Bowling Green, KY

Census Place

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2024 Population
75,388
US Senator
Mitch McConnell
Republican Party
US Senator
Rand Paul
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
28.7
2.87% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
25.6%
0.648% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$48,873
0.938% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$241,900
4.22% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
36,885
0.413% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Bowling Green, KY reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

89.7% of the residents in Bowling Green, KY are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Bowling Green, KY are Western Kentucky University (4,154 degrees awarded in 2023), Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (3,085 degrees), and PJ's College of Cosmetology-Bowling Green (193 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Bowling Green, KY was $241,900, and the homeownership rate was 36.6%.

Most people in Bowling Green, KY drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 17.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Bowling Green, KY was 2 cars per household.

United StatesKentuckyWarren County, KYBowling Green, KYBarren River Area Development District (Central)--Warren County PUMA, KY

Population & Diversity

Bowling Green, KY is home to a population of 75.4k people, from which 89.7% are citizens. As of 2024, 14% of Bowling Green, KY residents were born outside of the country (10.5k people).

In 2024, there were 4.42 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (46.8k people) in Bowling Green, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 10.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 5.8k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

89.7%
2024 Citizenship
89.6%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 89.7% of Bowling Green, KY residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bowling Green, KY was 89.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bowling Green, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bowling Green, KY
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    46.8k ± 887
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    10.6k ± 754
  3. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    5.8k ± 678
10.6%
Hispanic Population
7.96k people

In 2024, there were 4.42 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (46.8k people) in Bowling Green, KY than any other race or ethnicity. There were 10.6k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 5.8k Asian (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

10.6% of the people in Bowling Green, KY are hispanic (7.96k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bowling Green, KY as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Kentucky.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    34,091 ± 4,516 people
  2. Cuba
    20,475 ± 3,505 people
  3. India
    12,629 ± 2,755 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Kentucky was Mexico, the natal country of 34,091 Kentucky residents, followed by Cuba with 20,475 and India with 12,629.

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Foreign-Born Population

14%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
10.5k people
13.6%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
10k people

As of 2024, 14% of Bowling Green, KY residents (10.5k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bowling Green, KY was 13.6%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bowling Green, KY compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    974 ± 314
  2. Vietnam
    795 ± 251
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    465 ± 175

Bowling Green, KY has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.23 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bowling Green, KY.

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Economy

The economy of Bowling Green, KY employs 36.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bowling Green, KY were Manufacturing (6,772 people), Retail Trade (4,697 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (4,440 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($85,885), Wholesale Trade ($53,150), and Public Administration ($50,703).

Employment

Occupations

36.9k
2024 Value
± 1,813
−0.413%
1 Year decline
± 6.85%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bowling Green, KY declined at a rate of −0.413%, from 37k employees to 36.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bowling Green, KY, are Production Occupations (4,906 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,932 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (3,187 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bowling Green, KY.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Kentucky (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

36.9k
2024 Value
± 1,813
−0.413%
1 Year decline
± 6.85%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bowling Green, KY declined at a rate of −0.413%, from 37k employees to 36.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bowling Green, KY, are Manufacturing (6,772 people), Retail Trade (4,697 people), and Accommodation & Food Services (4,440 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bowling Green, KY, though some of these residents may live in Bowling Green, KY and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$37,905
Median earning men ± $2,453
$27,679
Median earning women ± $2,080

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($73,380), Wholesale Trade ($60,625), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($51,044).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($49,688), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($47,591), and Wholesale Trade ($42,378).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.
Y-Axis
2.51%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.98M people employed in Kentucky. This represents a 2.51% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 14.4%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Kentucky.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kentucky went to Donald J. Trump with 64.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.9%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.808%).

Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul are the senators currently representing the state of Kentucky. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Kentucky is currently represented by 6 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Bowling Green, KY. Showing the available data for Kentucky.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (64.5%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (33.9%)
    Democratic Party
  3. Robert Kennedy (0.808%)
    Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Kentucky went to Donald J. Trump with 64.5% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (33.9%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.808%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Kentucky for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Kentucky

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Kentucky.
Mitch McConnell
Senator from Kentucky2
Assumed office on January 3, 1985
Rand Paul
Senator from Kentucky3
Assumed office on January 3, 2011

Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul are the senators currently representing Kentucky.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Kentucky over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Bowling Green, KY awarded 7,512 degrees. The student population of Bowling Green, KY in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 8,372 male students and 13,902 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Bowling Green, KY are White (5,895 and 79.2%), Black or African American (552 and 7.41%), Hispanic or Latino (463 and 6.22%), and Asian (231 and 3.1%).

The largest universities in Bowling Green, KY by number of degrees awarded are Western Kentucky University (4,154 and 55.3%), Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College (3,085 and 41.1%), and PJ's College of Cosmetology-Bowling Green (193 and 2.57%).

The most popular majors in Bowling Green, KY are General Business Administration & Management (676 and 9%), Electrician (507 and 6.75%), and General Computer & Information Sciences (383 and 5.1%).

The median tuition cost in Bowling Green, KY for a public four year colleges is $11,436 for in-state students and $27,000 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Bowling Green, KY, the percentage of applicants admitted was 97%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 37.7%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 22,274 (37.6% men and 62.4% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 22,274 students enrolled in Bowling Green, KY, 37.6% men and 62.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 16,688 records, of which 62.8% were women and 37.2% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. General Business Administration & Management
    131 degrees awarded
  2. Registered Nursing
    169 degrees awarded
  3. General Studies
    151 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Bowling Green, KY was General Business Administration & Management with 131 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Bowling Green, KY according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Western Kentucky University
    4,154 degrees awarded
  2. Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College
    3,085 degrees awarded
  3. PJ's College of Cosmetology-Bowling Green
    193 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Western Kentucky University with 4,154 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 3,391 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Bowling Green, KY, which is 0.823 times less than the 4,121 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 5,895 degrees mean that there were 10.7 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 552 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($11,436) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($192) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,152) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Bowling Green, KY was $241,900 in 2024, which is 0.727 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $232,100 to $241,900, a 4.22% increase. The homeownership rate in Bowling Green, KY is 36.6%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bowling Green, KY have an average commute time of 17.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bowling Green, KY is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$241,900
Median Property Value 2024
±$7,765
$11,215
Median Property Taxes
±$930

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bowling Green, KY the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bowling Green, KY compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

36.6%
Homeownership
2024
67.6%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 36.6% of the housing units in Bowling Green, KY were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 37.3%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bowling Green, KY compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$48,873
Median Household Income
± $2,044
30.6k
Number of Households
± 1,692

In 2024, the median household income of the 30.6k households in Bowling Green, KY grew to $48,873 from the previous year's value of $48,419.

The following chart displays the households in Bowling Green, KY distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bowling Green, KY is from Kentucky.
0.449
2023 Wage GINI in Kentucky
0.452
2022 Wage GINI in Kentucky

In 2023, the income inequality in Kentucky was 0.449 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.729% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Kentucky was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Kentucky in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Kentucky across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (71.5%)
  2. Carpooled (14.7%)
  3. Worked At Home (6.35%)

In 2024, 71.5% of workers in Bowling Green, KY drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (14.7%) and those who worked at home (6.35%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

17.8 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bowling Green, KY have a shorter commute time (17.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.834% of the workforce in Bowling Green, KY have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bowling Green, KY compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bowling Green, KY distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bowling Green, KY have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

25.6% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bowling Green, KY (17.8k out of 69.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bowling Green, KY is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

89.9% of the population of Bowling Green, KY has health coverage, with 41.3% on employee plans, 28.7% on Medicaid, 8.4% on Medicare, 10.2% on non-group plans, and 1.39% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Kentucky see 1,601 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,601 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1502 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 320 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.8% under 18 years, 33.7% between 18 and 34 years, 29.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 11% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 50.3% were men and 49.7% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

10.1%
Uninsured
41.3%
Employer Coverage
28.7%
Medicaid
8.4%
Medicare
10.2%
Non-Group
1.39%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bowling Green, KY grew by 9% from 9.22% to 10.1%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bowling Green, KY changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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