Smart Movers Club

    Moving to Bowling Green, KY

    Is Bowling Green a good place to live?

    Watch Bowling Green

    Bowling Green ranks #9 of 16 Kentucky cities with 25,000+ people on the Smart Movers livability score (42/100), which weighs home affordability, unemployment, education and population growth. Population grew 1.7% in the latest Census year.

    Median home value
    $232,100
    +7.8% vs prior year
    Median rent
    $948
    per month
    Household income
    $48,419
    median
    Unemployment
    5.1%
    lower is better

    Cost of living in Bowling Green

    The median home value in Bowling Green is $232,100 and median rent is $948 a month, against a median household income of $48,419. Homes cost about 4.8× a year of income (under 3× is considered affordable).

    Bowling Green crime rate

    City-level FBI figures vary by agency; across Kentucky the 2025 rate was 214 violent and 1,282 property crimes per 100,000 people — #38 highest of 50 states. The full report breaks down local trends.

    Moving to Bowling Green, KY

    Bowling Green has about 73,638 residents, 5.1% unemployment and 19% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher.

    Compare Bowling Green with

    Bowling Green vs LouisvilleBowling Green vs LexingtonBowling Green vs OwensboroBowling Green vs CovingtonBowling Green vs GeorgetownBowling Green vs RichmondBowling Green vs FlorenceBowling Green vs Elizabethtown

    More: Where to move in Kentucky · Best counties in Kentucky

    Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimates (2023, compared with 2022); FBI Crime Data Explorer.

    Home listings, local news, migration, schools, resources and the Smart Movers Grade & Verdict.

    See the full Smart Movers Club report