Photo: OPMaster · CC BY-SA 3.0Bowling Green spent more per resident in 2022 than 81% of similar cities
Bowling Green’s city government spent $110.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,475 per resident. Water and other utilities ($106.6 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bowling Green is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
$995 per resident in 2022: more than 81% of them
Bowling Green’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($995 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 341 Kentucky cities that don’t run their own schools: the median was $570, and the middle half spent $307–$890. Bowling Green spent more than 81% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($33,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Kentucky cities that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bowling Green itself left out).
About $1,475 per resident a year, or $4.04 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 27%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 57% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bowling Green reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $995 · 2023: $996 · 2024: $1,475. Per resident it went from $995 to $1,475 (up 48%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 70,631 to 74,926.
full-time in March 2025, up from 680 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,807 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.75% of the home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bowling Green’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Bowling Green’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bowling Green →
Who’s in charge in Bowling Green
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bowling Green’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on bgky.org ↗.
One full-time city employee for every 97 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (74,926).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Warren County School District
Bowling Green’s K–12 school district, shared with Oakland, Plum Springs, Smiths Grove, Woodburn. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,064 per pupil, $7,620 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Kentucky districts overall: 37% local, 46% state, 17% federal.
Bowling Green Independent School District · $14,367 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bowling Green’s votes are counted by county
Kentucky reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bowling Green alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Warren County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican61.3%34,862 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat37.0%21,065 votesOthers: 1.7% (964 votes).
Most votes in Warren County: Donald J Trump
Kentucky: Trump 64.5%, Harris 33.9%
100% of Bowling Green lies in Warren County. Every 2024 race in Warren County is on the county’s page.
Warren County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bowling Green.
- 1Your cityMayor & councilOfficials: bgky.org ↗
- 2Kentucky HouseBowling Green is split between 3 districts
- 3Kentucky SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Kentucky
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Bowling Green compares with the towns next door
Bowling Green spent $995 per resident in 2022; the neighbor that reported 2022 spent $89. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Plum Springs | $89 | $1,057 |
| Bowling Green | $995 | $1,807 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Bowling Green’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bowling Green’s government
How much does Bowling Green spend per resident?
About $1,475 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $995 was more than 81% of 341 Kentucky cities that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bowling Green?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,807 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.75% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.75% across Kentucky. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see bgky.org.
Who runs Bowling Green’s government?
See bgky.org for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bowling Green yet.
How did Bowling Green vote in 2024?
Kentucky counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Bowling Green alone. Warren County, where 100% of Bowling Green lies, voted Trump 61.3%, Harris 37.0% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bowling Green?
772 full-time and 153 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $5.5M (about $65.6M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bowling Green in the state legislature?
Bowling Green is split among 3 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Kentucky Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bowling Green’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →