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As an anchor to the 30-county region and with 1.7 million people, the Peoria area boasts a big city lifestyle with a small town feel, having world class healthcare and educational opportunities with numerous leading hospitals and universities. Learn more via the resources on our site about all the Peoria Region has to offer.
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With a dynamic market that continues to defy the economic trends that persist in so many other areas, demographics show that population for the area is trending as stable and household incomes are rising.
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With only the Chicago metropolitan area ahead in job creation, the job market in the Peoria Region continues to grow with 4,000 jobs added between June 2018 and May 2019. Learn more about employment and the region’s largest employers.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Key factors that help set the Peoria area apart from other cities within a 100-mile-radius include the Peoria Civic Center, the Peoria medical community and General Wayne A. Downing International Airport, the largest airport between Chicago and St. Louis.
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Factors like affordability, world class healthcare, a strong job market and a wealth of college and universities in the area have made Peoria the best place to live in Illinois and the 50th best in the country according to U.S. News & World Report. Peoria is the ideal place to live with the perfect balance of big city amenities and a small-town feel.
Peoria is among the most affordable metro area in the U.S. “According to Realtor.com, the media price for a home in Peoria is $98,000, a far cry from the media price across the country, $392,000.”
- Peoria Journal Star, March 2022
With a 140-year history, Peoria-based OSF HealthCare is the largest member of the area’s medical community and one of the largest employers in the state. OSF HealthCare recently opened it’s ministry headquarters in downtown Peoria which houses 700+ employees.
- WMBD TV, 2022
Employment increased by 3,374 workers through 2017. At the end of January 2017 Greater Peoria’s total employment was 176,493 and by the end of the year increased to 179,867.
- Greater Peoria EDC & Burea of Labor Statistic Dec 2017
Healthcare is Peoria’s largest and fastest-growing employment sectors with over 700 healthcare facilities and offices that employ over 32,000 Greater Peoria residents.
- WMBD TV, 2018
More than 46,000 students are within driving distance of the center including: Bradley University, Illinois Central College, Illinois State University, Heartland Community College, Illinois Wesleyan University
- Colleges/Universities website 2018
#13 Best place for STEM Grads
- NerdWallet 2016
The Peoria region spends $1B in research and development annually to continue being top in the fields of healthcare, technology, and innovation.
- Greater Peoria Economic Development Council
Peoria named one of top ten cities for most growth in professional jobs.
- Chicago Tribune, March 2022
Consumer spending at retail outlets increased by an estimated 3.5 percent, to $1.389 billion
- Bradley University 2016
The Peoria Region is a hub for transportation to the nation’s population and is accessible to the world via road, rover, rail and air. The region is ranked among the top 20% of the logistics metros by Expansion Management.
The Peoria region is globally connected, being served by the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport, and airports in Bloomington, Springfield and Moline; and interstate highways connecting major cities within the region. Besides being a recreational resource, the Illinois River is used heavily by barges to transport bulk goods.
