CitytisticsShortlist

Cost of living, pay and housing

39.63° N · 78.81° W · GEOID 2408850

Bowling Green

Allegany County, Maryland · part of the Cumberland, MD metro

Limited data population under 5,000

MarylandBowling Green, MDBowling GreenBowling Green

The short answer

Bowling Green is home to 966 people. Median household income is $76,140 a year and median rent is $899 a month, 14.2% of income (a ratio of two medians, not any one household's burden). Rent pressure is lighter than in most places. The median home is valued at $132,000, about 1.7x annual median household income.

Median gross rent
$899
34% below the median place
Median household income
$76,140
5% below the median place
Median home value
$132,000
59% below the median place
Unemployment
5.0%
2% above the median place

Compared with the median of the 6,645 places we track. The bundle was checked 2026-11-14; each measure may refer to an older release.

What stands out about Bowling Green

  • 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 197 Maryland places.
  • The median home is worth 1.7 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 97% of places its size. It is the lowest of 199 Maryland places.
  • Households average 2.07 people, smaller than in 89% of places its size.
  • The median rent takes only 14.2% of the median household's income, a smaller share than in 88% of places its size.
  • 16% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, a smaller share than in 85% of places its size.
01

Moving to Bowling Green

Allegany County gains about 7.5 residents per 1,000 a year to moves between counties.

Moved in1,933
Moved out1,570
Net+363

Where people come from and where they go, top counties

Mineral County, WV296285+11
Garrett County, MD165102+63
Bedford County, PA5364−11

Within Maryland, other states or abroad

Arrivals
Leavers
Within MarylandOther states

Income per tax return

Arrivals$49K
Leavers$53K

People on tax returns who moved between counties, from IRS migration data, 2022 to 2023. Figures are for all of Allegany County; flows under 20 returns are not published.

Who moves here
5.3% of residents arrived from another county in the past year, 0.0% from another state. County figure.
Who arrives and who leaves
Households moving into Allegany County report $48,800 a year in income on average; those leaving, $52,700, so leavers earn more than newcomers.
Income you would need
$36,000 a year to rent the median home at the 30% line. From your city
Rent or buy
Median rent is $899 a month; owners with a mortgage pay $1,318 a month including taxes and insurance, on a median home of $132,000.
Getting to work
15 minutes each way on average; 9.1% work from home.
If it is close but not quite
Plaquemine, LA matches it on character. Compare the two
Moved from another state1
0.0%
below the median place (median 2.0%)
Income of households moving in6
$48,792
31% below the median place
Income of households moving out6
$52,700
25% below the median place
All 5 moving measures
MeasureBowling GreenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Moved here in the past year1County figure5.3%8% below
Moved from another state10.0%below (median 2.0%)
Net movers per 1,000 people6County figure7.5above (median -0.6)
Income of households moving in6County figure$48,79231% below
Income of households moving out6County figure$52,70025% below
02

What it costs to live here

Home price to income is 1.7x, 54% below the median place.

Bowling Green14.2%
Typical place20.4%

Share of the median household income that goes to the median rent. Above 30% is the usual stress line.

Income needed to rent
$35,960
a year, at the 30% line
Rent to income
14.2%
30% below the median place
Home price to income
1.7x
54% below the median place

Could you afford it?

The median rent would take
14%
comfortably under the 30% line
Left after rent, in US prices
$65,200
a year, prices not adjusted
Vs the typical household here
Same
as the median household

Uses the median rent in Bowling Green, $899 a month. It runs in your browser and stores nothing.

Moving from somewhere else? Work out the salary you would need in Bowling Green.

Sponsored · exampleMoving to Bowling Green? Compare quotes from licensed movers. No partner is signed yet. Sponsored offers are always labelled and never change the data.
Median home value1
$132,000
59% below the median place
Vacant homes1
16.0%
127% above the median place
Owner costs with a mortgage1
$1,318
30% below the median place
All 15 cost and housing measures
MeasureBowling GreenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median gross rent1$89934% below
Rent to income114.2%30% below
Property tax rate11.3%42% above
Home price to income11.7x54% below
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms2County figure$1,01437% below
HUD area median income3County figure$72,70032% below
Property tax paid (median)1$1,70748% below
Median home value1$132,00059% below
Home prices, 1-year change4County figure3.3%4% above
Home prices, 5-year change4County figure45.0%13% below
Homeownership165.5%1% below
Renters paying 30%+1County figure43.5%14% below
Owner costs with a mortgage1$1,31830% below
Vacant homes116.0%127% above
Median year built119621% below
03

Work and pay

Mean commute is 15 min, 39% below the median place.

Mean commute1
15 min
39% below the median place
Median household income1
$76,140
5% below the median place
Income per person1
$39,282
2% below the median place
All 10 work and pay measures
MeasureBowling GreenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Median household income1$76,1405% below
Income per person1$39,2822% below
Unemployment1County figure5.0%2% above
Average annual pay5County figure$53,82518% below
Pay growth, 1 year5County figure4.0%8% above
Jobs5County figure26,49382% below
Poverty rate1County figure16.9%56% above
Mean commute115 min39% below
Works from home1County figure9.1%27% below
Commutes by transit1Metro figure0.5%46% below
04

Who lives here

Born abroad is 0.0%, below the median place (median 8.8%).

Born abroad1
0.0%
below the median place (median 8.8%)
High school or higher1
99.5%
8% above the median place
Household size1
2.1
17% below the median place

More about who lives here, against the typical place

Bachelor's or higher15.7% −51%
Homes with broadband97.0% +5%
Median age43.0 +10%
All 8 people measures
MeasureBowling GreenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Population19666646th largest
Median age143.010% above
Bachelor's or higher115.7%51% below
High school or higher199.5%8% above
Household size12.117% below
Born abroad10.0%below (median 8.8%)
No health insurance1County figure3.8%41% below
Homes with broadband197.0%5% above
05

Life in Bowling Green

45 sites are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Businesses per 10,000 residents (county figures)

Restaurants and bars21.6 +4%
Shops36.5 +20%
Arts, recreation and fitness2.4 −41%
Doctors' offices and clinics25.6 +27%
Child care centers1.8 −22%

Counts businesses with paid staff, so small owner-run shops are not included.

Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7
2.4
41% below the median place
Shops per 10k7
36.5
20% above the median place
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7
25.6
27% above the median place
All 9 schools and local life measures
MeasureBowling GreenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
Public schools9County figure22144% above
Public school students9County figure8,11366% above
Students per teacher9County figure13.214% below
Restaurants and bars per 10k7County figure21.64% above
Shops per 10k7County figure36.520% above
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k7County figure2.441% below
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k7County figure25.627% above
Child care centers per 10k7County figure1.822% below
National Register listings8County figure45246% above
06

Safety, weather and risk

Wildfire risk is 21.0, 66% below the median place.

No crime figure yet. Either the city police department did not report to the FBI for the latest year, or our monthly fetch has not reached Bowling Green. Larger places are fetched first.

Wildfire risk11
21.0
66% below the median place
Natural hazard risk11
58.5
37% below the median place
Tornado risk11
35.8
56% below the median place
All 9 weather and risk measures
MeasureBowling GreenAmong 6,645 placesVs median
July average high10County figure86°F1% below
January average low10County figure22°F13% below
Average temperature10County figure52°F5% below
Annual precipitation10County figure40.6 in7% below
Natural hazard risk11County figure58.537% below
Hurricane risk11County figure67.74% below
Tornado risk11County figure35.856% below
Wildfire risk11County figure21.066% below
Heat wave risk11County figure72.719% below
08

Bowling Green in 2030: where the trends point

If recent trends hold, the median rent will take about 14% of the median income in 2030, about the same as 14% now.

Citytistics projections to 2030: each figure's own trend, blended with the typical trend across the places we rate, eased toward long-run US growth and carried forward from the latest release. The range is where 80% of places landed when we tested the same method on past releases.

MeasureLatest2030 projectionLikely rangeAvg. per year
Median rent$899/mo (2024)$1,150/mo$950 to $1,410/mo+4.3%
Median household income$76,140 (2024)$97,000$82,000 to $114,500+4.1%
Median home value$132,000 (2024)$184,000$134,000 to $254,000+5.7%

The median home would be worth 1.9 years of the median income in 2030, against 1.7 now.

A projection of recent trends, not a prediction of the economy or advice to buy or sell. How we project.

09

Places like Bowling Green

The closest matches on income, rent, home value, education and age, and the places nearby.

PlaceRentIncome
Plaquemine, LA$880$69,366Compare
Spring Valley, IL$915$70,598Compare
Montevideo, MN$851$68,596Compare
Jerseyville, IL$869$73,529Compare
Jerseyville, ILMontevideo, MNSpring Valley, ILPlaquemine, LABowling Green, MDBowling GreenPlaquemineSpring ValleyMontevideoJerseyvilleBowling GreenPlaquemineSpring ValleyMontevideoJerseyville

Common questions

Is Bowling Green a good place to live?

It depends on what you need, so here is what the numbers say. 0% of residents were born outside the US, fewer than in 99% of the 1,842 places under 10,000 people we track. It is the lowest of 197 Maryland places. The median home is worth 1.7 years of the median household's income, fewer than in 97% of places its size. It is the lowest of 199 Maryland places. See how it ranks with your own weights.

Is Bowling Green expensive to live in?

The median rent takes 14.2% of the median household income, against 20.4% in the typical place we track. Housing is a lighter load here than usual. The median home is valued at $132,000.

What salary do you need to live in Bowling Green?

To rent the median home without spending more than 30% of income on rent, a household needs about $35,960 a year. Work it out from your current city.

What places are similar to Bowling Green?

On income, rent, home value, education and age, the closest matches are Plaquemine, LA, Spring Valley, IL, Montevideo, MN and Jerseyville, IL.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Every dataset is public; links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  3. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  4. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  5. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  6. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  7. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  8. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  9. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  10. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  11. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

What stands out compares Bowling Green with places of a similar size, using only figures measured for Bowling Green itself; county and metro figures never count. Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology. API: /api/v1/places/bowling-green-maryland

Citytistics. “Bowling Green, Maryland.” Data as of 2026-11-14. https://www.citytistics.com/city/bowling-green-maryland/

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.