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Place dossier plate
SheetOH-BOWLING-GREEN-OH · Bowling Green, OH 30,051 pop · income 15th pct · 31 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Bowling Green
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Bowling Green on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Bardwell · lowest
46,711
Bardwell · lowest
46,711 median HH income
41.2% of the leader · rank #1
Bowling Green · this city
46,719
Bowling Green · this city
46,719 median HH income
41.2% of the leader · rank #2
Mammoth · near
46,719
Mammoth · near
46,719 median HH income
41.2% of the leader · rank #3
Oakfield · near
46,719
Oakfield · near
46,719 median HH income
41.2% of the leader · rank #4
Freeburg · near
46,719
Freeburg · near
46,719 median HH income
41.2% of the leader · rank #5
Summerlin Sou… · highest
113,301
Summerlin Sou… · highest
113,301 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Bowling Green on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 30,051.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Bowling Green - the verdict
Nationally, Bowling Green sits in the 15th percentile for household income and the 63rd percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
15th
percentile, household income
48th
percentile, home value
22nd
percentile, median rent
63rd
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Bowling Green, OH
Bowling Green is a small city in Ohio, home to 30,051 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Households in Bowling Green report a median income of $46,719 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 12.9%. Typical homes in Bowling Green are valued around $217,300, and the median resident age is 23.6 years. About 47.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 60.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Bowling Green reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1026.8 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Ohio run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Ohio at 92.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Below Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,092 per month. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Ohio's average monthly utility costs around $228 (state average). Natural-hazard exposure scores 55.0 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Bowling Green's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to schools and households to housing and income to within-city variation to population change to reported crime to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Bowling Green, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, matched public-school count, annual population history, commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles.
No matched row is reported here for local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Bowling Green?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 73.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
What does the education layer cover for Bowling Green?
The NCES join finds 8 public schools within the city match. 47.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
What can 31 Census tracts reveal inside Bowling Green?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 31 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Bowling Green?
Within Ohio, the closest population matches are Austintown (30,215 residents, $50,855 income); Garfield Heights (29,369 residents, $52,006 income); North Royalton (31,013 residents, $81,810 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are McDonough, GA (30,056 residents); Ruskin, FL (30,074 residents); Summerlin South, NV (30,075 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Bowling Green?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 12.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$46,719
Home value
$217,300
Value / income
4.7×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Is Bowling Green growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +386 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +1.3% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+1.3%
2025 estimate
31,182
2020 estimate
30,796
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Bowling Green?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1026.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 55% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
957.5
Violent rate
69.3
Total reported rate
1026.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Bachelor's+ share A-
47.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime B+
69 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Cost of living B+
92.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate F
12.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$46,719
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Bowling Green profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 81/100 (A-) · 47.0%
Violent crime: 79/100 (B+) · 69 /100k
Cost of living: 75/100 (B+) · 92.8 index
Poverty rate: 28/100 (F) · 12.9%
Household income: 16/100 (F) · $46,719
Where Bowling Green sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Bowling Green's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Bowling Green highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Bowling Green, OH (this city): home $217,300, crime 1,027/100k
McDonough, GA : home $285,800, crime 2,960/100k
Matthews, NC : home $406,800, crime 2,839/100k
Fridley, MN : home $277,100, crime 3,327/100k
Austintown, OH : home $133,000, crime 1,485/100k
Garfield Heights, OH : home $100,000, crime 2,334/100k
North Olmsted, OH : home $202,400, crime 1,062/100k
Massillon, OH : home $138,800, crime 2,134/100k
How does Bowling Green compare to other US cities?
Bowling Green measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income15% higher than other cities
Home value48% pricier than other cities
Median rent22% pricier than other cities
Safety63% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
National percentiles can mask local variation. Looking only at Ohio, Bowling Green ranks #118 of 281 Ohio cities by lowest crime rate - a narrower, more locally useful cut than the national comparison above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Bowling Green against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Ohio only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Ohio-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Bowling Green near the bottom of Ohio's cities
Among the 1,196 Ohio cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Bowling Green ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bowling Green only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#982 of 1,145
14th percentile in Ohio
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 1,196
0th percentile in Ohio
Median Home Value
#260 of 1,164
78th percentile in Ohio
Poverty Rate
#324 of 1,196
72nd percentile in Ohio
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#121 of 1,196
90th percentile in Ohio
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Ohio only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
15th percentile nationally for median household income · 63rd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Bowling Green's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Bowling Green's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Bowling Green's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$217,300Among the most affordablemore affordable than 52% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Bowling Green's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#12,283 of 15,516
More affordable than 21% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,437 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.7×, Bowling Green sits in the moderate band:
national rank #12,283 of 15,516 and #2,437 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$46,719Bowling Green, OH median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Bowling Green, OH median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Bowling Green, OH.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)47.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)12.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)60.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
30,051
Median Income
$46,719
Median Home Value
$217,300
Median Age
23.6
Poverty Rate
12.9%
Labor force participation
60.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
47.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1026.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
69.3
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
957.5
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Schools
Total Schools
8
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Bowling Green's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
30,796 residents
2021
28,505 residents
2022
29,606 residents
2023
30,317 residents
2024
30,700 residents
2025
31,182 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
73.1%
Carpool
7.0%
Public Transit
0.7%
Walk
8.6%
Work from Home
9.9%
Other
0.7%
Based on 14,913 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Ohio statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $228
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Ohio at $228 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Ohio statewide averages, not a meter reading for Bowling Green. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Ohio's BEA cost-of-living index is 92.8 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Bowling Green is $1,092/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Ohio statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.0 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Ohio statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Bowling Green sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Bowling Green compares to similar-size Ohio cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NCES CCD, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.