Population
Bowling Green
30,051
Grand Rapids
11,186
Median Income
Bowling Green
$46,719
Grand Rapids
$56,542
Home Value
Bowling Green
$217,300
Grand Rapids
$200,600
Rent
Bowling Green
$874
Grand Rapids
$999
Crime Rate
Bowling Green
0.69
Grand Rapids
0.88
Cost of Living
Bowling Green
88.9
Grand Rapids
95.2
Avg Temp
Bowling Green
N/A
Grand Rapids
N/A
Unemployment
Bowling Green
5.8%
Grand Rapids
5.7%
How Similar Are Bowling Green & Grand Rapids?
Grand Rapids is Bowling Green's #1 most similar city
7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Bowling Green
30,051
Grand Rapids
11,186
Bowling Green (30,051) is about 2.7x larger than Grand Rapids (11,186).
Violent Crime
Bowling Green
0.69
Grand Rapids
0.88
Grand Rapids has a 19% higher violent crime than Bowling Green.
Property Crime
Bowling Green
9.58
Grand Rapids
10.32
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Bowling Green
54.6%
Grand Rapids
59.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 8% difference.
Unemployment
Bowling Green
5.8%
Grand Rapids
5.7%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 2% difference.
Median Income
Bowling Green
$46,719
Grand Rapids
$56,542
Grand Rapids has a 17% higher median income than Bowling Green.
Home Values
Bowling Green
$217,300
Grand Rapids
$200,600
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Bowling Green
21.4%
Grand Rapids
22.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Bowling Green
84.8%
Grand Rapids
90.2%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Bowling Green
88.9
Grand Rapids
95.2
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Bowling Green and Grand Rapids are remarkably similar cities.
At a Glance
0
Bowling Green
0
Grand Rapids
Cost of Living & Affordability — Bowling Green leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDBowling Green scores 85.7 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 93.2 in Grand Rapids. Bowling Green has a living wage (1 adult) of $39,126 vs $41,902 in Grand Rapids (7% lower). Bowling Green has a living wage (family of 4) of $92,480 vs $99,041 in Grand Rapids (7% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBowling Green has a vacancy rate of 4.5% compared to 7.7% in Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids has a owner-occupied of 59.4% compared to 36.8% in Bowling Green. Grand Rapids has a single-family homes of 60.2% compared to 45.3% in Bowling Green.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBowling Green: 17,056 vs Grand Rapids: 4,973 for labor force. Grand Rapids has a poverty rate of 17.6% compared to 29.7% in Bowling Green. Bowling Green has a work from home of 9.9% compared to 7.8% in Grand Rapids.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Bowling Green leads
Source: FBI UCRBowling Green has a property crime clearance of 29.7% compared to 6.8% in Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 0.18 compared to 0.69 in Bowling Green. Bowling Green has a violent crime clearance of 57.1% compared to 40.0% in Grand Rapids.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Grand Rapids leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauGrand Rapids has a high school diploma or higher of 45.5% compared to 33.2% in Bowling Green. Grand Rapids has a bachelor's degree or higher of 22.4% compared to 21.4% in Bowling Green.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSBowling Green has a population of 30,051, about 2.7x the size of Grand Rapids (11,186). Bowling Green skews younger with a median age of 23.6 vs 44.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Bowling Green
Grand Rapids
Healthcare — Grand Rapids leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGrand Rapids: 4 vs Bowling Green: 3 for with emergency services. Grand Rapids: 4.0 vs Bowling Green: 3.3 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGrand Rapids has a bicycle of 2.2% compared to 0.3% in Bowling Green. Grand Rapids has a public transit of 3.8% compared to 0.7% in Bowling Green. Bowling Green has a work from home of 9.9% compared to 7.8% in Grand Rapids.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Bowling Green, OH
Compare Bowling Green against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.