Bowling Green vs Springfield
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $177,700 in Springfield and $241,900 in Bowling Green.
- Bowling Green is growing faster: +8.6% since 2020 vs +0.4%.
Side by side
| Bowling Green, KY | Springfield, MO | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 78,505 | 169,847 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8.6% | +0.4% |
| People per square mile | 1,870 | 2,039 |
| Median age | 28.7 | 33.7 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 31% | 31% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $48,873 | $49,311 |
| Median home value | $241,900 | $177,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.9× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $998 | $964 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.2 | 88.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 63.4 | 65.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,600 | $66,400 |
| Homeowners | 37% | 44% |
| Top state income tax | 3.5% | 4.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 6% | 8.44% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 17.8 | 17.6 |
| Work from home | 6% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.9% | 4.3% |
| Poverty rate | 25.6% | 18.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 46° / 28° | 44° / 24° |
| July high / low | 90° / 70° | 90° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 50 in | 45 in |
| Snowfall per year | 9 in | 14 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 47 | 40 |
| Nights below freezing | 81 | 95 |
| Comfortable months | 2 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 88.5 | 90.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 76% | 63% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.1% | +47.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bowling Green: September to October. Springfield: June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Bowling Green weather by month and Springfield weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,600 in Bowling Green and $66,400 in Springfield. Moving from Bowling Green to Springfield, you would need about $73,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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