Bowling Green, KY — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Kentucky·Bowling Green

Why look at Bowling Green?

  • Moderately priced housing. Median home is $287k.
  • Stable market. Home values +0.4% year-over-year — neither overheated nor falling.
  • Growing population. ~2.3%/yr — typically signals jobs + investment.
Bowling Green, KY
Image: Wikipedia · Bowling Green, Kentucky
View watchlist →
69
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Bowling Green stands

At or near all-time high. population growing 2.3% per year.

Median home $287,401
1-year +0.4%
5-yr growth +5.6%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population +2.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$287k$146k$197k$248k$299k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
88/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,302/mo$929$1,154$1,380202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent131132100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 18.4
Lean buy

At a 18.4 price-to-rent ratio, Bowling Green is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
52 · w22%
Home 5-yr growth
68 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
83 · w16%
Rent YoY
53 · w12%
Home 10-yr growth
69 · w10%

About Bowling Green (Wikipedia)

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.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorTodd Alcott
Area40.65 sq mi
Elevation547 ft
Density1789.81/sq mi

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Things to see in Bowling Green(Other attractions)

  • Aviation Heritage Park
  • Bowling Green Ballpark
  • Beech Bend Park
  • General Motors Assembly Plant
  • National Corvette Homecoming
  • Capitol Arts Center
  • Cave Spring Caverns
  • Eloise B. Houchens Center
  • Historic Railpark at the L&N Depot
  • Lost River Cave and Valley
  • Riverview at Hobson Grove
  • Great American Donut Shop (GADS)

+8 more on Wikipedia.

Extracted from the Wikipedia article. Names linked in the source — open the city’s Wikipedia page for details.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Warren County right now.

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Warren County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Kentucky context

Schools

43 public schools20,037 students16.6:1 student-teacher

Bowling Green is served by 43 public schools enrolling about 20,037 students, with a student-teacher ratio of 16.6:1 — about the same as the US average of ~15:1. Public-school facts are from the NCES Common Core of Data; check ratings and attendance boundaries by exact address below.

Ratings, districts & boundaries:

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
42° / 26°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
86° / 66°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
188
~52% of year
Annual precip
50″ rain
12″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Moderate
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Bowling Green listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-28 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Filtered for Bowling Green-specific coverage. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Bowling Green area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$60,200
Kentucky state median
Top industries (state-level)
Manufacturing (auto)HealthcareLogistics (UPS)

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Find more cities like Bowling Green

Open the matchmaker pre-filled to match Bowling Green’s price band, region, and size — refine to taste.

Find more like Bowling Green →

Cities similar to Bowling Green

Explore other places with comparable momentum or affordability.

See all Kentucky cities →    Browse best-of lists →

Cost-of-ownership at the median

Tax burden
moderate state tax
~29% all-in for a $150k earner
Property tax / yr
$2k
0.83% × median home $287k
Climate / hazard
limited data
Plan for the local hazard profile.

Snapshot assumes a $150k single earner buying at the median home. Your real numbers depend on bracket, deductions, school district, and HOA. Use the affordability calculator and net-pay calculator for your specific case.

Schools & crime context

Schools

School quality is district-by-district and varies dramatically within a city. Check GreatSchools or your state DOE rankings for specific schools before deciding. City-level school data coming soon.

Crime

Kentucky: 253 violent crimes per 100K residents (state avg, FBI UCR). Neighborhood-level rates can vary 10× within one city — research specific areas via CrimeGrade or local police data.

Compare to where you live now

Set your current city once and we’ll show the cost delta on every city profile.

Jobs & hiring

In Bowling Green, unemployment sits around 4.9%, and hiring momentum has been steady. The strongest local sectors are hospitality & tourism, skilled trades & manufacturing and tech.

4.9% unemployment62/100 hiring momentum$48,873 median household income38/100 remote-work fit

Search current openings: