Best Fire Science Schools Near Bloomington, IL (2026)

Updated August 31, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Bloomington, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering fire science programs, with tuition ranging from $4,415 to $14,301 per year for indexed programs. Bloomington has a population of about 78,703. Median household income is $75,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 48.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bloomington, IL metro area, the top-earning fire science-related role is First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers at a median $94,340 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Fire Science Schools to Bloomington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer fire science programs near Bloomington, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bloomington city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Bloomington. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Illinois Central College

East Peoria, IL 33.2 miles from Bloomington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
50.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,366
Avg net price $12,961/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 58

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Parkland College

Champaign, IL 43.0 miles from Bloomington
  • 2 year
40.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,320
Avg net price $8,048/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 60

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Lincoln Land Community College

Springfield, IL 62.2 miles from Bloomington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
57.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 39%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,479
Avg net price $4,299/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 43

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Joliet Junior College

Joliet, IL 81.9 miles from Bloomington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
55.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,889
Avg net price $1,672/yr
Tuition
In‑state$4,530
Out‑of‑state$13,800
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 64

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Western Illinois University

Macomb, IL 90.3 miles from Bloomington
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
54.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $54,163
Avg net price $12,937/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 83

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Waubonsee Community College

Sugar Grove, IL 95.0 miles from Bloomington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
59.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 32%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,788
Avg net price $11,442/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 37

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Prairie State College

Chicago Heights, IL 100.4 miles from Bloomington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,696
Avg net price $4,738/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 40

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Moraine Valley Community College

Palos Hills, IL 102.8 miles from Bloomington
  • 2 year
  • Offers a fully online program
60.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $43,892
Avg net price $2,829/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois fire science page.

Fire Science Wages Near Bloomington

Bloomington is part of the Bloomington, IL metro area (BLS area code 14010). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Firefighter$69,270Bloomington, IL$74,086
First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers$94,340Bloomington, IL$100,898
Fire Inspector and Investigator$62,400IL statewide$66,738
Emergency Management Director$83,820IL statewide$89,647

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Bloomington at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population78,703Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$75,449Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+48.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)93.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Bloomington-Area Cities With Fire Science Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited fire science schools are near Bloomington, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering fire science programs near Bloomington. The closest is Illinois Central College in East Peoria, IL (33.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lake Land College (79.5 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying fire science roles near Bloomington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying fire science-related roles near Bloomington are: First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers ($94,340), Emergency Management Director ($83,820), Firefighter ($69,270). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Normal instead of Bloomington?

Normal, IL is 3.3 miles from Bloomington and has its own set of local fire science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Bloomington an affordable place to study fire science?

Bloomington’s median household income of $75,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bloomington while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Fire Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Bloomington

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Bloomington:

Data verified: August 31, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Fire Science Schools in Illinois: Online Programs (2026)