Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bowling Green earns a D, 124th among Kentucky's 138 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. It reports more crime per resident than 80% of U.S. towns, including 148 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. The median household income is $49K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 82% of U.S. towns. 57% of working residents work locally in Bowling Green, against 15% in Kentucky’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Warren County Courthouse and Riverview. On cost of living, just 23 of Kentucky’s 238 towns do worse.
Where Bowling Green beats most towns.
Riverview
Its 67 National Register listings are more than in 99% of Kentucky towns with a listing.
Census counts: 41 in 1800, 72,294 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1862 and 5 maps from 1921 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Bowling Green is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bowling Green, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Bowling Green.
Bowling Green has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Kentucky and draws workers from Glasgow and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Kentucky (mostly inland flooding).
43 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. Bowling Green’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Hobson Grove Park, 229 acres with 2.6 miles of trail.
| Bowling Green | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.0 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.8% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hobson Grove Park | 2.6 mi | 229 |
| 2. Weldon Peete Park | 2.2 mi | 81 |
| 3. Preston S Miller Park | 1.9 mi | 58 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Warren County school district. Three of its 35 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,042 | A− |
| Greenwood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,451 | A− |
| Potter Gray ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 499 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
58,106 jobs are based in Bowling Green, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.8 minutes, against 24 across Kentucky.
The average trip to work in Bowling Green is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Bowling Green grew to 58,106 in 2023, 7,899 more than in 2013. 6.3% of Bowling Green workers work from home.
| Bowling Green | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6.3% | 10% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 2,409 to 1,971 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Bowling Green reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 80% report less. Among 115 Kentucky towns, just 10 have a higher property crime rate than Bowling Green.
| Bowling Green | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 22.6 per 1,000 residents | 8.2 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of Kentucky towns, with expected losses of about $550 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 65 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bowling Green.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 36.6% of households own their home, against 68.3% across Kentucky.
Adults 18 to 34 are 36% of residents (22% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 29% of residents (38% statewide). 11% of residents are 65 or older in Bowling Green. Bowling Green has grown 8.6% since 2020, to 78,505 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Bowling Green | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 28.7 years | 37.6 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 17% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 31% | 26% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1 point. Across Kentucky, 50.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 29.2, men 28.2.
| Bowling Green | KY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.7% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 10.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 21.5% | 9.1% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.9% | 13.1% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.1% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 8.3% | 13% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.4% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14.6% | 11.1% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.3% | 32.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.1% | 19.7% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.8% | 9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 16.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.2% | 11.3% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 5,341 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bowling Green’s, it is healthier than 62%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Kentucky it is less healthy than 53% of the 141 graded towns: much of Kentucky scores lower on these measures.
Bowling Green beats the Kentucky average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. Only 7 of the 141 Kentucky towns we compare have a lower share of adults who had a checkup this year than Bowling Green.
| Bowling Green | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 79% | 79% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bowling Green | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.1% | 8.7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6.3% | 8.2% |
| More uninsured adults | 9% | 5.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Bowling Green home is worth about $280,000, about the same as a year ago, 21% above the Kentucky typical home. Only 5 of the 142 Kentucky towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Bowling Green.
| Bowling Green | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 37% | 59% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 44% | 48% |
| Median rent | $998 a month | $930 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 89.4°, the #2 highest of 554 Kentucky places with climate records; January nights average 27.5°.
Of the 142 Kentucky towns we compare, none has a higher July high than Bowling Green. Bowling Green has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Among 142 Kentucky towns, just 2 have a higher January low than Bowling Green.
| Bowling Green | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 87°F | 85°F |
| January low | 28°F | 25°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bowling Green. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi National ParkMammoth Cave National Park661K visitors a year
in town MuseumNational Corvette Museum
in town CaveLost River Cave
4 mi Theme parkBeech Bend Park
in town MuseumThe Historic Railpark and Train Museum32 mi Zoo & aquariumKentucky Down UnderMammoth Cave National Park: Willis Thomas Lee, Public domain · National Corvette Museum: Jonrev at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Lost River Cave: Nyttend, Public domain · Beech Bend Park: Acdixon, CC0 · The Historic Railpark and Train Museum: Bedford at en.wikipedia, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bowling Green
College town 15 of every 100 Bowling Green residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
58,067 counted in 2010 and 72,294 in 2020; an estimated 78,505 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.6% since 2020, after 24.5% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
67 places in Bowling Green on the National Register of Historic Places.
47 notable people were born in Bowling Green.
City in Kentucky, United States
Bowling Green is a city in and the county seat of Warren County, Kentucky, United States. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Louisville and Lexington. The Bowling Green metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in the state and had a population of 179,639 in 2020. Founded by pioneers in 1798, Bowling Green was the provisional capital of Confederate Kentucky during the American Civil War. In the 21st century, it is the location of numerous manufacturers, including General Motors, Spalding, and Fruit of the Loom. The Bowling Green Assembly Plant has been the source of all Chevrolet Corvettes built since 1981. Bowling Green…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Bowling Green.
| Town | KY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowling Green | #124 | D | C | C− | B+ | C |
| Plum Springs | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Plum Springs isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bowling Green with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bowling Green grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #124 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades C for health, C− for safety and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($63,328 across the Bowling Green, KY metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
47 notable people were born here, including Bill Pope and Francis McDonald.
.jpg){kind=link}
