SalaryExplorer

SOC 53-7064 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Packers and Packagers, Hand — Bloomington

Bloomington, IN · 10 metro areas compared

$36,480 /year
$17.54per hour
220jobs in area
+0.6%vs US median

At $36,480, median pay for Packers and Packagers, Hand in Bloomington, IN tracks the national median of $36,280 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $36,28010TH$31,370MEDIAN$36,48090TH$48,230

How pay has moved

$50,130$27,570201920202022202320242025$36,480
$31,330 in 2019 to $36,480 in 2025, +16.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-5.4%
Openings per year
74,000
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Bloomington, IN.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

At $36,480, median pay for Packers and Packagers, Hand in Bloomington, IN tracks the national median of $36,280 closely. Pay ranges from under $31,370 at the tenth percentile to more than $48,230 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $31,370 to $48,070.

Employment stands at 220, or 3.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Within the state, Evansville records the highest median at $38,100. Of the 275 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 238th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Bloomington, IN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$31,370−13.5%
25th$31,370−13.5%
Median (50th)$36,480+0.6%
75th$48,070+32.5%
90th$48,230+32.9%
Mean$38,380+5.8%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Indiana

Median annual wage for Packers and Packagers, Hand, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Evansville$38,100370
2Elkhart$37,900640
3Indianapolis$37,0403,330
4Columbus$36,880110
5Fort Wayne$36,630950
6Lafayette$36,100190
7South Bend$35,790310
8Michigan City$35,490160
9Kokomo$32,27050
10Terre Haute$29,75070

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Bloomington run 4.9% below the national average, so the median of $36,480 goes as far as $38,360 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.7% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$36,480as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$38,360US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $36,480 a year, 0.6% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $31,370 to $48,230 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 220 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Evansville, at $38,100.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Packers and Packagers, Hand in Bloomington, IN?

The median annual wage is $36,480, or $17.54 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $36,280, so pay in Bloomington, IN is 0.6% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Bloomington, IN earns more than $48,230 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $31,370 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Evansville, at $38,100 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 220 jobs in this occupation in Bloomington, IN. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.

Packers and Packagers, Hand Salary in Bloomington, IN (2025): $36,480 Median | Salary Explorer