Bowling Green, Ohio Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Bowling Green, OH Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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F
Income Well below average
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C
Education Below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Bowling Green | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,516 | 11,799,428 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1563.4 | 263.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.76% | 0.23% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 23.1 | 38.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,132 | 4,857,236 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Bowling Green declined by 6.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,516 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Bowling Green is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 62.3% of residents. That is 41.5 points above Ohio as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 12,787 62.3% +41.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,348 11.4% -9.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,870 9.1% -11.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,678 8.2% -9.9 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Ohio, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 52.4% of the people living in Bowling Green and men 47.6%.
- Women 52.4% Ohio 50.8%
- Men 47.6% Ohio 49.2%
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Economy
Bowling Green has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Bowling Green | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,344 | $71,509 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.73% | 4.38% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Bowling Green is about 41% lower than in Ohio.
Housing
| Metric | Bowling Green | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $7,462 | $139,044 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $888 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 29.0% | 67.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Bowling Green is about 0.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $888 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Bowling Green spend about 27 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 111 hours, about 4.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Bowling Green | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 13.4 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 26.8 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 111 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $3,456 | $5,447 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.7% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,518 | 8,648 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,712 | 1,212 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Bowling Green is 13 minutes, shorter than the 21 minutes in Ohio.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Bowling Green has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Bowling Green | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27.0% | 28.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 1.95 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Health
Bowling Green has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Bowling Green | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.2 | 77.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.8% | 17.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.9% | 24.3% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bowling Green, Ohio.
How many people live in Bowling Green, Ohio?
About 20,516 people live in Bowling Green, Ohio, in 8,132 households of 2.0 people on average. The median age is 23.1, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 14 years.
Is Bowling Green, Ohio mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Bowling Green, Ohio has 1,563 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 18 times the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Bowling Green, Ohio?
The median home costs 0.2 times the median household income ($7,462 against $42,344), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $888 a month takes about 25% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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