroMenn Medical Center in Normal andOSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington provide health services and health industry jobs to the area.[8]
In recent years, the Bloomington–Normal area has seen a resurgence of its manufacturing center. In 2017,Rivian purchased the oldMitsubishi Motors manufacturing plant for $16 million in northwest Normal. Since 2021, the company has employed nearly 8,000 workers producingelectric-vehicle products such as theR1T pick-up truck, theR2 SUV, andelectric delivery vans forAmazon.[9][10][11]
In 2024, Rivian announced plans to invest over $1.2 billion in its Normal facility in order to assist with the production of the R2. The company will receive financial assistance from theIllinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.[12] In 2025, Rivian announced plans to build a new $120 million supplier park.[13]
Ferrero USA announced in 2020 plans for a $75 million expansion of its Bloomington plant.[14] In May 2024, Ferrero officially opened its first-ever chocolate factory in North America located in Bloomington as part of a $214 million investment.[15][16]
Due to its centralized location in Illinois, the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area hosts a variety of transportation networks and services such as three interstates, an Amtrak station, two freight railroads, and an airport with commercial air service.[17]
Interstate 55 runs north–south through Bloomington and Normal, connecting the area north toChicago and south toSt. Louis.Interstate 74 runs northwest–southeast through Bloomington and Normal, connecting the area to thePeoria andIndianapolis. The southern terminus ofInterstate 39 is in Normal and connects the area north toRockford andMadison.U.S. Route 51 bisects Bloomington and Normal, and connects to area south toDecatur.Veterans Parkway (I-55 BUS) is a major arterial that runs on the east side of Bloomington–Normal that hosts most of the area's commercial shopping centers and corporate headquarters such as State Farm and COUNTRY Financial. Other major highways in the area includeU.S. Route 150 andIllinois Route 9.[18][19]
Uptown Station serves as Bloomington–Normal's primary intermodal transportation center. Located in the Uptown Normal business district, it is served byAmtrak'sLincoln Service inter-city rail line andTexas Eagle long-distance service.[20] Both services provide five daily round-trips toChicago andSt. Louis. One Lincoln Service round-trip continues on toKansas City as a combined train with theMissouri River Runner. The Texas Eagle provide one daily train in each direction and connects south toLittle Rock,Dallas,Fort Worth,Austin, andSan Antonio. Three times a week, a portion of the train continues further toLos Angeles.[21] Since 2023, trains run at a top speed of 110-mph.[22][23] The station is also served by Connect Transit buses,Peoria Charter,Greyhound, andJefferson Lines.[24]
TwoClass I freight railroads serve Bloomington–Normal:Union Pacific (UP) andNorfolk Southern (NS). UP has a rail yard in Bloomington and NS has a rail yard in Normal next to the Rivian facility.[25][26]
Connect Transit is the primary urban public transit provider in Bloomington–Normal. It operates 16 fixed-routes with hubs at Uptown Station and Downtown Bloomington. Buses run every 15, 30, or 60 minutes, depending on the route, time of day, and day of the week. It also operates a paratransit service branded as Connect Mobility and a micotransit service in southwest Bloomington branded as Connect FLEX. In July 2025, Connect Transit began operating a new demand-response service for rural McLean County branded as Connect GO.[27][28][29]
Central Illinois Regional Airport, located in Bloomington, provides commercial air service to the area.American Eagle provides daily service toChicago–O'Hare andDallas/Fort Worth.Delta Connection provides daily service toAtlanta. Allegiant Air provides service toOrlando/Sanford andSt. Petersburg/Clearwater.[30] Allegiant Air will begin new service toPhoenix/Mesa on February 13, 2026.[31] Beginning May 7, 2026,United Express will provide service toChicago–O'Hare.[32]
Bloomington-Normal travel guide from Wikivoyage