City limitsPlace boundary

Curated city comparison

UplandBloomington

Cross-region cities with almost identical population scale but sharply different price, rent, yield, affordability, housing-stock and demand evidence.

Upland, CA city briefBloomington, IL city brief

Decision memo

The trade-off before property underwriting

The interpretation uses direct city records only. County and metro averages are not substituted into this comparison.

Zillow city indexes frame the initial acquisition screen: Upland, CA pairs a $823280.3638198283 value index with a $2407.5752351097176 monthly rent index and a 3.509242305655097% gross yield; Bloomington, IL shows $271395.9893178152, $1367.510172532781, and 6.0465602721845986%. Bloomington is the stronger cash-flow starting point because its gross yield is higher while its indexed entry price is lower. That yield is gross: it excludes vacancy, management, repairs, taxes, insurance, utilities, financing, and capital work.

Entry affordability also points to Bloomington: its Zillow price-to-income measure is 3.5071331194796755, versus 7.779272076158256 in Upland. Upland, however, presents tighter renter conditions, with a 3.1046676096181048% vacancy rate and a 42.8691336398803% renter share, compared with Bloomington’s 6.1083902911576345% and 38.06603232832741%. Upland’s 52.39054290718038% rent-burden reading warrants income and leasing scrutiny, while Bloomington’s is 38.37981407702523%.

For housing stock and local demand, Upland’s 66.57708628005657% single-family share exceeds Bloomington’s 60.93052042408912%, and its population change between overlapping ACS vintages is 3.4740717530941545%, not annualized, versus 1.1433698647695945%. Those signals favor Upland where detached-home positioning and city population momentum matter, but Bloomington remains the lower-cost yield case. Zillow indexes and ACS survey measures answer different questions; do not treat ACS median rent or home value as an appraisal. The next check is property-level: validate achievable rent, condition, vacancy, taxes, insurance, and capital needs for the target asset.

Direct city matrix

The same definition on both sides

“n/a” remains missing. Zillow indexes and ACS survey measures stay visibly separate.

Decision evidence	Upland, CA	Bloomington, IL
Typical home valueZillow ZHVI · city	$823,280	$271,396
Observed market rentZillow ZORI · city	$2,408	$1,368
Gross yieldZORI × 12 ÷ ZHVI · before costs	3.5%	6.0%
Price to household incomeZillow value ÷ ACS income	7.78x	3.51x
Annual rent to incomeZillow rent × 12 ÷ ACS income	27.3%	21.2%
Rent burdenACS renter households paying 30%+	52.4%	38.4%
Renter shareACS occupied housing	42.9%	38.1%
Vacancy rateACS all housing units	3.1%	6.1%
Population changebetween ACS vintages · not annualized	▲ 3.5%	▲ 1.1%
UnemploymentACS civilian labor force	5.4%	2.7%

Entry and income screen

Price, rent and yield do not tell the same story

Bars begin at zero within each measure. Gross yield remains a before-cost screen.

Zillow city ZHVI and ZORI · 2026-06 / 2026-06

Price and rent history

Two city paths, each rebased to 100

Each panel keeps price and rent in its own city; no level is borrowed across geographies.

Five-year path

Price and rent, rebased to 100

ZHVI +22.5%ZORI +22.3%

Each series starts at 100 so their direction can be compared without pretending that a home value and a monthly rent share the same unit.

Five-year path

Price and rent, rebased to 100

ZHVI +41.1%ZORI +50.7%

Each series starts at 100 so their direction can be compared without pretending that a home value and a monthly rent share the same unit.

Fit by objective

There is no universal city winner

Five city questions remain separate so a yield lead cannot erase affordability or demand risk.

Cash-flow screenBloomington

Bloomington, IL fits cash_flow better: its 6.0465602721845986% gross yield exceeds Upland, CA’s 3.509242305655097%, while Bloomington’s Zillow value index is $271395.9893178152 compared with Upland’s $823280.3638198283. Bloomington’s monthly Zillow rent index is $1367.510172532781, versus $2407.5752351097176 in Upland, so the yield comparison—not rent level alone—drives this fit. It remains a pre-expense screen because gross yield excludes vacancy, management, repairs, taxes, insurance, utilities, financing, and capital work.

Entry affordabilityBloomington

Bloomington, IL is the better entry_affordability fit. Its Zillow city value index is $271395.9893178152, compared with $823280.3638198283 in Upland, CA, and its price-to-income measure is 3.5071331194796755 rather than 7.779272076158256. This supports a lower initial capital commitment in Bloomington, but property taxes, insurance, financing terms, and required repairs still need address-level review.

Renter pressureUpland

Upland, CA better fits renter_pressure because its vacancy rate is 3.1046676096181048%, versus 6.1083902911576345% in Bloomington, IL, and its renter share is 42.8691336398803% versus 38.06603232832741%. Upland’s 52.39054290718038% rent-burden reading signals limited household headroom. Yet Bloomington’s rent-index year-over-year change is 5.543793322190038%, above Upland’s 0.8805899687859498%; inspect submarket concessions rather than assume citywide pricing power.

Housing stockDepends on the property

housing_stock depends on asset type. Upland, CA has a 66.57708628005657% single-family share and an 11.976661951909477% large-multifamily share, versus 60.93052042408912% and 7.790215811850815% in Bloomington, IL. Bloomington has 37162 housing units against Upland’s 28280, and a 1982 median construction year versus 1978. Upland suits share-based detached or larger-multifamily screens; Bloomington offers more counted units and a later typical vintage. Confirm condition and location for the intended property.

Local demand riskDepends on the property

local_demand depends on the underwriting thesis. Upland, CA’s population change between overlapping ACS vintages is 3.4740717530941545%, not annualized, versus 1.1433698647695945% in Bloomington, IL. Upland’s unemployment rate is 5.3668430746275614%, compared with 2.7465372321534273% in Bloomington, while its poverty rate is 9.286839831240787% versus 10.966060842941829%. Upland has the stronger population signal; Bloomington has lower unemployment. Validate employment anchors, tenant demand, and neighborhood supply before selecting a target.

Household pressure

Acquisition and renter affordability

Zillow city indexes divided by direct ACS city household measures.

Housing system

Tenure, vacancy and structure

ACS citywide housing characteristics; not rentable inventory or lease-up speed.

Underwriting boundary

What this city comparison cannot decide

City evidence narrows a search; it does not appraise, inspect or finance a property.

01
Zillow city value and rent indexes are market indicators, not subject-property quotes. They may not reflect the target home’s size, condition, location, lease terms, or renovation status; confirm comparable sales and achieved rents before underwriting.
02
ACS measures describe surveyed city households and housing, not an individual asset. Median gross rent includes selected utilities, while the Zillow rent index is a different market measure; neither resolves the target property’s contract rent.
03
Population change spans overlapping ACS vintages and is not annualized; citywide vacancy and renter-share figures can conceal neighborhood-level supply, concessions, and tenant demand. Review the target submarket and current listings.

Figure-level provenance

The direct sources behind both records

Release period and retrieval date remain separate. Open either city brief for its complete geography ledger.

Census ACS 5-year — city population, households and housingACS 2024 5-yearPulled 2026-07-29 Census ACS 5-year — cities and communitiesACS 2024 5-yearPulled 2026-07-30 Zillow ZHVI — city home valueszillow_zhvi_city.csvPulled 2026-07-29 Zillow ZORI — city market rentszillow_zori_city.csvPulled 2026-07-29

Upland, CAOpen the complete city brief79,257 residents in the current ACS record Bloomington, ILOpen the complete city brief78,907 residents in the current ACS record Property testStress-test the same assumptionsReplace city averages with an actual deal