SOC 39-9032 · Bowling Green, KY metro

Recreation Workers Salary in Bowling Green, KY

The average salary for recreation workers in Bowling Green, Kentucky is $30,150 a year ($14.49 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $29,180: half of the 230 people in this job in the Bowling Green, KY metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 22% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($38,839).

$30,150average per year

$14.49 / hourMedian $29,180Take-home ≈ $24,865

  • $23K10th
  • $28K25th
  • $29KMedian
  • $29K75th
  • $38K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

230people in this job
-22%vs U.S. metro average
#5 of 6Kentucky metros
90cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Recreation Workers pay range in Bowling Green

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $23,290 a year or less, while the top 10% make $37,670 or more. The middle half of recreation workers in Bowling Green earn between $28,250 and $29,180.

  • $23K10th
  • $28K25th
  • $29KMedian
  • $29K75th
  • $38K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$30,150$2,512$14.50
Median$29,180$2,432$14.03
Entry level (25th percentile)$28,250$2,354$13.58
Experienced (75th percentile)$29,180$2,432$14.03

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Recreation Workers salary after taxes in Bowling Green

On the average salary of $30,150, a single filer in Bowling Green takes home about $24,865 a year, or $2,072 a month and $956 every two weeks. Taxes take 18% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Includes Bowling Green's local income tax (2%).

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Is Bowling Green a good place for recreation workers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Bowling Green area are 10% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 90.2), so the average $30,150 buys what about $33,434 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.6 times the median wage of all jobs in Bowling Green ($45,040). A typical home costs $267,047, or 8.9 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $30,150 is worth in another city

Recreation Workers salary in other Kentucky cities

Bowling Green ranks 5th of 6 Kentucky metro areas for this job; Elizabethtown pays the most ($36,890).

All Recreation Workers salaries in Kentucky

Highest-paying cities for recreation workers

Fairbanks, AK pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($61,070).

Recreation Workers salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Recreation Workers in Bowling Green, KY.

Recreation Workers salary in Bowling Green: questions

How much do recreation workers make an hour in Bowling Green?

$14.49 an hour on average, and $14.03 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level recreation workers salary in Bowling Green?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $23,290 a year and the 25th percentile is $28,250, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the recreation workers take-home pay in Bowling Green?

About $24,865 a year ($2,072 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $30,150. Includes Bowling Green's local income tax (2%).

Do recreation workers earn more in Bowling Green than elsewhere?

The average here is 22% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($38,839).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 39-9032; area Bowling Green, KY (14540). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.0%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Includes Bowling Green's local income tax (2%).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 1.32, this job is 1.3 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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