Bowling Green, KY
Across all occupations in the Bowling Green, KY metropolitan area, the median wage is $45,040 a year ($21.65 an hour) and the mean $54,720, May 2025. That median is −12% against the US median of $50,980 and −4% against Kentucky's $46,920. BLS counts 82,160 jobs in the area. The highest-paying occupation is physicians, all other; the largest is retail salespersons.
All occupations: Bowling Green, KY vs Kentucky and the United States
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| Bowling Green, KY | Hourly | $13.18 | $16.31 | $21.65 | $30.12 | $43.73 | $26.31 | 82,160 |
| Annual | $27,410 | $33,920 | $45,040 | $62,650 | $90,960 | $54,720 | ||
| Kentucky | Hourly | $13.45 | $17.02 | $22.56 | $32.10 | $47.30 | $28.36 | 2,000,360 |
| Annual | $27,970 | $35,410 | $46,920 | $66,760 | $98,380 | $58,990 | ||
| United States | Hourly | $15.00 | $18.07 | $24.51 | $38.71 | $61.81 | $33.54 | 155,495,730 |
| Annual | $31,200 | $37,590 | $50,980 | $80,520 | $128,560 | $69,770 | ||
279 detailed occupations publish a median in this area. State profile: Kentucky. Compare any occupation across every area in the wage explorer.
20 highest-paying occupations in Bowling Green, KY
| Rank | Occupation | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicians, All Other | $407,570 | $195.95 | 110 |
| 2 | Chief Executives | $164,080 | $78.89 | 80 |
| 3 | Pharmacists | $134,980 | $64.90 | 160 |
| 4 | Architectural and Engineering Managers | $132,540 | $63.72 | 50 |
| 5 | Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $131,880 | $63.41 | 50 |
| 6 | Computer Network Architects | $131,150 | $63.05 | 40 |
| 7 | Computer and Information Systems Managers in Kentucky | $126,940 | $61.03 | 90 |
| 8 | Sales Managers in Kentucky | $126,460 | $60.80 | 270 |
| 9 | Industrial Production Managers | $125,170 | $60.18 | 390 |
| 10 | Financial Managers in Kentucky | $119,110 | $57.27 | 270 |
| 11 | Human Resources Managers | $118,420 | $56.93 | 80 |
| 12 | Purchasing Managers | $118,400 | $56.92 | 70 |
| 13 | Administrative Services Managers | $114,990 | $55.28 | 110 |
| 14 | Nurse Practitioners | $112,970 | $54.31 | 150 |
| 15 | Facilities Managers | $112,770 | $54.22 | 50 |
| 16 | Marketing Managers | $107,440 | $51.66 | 80 |
| 17 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary | $104,190 | * | 70 |
| 18 | Construction Managers | $101,400 | $48.75 | 140 |
| 19 | Industrial Engineers | $101,280 | $48.69 | 340 |
| 20 | Electrical Engineers | $100,860 | $48.49 | 40 |
Ranked by median; an occupation whose median BLS withholds or top-codes in this area cannot appear here, however well it pays.
20 largest occupations in Bowling Green, KY
Most concentrated occupations in Bowling Green, KY
The 10 occupations with the highest location quotient among those employing at least 100 people in the area. A quotient of 2.00 means the occupation's share of local jobs is twice its national share.
| Rank | Occupation | Location quotient | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 21.95 | 1,440 | 17.59 | * |
| 2 | Social Science Research Assistants | 6.05 | 100 | 1.19 | $84,680 |
| 3 | Tool and Die Makers | 5.83 | 180 | 2.14 | $69,790 |
| 4 | Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 4.74 | 430 | 5.22 | $44,790 |
| 5 | Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 4.34 | 220 | 2.68 | $57,620 |
| 6 | Tour and Travel Guides | 3.46 | 100 | 1.19 | $40,330 |
| 7 | Helpers--Production Workers | 3.42 | 300 | 3.65 | $40,350 |
| 8 | Food Batchmakers | 3.32 | 310 | 3.73 | $48,670 |
| 9 | Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | 3.07 | 240 | 2.97 | $45,490 |
| 10 | Industrial Machinery Mechanics | 3.00 | 700 | 8.49 | $74,410 |
Occupation groups in Bowling Green, KY
| Group | Median annual | Mean annual | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Management | $94,570 | $106,150 | 4,750 | 57.84 | 0.81 |
| Architecture and Engineering | $81,020 | $85,920 | 1,070 | 13.00 | 0.77 |
| Computer and Mathematical | $76,880 | $86,040 | 1,000 | 12.15 | 0.36 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | $76,250 | $94,850 | 5,360 | 65.24 | 1.03 |
| Legal | $74,660 | $89,940 | 440 | 5.40 | 0.64 |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | $73,850 | $79,700 | 540 | 6.59 | 0.70 |
| Business and Financial Operations | $65,180 | $74,960 | 2,950 | 35.86 | 0.53 |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | $56,200 | $57,690 | 3,740 | 45.50 | 1.16 |
| Educational Instruction and Library | $54,170 | $59,760 | 5,230 | 63.67 | 1.09 |
| Community and Social Service | $52,260 | $56,130 | 1,380 | 16.85 | 0.98 |
| Construction and Extraction | $49,790 | $54,000 | 3,290 | 40.03 | 0.97 |
| Production | $48,670 | $52,270 | 9,840 | 119.74 | 2.17 |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | $42,720 | $49,940 | 880 | 10.70 | 0.81 |
| Protective Service | $41,100 | $48,810 | 1,630 | 19.83 | 0.82 |
| Office and Administrative Support | $40,490 | $43,740 | 9,240 | 112.42 | 0.98 |
| Healthcare Support | $39,270 | $41,420 | 3,260 | 39.63 | 0.78 |
| Transportation and Material Moving | $39,120 | $43,110 | 8,610 | 104.81 | 1.19 |
| Farming, Fishing, and Forestry | $36,590 | $41,310 | 70 | 0.84 | 0.30 |
| Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance | $35,070 | $35,890 | 1,780 | 21.65 | 0.74 |
| Sales and Related | $31,410 | $41,120 | 7,360 | 89.56 | 1.04 |
| Personal Care and Service | $29,180 | $33,520 | 1,370 | 16.68 | 0.80 |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | $28,560 | $30,410 | 8,380 | 102.03 | 1.16 |
Every occupation in Kentucky, and the area's place among the state's metros, is on the state profile. All 279 published occupations for this area are in the wage explorer; other metros are on the metros hub.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Bowling Green, KY estimates (area 14540).
*- Wage estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Jobs per 1,000 is the occupation's employment per 1,000 jobs in the Bowling Green, KY area; the location quotient is that share divided by the national share.
- The concentration table keeps only occupations with employment of 100 or more in the area, so a quotient built on a handful of rounded jobs cannot top it.