Best Public Administration Schools Near Bloomington, IL (2026)

Bloomington, Illinois has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs, with tuition ranging from $12,004 to $39,200 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 public administration-related role is Management Analyst at a median $113,110 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Public Administration Schools to Bloomington

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public administration 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.

No school data available.

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


Public Administration 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)
Social and Community Service Manager$84,130Bloomington, IL$89,979
Urban and Regional Planner$91,360IL statewide$97,711
General and Operations Manager$93,250Bloomington, IL$99,733
Management Analyst$113,110Bloomington, IL$120,973

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 Public Administration Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited public administration schools are near Bloomington, IL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public administration programs near Bloomington. The closest is University of Illinois Springfield in Springfield, IL (61.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Blackburn College (94.9 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying public administration roles near Bloomington?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public administration-related roles near Bloomington are: Management Analyst ($113,110), General and Operations Manager ($93,250), Urban and Regional Planner ($91,360). 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 public administration 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 public administration?

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 Public Administration Programs

Other Programs Available in Bloomington

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

Data verified: August 11, 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.