Bowling Green, KY Salaries
Local wages where BEA prices sit below the US average (RPP 90.2) - BLS OEWS May 2025
Observed metro pay change
What changed, BLS OEWS 2024–2025
- BLS's published All Occupations median in Bowling Green, KY moved from $43,640 in May 2024 to $45,040 in May 2025 (+3.2%).
- Across the 393 metros priced in both releases, the median place changed +3.1%.
- Bowling Green, KY sits +0.1 pp near that median, nominal dollars, no price deflator applied.
Transparent derived index from BLS and BEA data, not an official government rating. Based on wage level, year-over-year wage growth, and regional-price-parity-adjusted purchasing power, not job availability, industry mix, or day-to-day livability. See the exact dimensions, weights, and formula.
General and Operations Managers shows the widest metro-area vs national median gap in Bowling Green, KY
General and Operations Managers publishes $71,170 here versus $105,770 nationally (-32.7%; 2,010metro-area jobs). Next is Retail Salespersons at $28,430 locally versus $35,410 nationally (-19.7%).
- General and Operations Managers$71,170 in Bowling Green, KY sits 32.7% below the national General and Operations Managers median of $105,770 (2,010 published local jobs).
- Retail Salespersons$28,430 in Bowling Green, KY sits 19.7% below the national Retail Salespersons median of $35,410 (2,720 published local jobs).
- Fast Food and Counter Workers$27,650 in Bowling Green, KY sits 11.4% below the national Fast Food and Counter Workers median of $31,200 (2,540 published local jobs).
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$38,040 in Bowling Green, KY sits 5.5% below the national Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand median of $40,240 (2,070 published local jobs).
General and Operations Managers and the other occupations above are descriptive OEWS endpoints for Bowling Green, KY; they are not findings about taxes, employers, or worker experience.
BLS OEWS metro wage desk
MSA 14540 · Bowling Green, KY $53K mean
MEAN-TRACE · RPP-LOW · OCC-MID · TOP-LEAD · EMP-MIX · TREND-INLINE · PHOTO-FINISH · BOOK-MOST
- MEAN-TRACE #426/528
- RPP-LOW 90.2
- OCC-MID 279 occs
- TOP-LEAD Physicians, Al… · $408K
- EMP-MIX Industrial P…
- TREND-INLINE +0.1 pp
- PHOTO-FINISH Victoria, TX
- BOOK-MOST 278 rows · May 2025
Read with Victoria, TX (+$22 on published-row mean) · Salary vs. cost of living
Instrument codes from this MSA’s OEWS published-row mean, BEA RPP, occupation book, employment lead, All Occupations pay change, and nearest peer, not a moving recommendation.
Published-row mean neighbourhood around Bowling Green, KY
Where Bowling Green, KY already employs the upper wage tier
Industrial Production Managers and Industrial Engineers lead published employment inside Bowling Green, KY's top-pay sample, order follows OEWS job counts, not median wage.
- 1. Industrial Production Managers 390 jobs · $125,170
- 2. Industrial Engineers 340 jobs · $101,280
- 3. Sales Managers 270 jobs · $126,460
- 4. Financial Managers 270 jobs · $119,110
- 5. Software Developers 200 jobs · $100,650
- 6. Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary 170 jobs · $100,700
- 7. Pharmacists 160 jobs · $134,980
- 8. Nurse Practitioners 150 jobs · $112,970
- 9. Construction Managers 140 jobs · $101,400
- 10. Mechanical Engineers 130 jobs · $99,090
- 11. Physicians, All Other 110 jobs · $407,570
- 12. Administrative Services Managers 110 jobs · $114,990
- 13. Computer and Information Systems Managers 90 jobs · $126,940
- 14. Chief Executives 80 jobs · $164,080
- 15. Human Resources Managers 80 jobs · $118,420
- 16. Marketing Managers 80 jobs · $107,440
- 17. Purchasing Managers 70 jobs · $118,400
- 18. Business Teachers, Postsecondary 70 jobs · $104,190
Occupations Tracked
279
with wage data
Published-Row Mean
$52,828
employment-weighted, 278 complete rows
Top Salary
$407,570
Physicians, All Other
Cost of Living
90.2
10% below US avg
Top-pay occupations in Bowling Green, KY, by employment
Same top-pay sample as the salary ranking, sorted by published local jobs so the title sequence follows the OEWS mix.
| # | Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Industrial Production Managers | $125,170 |
| 2 | Industrial Engineers | $101,280 |
| 3 | Sales Managers | $126,460 |
| 4 | Financial Managers | $119,110 |
| 5 | Software Developers | $100,650 |
| 6 | Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary | $100,700 |
| 7 | Pharmacists | $134,980 |
| 8 | Nurse Practitioners | $112,970 |
| 9 | Construction Managers | $101,400 |
| 10 | Mechanical Engineers | $99,090 |
| 11 | Physicians, All Other | $407,570 |
| 12 | Administrative Services Managers | $114,990 |
| 13 | Computer and Information Systems Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 90 workers (fewer than 100). | $126,940 |
| 14 | Chief Executives Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 80 workers (fewer than 100). | $164,080 |
| 15 | Human Resources Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 80 workers (fewer than 100). | $118,420 |
| 16 | Marketing Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 80 workers (fewer than 100). | $107,440 |
| 17 | Purchasing Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 70 workers (fewer than 100). | $118,400 |
| 18 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 70 workers (fewer than 100). | $104,190 |
| 19 | Architectural and Engineering Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $132,540 |
| 20 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $131,880 |
| 21 | Facilities Managers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $112,770 |
| 22 | Managers, All Other Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $97,720 |
| 23 | Computer Network Architects Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 40 workers (fewer than 100). | $131,150 |
| 24 | Electrical Engineers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 40 workers (fewer than 100). | $100,860 |
| 25 | Veterinarians Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 40 workers (fewer than 100). | $97,260 |
Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.
Lowest Paying Jobs in Bowling Green, KY
| Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 50 workers (fewer than 100). | $22,140 |
| Amusement and Recreation Attendants | $23,300 |
| Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 90 workers (fewer than 100). | $23,430 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | $23,450 |
| Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | $24,500 |
| Childcare Workers | $24,960 |
| Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers | $26,200 |
| Food Preparation Workers | $26,410 |
| Bartenders | $26,800 |
| Cooks, Short Order Small sample: Small sample: this BLS estimate rests on 40 workers (fewer than 100). | $27,590 |
Small sample marks a row whose BLS estimate rests on fewer than 100 workers. It is still a published figure, but BLS reports more sampling error for cells this small: the median relative standard error of the mean wage is 3.4% under 100 workers against 2.1% at 100 or more (May 2025 metro estimates). Small gaps in rank between neighbouring rows may not be meaningful.
Other BLS Wage Areas in KY
Other metropolitan or nonmetropolitan OEWS areas assigned to the same state. Cross-state pay and employment peers live in Nationwide similar metros below.
Nationwide metros with similar published-row mean pay or employment scale
Two OEWS peer sets outside KY. Same-state wage areas above stay geographic; these neighborhoods are cross-state nearest neighbors on employment-weighted published-row mean wage ($52,828 here) and summed published employment.
Similar mean wage
Nearest other metros by employment-weighted published-row annual mean wage.
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on BLS OEWS employment-weighted published-row mean wage and summed occupation employment. Employment peers exclude metros already listed in the mean-wage column so the two link sets stay distinct. Mean wage here is not a worker-level median.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the lower price level do to Bowling Green, KY wage reading? ▼
What is the highest paying job in Bowling Green, KY? ▼
What jobs pay the least in Bowling Green, KY? ▼
Which federal tables feed Bowling Green, KY's wage and price figures? ▼
Related federal data
What to do with this data
How to use Bowling Green, KY wage figures in a real decision
- Physicians, All Other leads published medians in Bowling Green, KY at $407,570/year; open the occupation for percentile bands and state rows. Physicians, All Other
- The employment-weighted published-row mean of $52,828 adjusts to about $58,581 on a national-price basis at BEA RPP 90.2. Salary vs cost of living
- Compare this metropolitan statistical area against the statewide occupation table for KY before treating one geography as the other. State wage page
BLS OEWS estimates reflect the May 2025 reference period; small occupation-area cells can be suppressed, and figures are not employer offers.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Occupation rows use BLS OEWS May 2025. The metro benchmark is WageDex's employment-weighted mean of published occupation means; where BEA RPP is available, the price-level figure divides that benchmark by the published area parity. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.