Bowling Green, KY Metro Area
The Bowling Green, KY metro area is made up of 4 counties in Kentucky: Warren, Allen, Edmonson, and Butler, largest first. About 197,180 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 9.8% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 197,180 9.8% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 4: 1 central, 3 outlying
- Land area
- 1,614 sq mi (4,181 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- State
- Kentucky
- Combined statistical area
- Bowling Green-Glasgow-Franklin, KY
- CBSA code
- 14540
Counties in the Bowling Green, KY metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren County | Central | 149,375 | 75.8% |
| Allen County | Outlying | 22,536 | 11.4% |
| Edmonson County | Outlying | 12,749 | 6.5% |
| Butler County | Outlying | 12,520 | 6.3% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central county, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Bowling Green75,388 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Bowling Green-Glasgow-Franklin, KY combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other 2 areas in this one, largest first:
- Glasgow, KY Micro Area56,224 people
- Franklin, KY Micro Area20,788 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Franklin, KY Micro Area19 mi south
- Glasgow, KY Micro Area28 mi east
- Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metro Area59 mi south
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
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