Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics Salary — Bowling Green, Kentucky

The average Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics in Bowling Green, Kentucky earns $45,160 a year.

$45,160 / year, mean
↓ 21.1% below national average 17th percentile in Kentucky

Bowling Green pays below most of Kentucky for this role, though still within a normal range for the state. That's noticeably below the national average for automotive service technicians and mechanics, worth factoring into any relocation math. Cost of living here is close to the national average — not a major factor either way. This is a high-confidence estimate, based on a large sample of reported wages.

Percentile within Kentucky

0th 50th 100th
Employment (this metro)
470
Estimate confidence
RSE 1.9%
Cost of living 90 #161 most expensive of 188 cities in this dataset 100 = U.S. average · Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
Crime index 1461 #33 safest of 188 cities in this dataset Per 100k residents · Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer
Median home value $267,047 #125 priciest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: zillow_real
Median household income $62,437 #157 highest of 188 cities in this dataset Source: Census Bureau ACS 5-year

Combining these four figures gives a fuller picture than salary alone: Bowling Green ranks #161 for cost of living and #125 for home prices among the 188 cities in this pilot dataset, which matters as much as the headline salary number when comparing where to live.

San Francisco $75,730 San Jose $75,410 Napa $71,100 Santa Rosa $70,890 Sacramento $68,380 Vallejo $68,130 Portland $66,310 Salinas $64,620 Seattle $64,460 San Diego $64,120 Los Angeles $63,670 Chico $63,470 Oxnard $63,260 Riverside $63,080 Mount Vernon $62,850 Modesto $62,820 Bakersfield $62,680 Salem $62,380 Santa Maria $61,910 New York $61,820 Bremerton $61,670 Longview $61,580 San Luis Obispo $61,310 Bellingham $61,200 Richmond $61,160 Bend $61,090 Hanford $60,880 Charlottesville $60,700 Stockton $60,240 Kennewick $60,180 Santa Cruz $59,940 Virginia Beach $59,820 Medford $59,680 Ann Arbor $59,340 Chicago $59,320 Olympia $58,870 Detroit $58,850 Kiryas Joel $58,820 Yuba City $58,690 Philadelphia $58,620 Allentown $58,530 Grants Pass $58,510 Kingston $58,420 Lexington Park $58,400 Trenton $58,380 Merced $58,310 Fresno $57,990 Winchester $57,930 Yakima $57,870 Baltimore $57,750 Rochester $57,750 Eugene $57,740 Spokane $57,710 El Centro $57,670 Corvallis $57,650 Redding $57,600 Austin $57,440 Sarasota $57,280 Wenatchee $57,080 Albany $57,010 Albany $56,990 Naples $56,740 Lansing $56,610 Grand Rapids $56,420 Atlantic City $56,380 York $56,040 Traverse City $55,990 Miami $55,850 Dallas $55,760 Jackson $55,690 Salisbury $55,610 Visalia $55,490 Kalamazoo $55,450 Monroe $55,240 Michigan City $54,980 Indianapolis $54,910 Jacksonville $54,910 Houston $54,900 Midland $54,810 Peoria $54,810 Lancaster $54,700 Walla Walla $54,560 Glens Falls $54,320 Springfield $54,320 Reading $54,280 Staunton $54,260 Port St. Lucie $54,130 Rockford $54,130 Niles $54,080 Flint $54,060 Roanoke $54,030 Fort Wayne $53,990 South Bend $53,970 Syracuse $53,900 Bay City $53,820 Battle Creek $53,810 Harrisonburg $53,800 Tampa $53,720 Binghamton $53,690 Blacksburg $53,680 Orlando $53,610 Champaign $53,550 Elkhart $53,440 Sherman $53,350 Vineland $53,330 Saginaw $53,250 Palm Bay $53,230 Dover $53,020 Kokomo $53,000 Pittsburgh $52,920 Buffalo $52,900 Gettysburg $52,860 Crestview $52,820 Harrisburg $52,760 Elmira $52,680 Lebanon $52,670 Williamsport $52,640 Gainesville $52,560 Lafayette $52,550 Hagerstown $52,540 Odessa $52,520 Punta Gorda $52,490 Ithaca $52,400 Muncie $52,160 San Antonio $52,060 Chambersburg $52,020 Scranton $51,880 Sebastian $51,850 Decatur $51,840 Louisville $51,840 State College $51,750 Evansville $51,730 Midland $51,680 Lynchburg $51,660 Bloomington $51,630 Muskegon $51,600 Beaumont $51,570 Ocala $51,570 College Station $51,490 Bloomington $51,320 Columbus $51,280 Wildwood $51,000 Utica $50,870 Kankakee $50,850 Fort Myers $50,810 Watertown $50,700 Deltona $50,690 Lakeland $50,550 Erie $50,520 Pensacola $50,440 Waco $50,100 Abilene $49,830 Longview $49,800 Killeen $49,690 Homosassa Springs $49,630 San Angelo $49,530 Victoria $49,350 Lexington $49,260 Tyler $49,170 Corpus Christi $49,130 Terre Haute $49,110 Johnstown $48,690 Sebring $48,660 Texarkana $48,420 Altoona $48,410 Panama City $48,300 Tallahassee $48,300 Wichita Falls $48,130 Amarillo $47,840 Lubbock $47,680 Wheeling $47,610 Eagle Pass $47,580 Charleston $47,430 Brownsville $46,740 Elizabethtown $46,730 Paducah $46,730 Owensboro $46,690 McAllen $46,500 El Paso $46,320 Weirton $46,170 Bowling Green $45,160 Laredo $45,040 Morgantown $43,200 Huntington $42,990 Parkersburg $42,960 Beckley $42,000
CityMean salaryvs. Bowling Green
Abilene, Texas$49,830+10.3%
Albany, Oregon$56,990+26.2%
Albany, New York$57,010+26.2%
Allentown, Pennsylvania$58,530+29.6%
Altoona, Pennsylvania$48,410+7.2%
Amarillo, Texas$47,840+5.9%
Ann Arbor, Michigan$59,340+31.4%
Atlantic City, New Jersey$56,380+24.8%
Austin, Texas$57,440+27.2%
Bakersfield, California$62,680+38.8%
Baltimore, Maryland$57,750+27.9%
Battle Creek, Michigan$53,810+19.2%
Bay City, Michigan$53,820+19.2%
Beaumont, Texas$51,570+14.2%
Beckley, West Virginia$42,000-7.0%
Bellingham, Washington$61,200+35.5%
Bend, Oregon$61,090+35.3%
Binghamton, New York$53,690+18.9%
Blacksburg, Virginia$53,680+18.9%
Bloomington, Illinois$51,630+14.3%
Bloomington, Indiana$51,320+13.6%
Bremerton, Washington$61,670+36.6%
Brownsville, Texas$46,740+3.5%
Buffalo, New York$52,900+17.1%
Fort Myers, Florida$50,810+12.5%
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania$52,020+15.2%
Champaign, Illinois$53,550+18.6%
Charleston, West Virginia$47,430+5.0%
Charlottesville, Virginia$60,700+34.4%
Chicago, Illinois$59,320+31.4%
Chico, California$63,470+40.5%
College Station, Texas$51,490+14.0%
Columbus, Indiana$51,280+13.6%
Corpus Christi, Texas$49,130+8.8%
Corvallis, Oregon$57,650+27.7%
Crestview, Florida$52,820+17.0%
Dallas, Texas$55,760+23.5%
Decatur, Illinois$51,840+14.8%
Deltona, Florida$50,690+12.2%
Detroit, Michigan$58,850+30.3%
Dover, Delaware$53,020+17.4%
Eagle Pass, Texas$47,580+5.4%
El Centro, California$57,670+27.7%
Elizabethtown, Kentucky$46,730+3.5%
Elkhart, Indiana$53,440+18.3%
Elmira, New York$52,680+16.7%
El Paso, Texas$46,320+2.6%
Erie, Pennsylvania$50,520+11.9%
Eugene, Oregon$57,740+27.9%
Evansville, Indiana$51,730+14.5%
Flint, Michigan$54,060+19.7%
Fort Wayne, Indiana$53,990+19.6%
Fresno, California$57,990+28.4%
Gainesville, Florida$52,560+16.4%
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania$52,860+17.1%
Glens Falls, New York$54,320+20.3%
Grand Rapids, Michigan$56,420+24.9%
Grants Pass, Oregon$58,510+29.6%
Hagerstown, Maryland$52,540+16.3%
Hanford, California$60,880+34.8%
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania$52,760+16.8%
Harrisonburg, Virginia$53,800+19.1%
Homosassa Springs, Florida$49,630+9.9%
Houston, Texas$54,900+21.6%
Huntington, West Virginia$42,990-4.8%
Indianapolis, Indiana$54,910+21.6%
Ithaca, New York$52,400+16.0%
Jackson, Michigan$55,690+23.3%
Jacksonville, Florida$54,910+21.6%
Johnstown, Pennsylvania$48,690+7.8%
Kalamazoo, Michigan$55,450+22.8%
Kankakee, Illinois$50,850+12.6%
Kennewick, Washington$60,180+33.3%
Killeen, Texas$49,690+10.0%
Kingston, New York$58,420+29.4%
Kiryas Joel, New York$58,820+30.2%
Kokomo, Indiana$53,000+17.4%
Lafayette, Indiana$52,550+16.4%
Lakeland, Florida$50,550+11.9%
Lancaster, Pennsylvania$54,700+21.1%
Lansing, Michigan$56,610+25.4%
Laredo, Texas$45,040-0.3%
Lebanon, Pennsylvania$52,670+16.6%
Lexington, Kentucky$49,260+9.1%
Lexington Park, Maryland$58,400+29.3%
Longview, Texas$49,800+10.3%
Longview, Washington$61,580+36.4%
Los Angeles, California$63,670+41.0%
Louisville, Kentucky$51,840+14.8%
Lubbock, Texas$47,680+5.6%
Lynchburg, Virginia$51,660+14.4%
McAllen, Texas$46,500+3.0%
Medford, Oregon$59,680+32.2%
Merced, California$58,310+29.1%
Miami, Florida$55,850+23.7%
Michigan City, Indiana$54,980+21.7%
Midland, Michigan$51,680+14.4%
Midland, Texas$54,810+21.4%
Modesto, California$62,820+39.1%
Monroe, Michigan$55,240+22.3%
Morgantown, West Virginia$43,200-4.3%
Mount Vernon, Washington$62,850+39.2%
Muncie, Indiana$52,160+15.5%
Muskegon, Michigan$51,600+14.3%
Napa, California$71,100+57.4%
Naples, Florida$56,740+25.6%
New York, New York$61,820+36.9%
Niles, Michigan$54,080+19.8%
Sarasota, Florida$57,280+26.8%
Ocala, Florida$51,570+14.2%
Odessa, Texas$52,520+16.3%
Olympia, Washington$58,870+30.4%
Orlando, Florida$53,610+18.7%
Owensboro, Kentucky$46,690+3.4%
Oxnard, California$63,260+40.1%
Paducah, Kentucky$46,730+3.5%
Palm Bay, Florida$53,230+17.9%
Panama City, Florida$48,300+7.0%
Parkersburg, West Virginia$42,960-4.9%
Pensacola, Florida$50,440+11.7%
Peoria, Illinois$54,810+21.4%
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania$58,620+29.8%
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania$52,920+17.2%
Portland, Oregon$66,310+46.8%
Port St. Lucie, Florida$54,130+19.9%
Punta Gorda, Florida$52,490+16.2%
Reading, Pennsylvania$54,280+20.2%
Redding, California$57,600+27.5%
Richmond, Virginia$61,160+35.4%
Riverside, California$63,080+39.7%
Roanoke, Virginia$54,030+19.6%
Rochester, New York$57,750+27.9%
Rockford, Illinois$54,130+19.9%
Sacramento, California$68,380+51.4%
Saginaw, Michigan$53,250+17.9%
Salem, Oregon$62,380+38.1%
Salinas, California$64,620+43.1%
Salisbury, Maryland$55,610+23.1%
San Angelo, Texas$49,530+9.7%
San Antonio, Texas$52,060+15.3%
San Diego, California$64,120+42.0%
San Francisco, California$75,730+67.7%
San Jose, California$75,410+67.0%
San Luis Obispo, California$61,310+35.8%
Santa Cruz, California$59,940+32.7%
Santa Maria, California$61,910+37.1%
Santa Rosa, California$70,890+57.0%
Scranton, Pennsylvania$51,880+14.9%
Seattle, Washington$64,460+42.7%
Sebastian, Florida$51,850+14.8%
Sebring, Florida$48,660+7.8%
Sherman, Texas$53,350+18.1%
South Bend, Indiana$53,970+19.5%
Spokane, Washington$57,710+27.8%
Springfield, Illinois$54,320+20.3%
State College, Pennsylvania$51,750+14.6%
Staunton, Virginia$54,260+20.2%
Stockton, California$60,240+33.4%
Syracuse, New York$53,900+19.4%
Tallahassee, Florida$48,300+7.0%
Tampa, Florida$53,720+19.0%
Terre Haute, Indiana$49,110+8.7%
Texarkana, Texas$48,420+7.2%
Traverse City, Michigan$55,990+24.0%
Trenton, New Jersey$58,380+29.3%
Tyler, Texas$49,170+8.9%
Utica, New York$50,870+12.6%
Vallejo, California$68,130+50.9%
Victoria, Texas$49,350+9.3%
Vineland, New Jersey$53,330+18.1%
Virginia Beach, Virginia$59,820+32.5%
Visalia, California$55,490+22.9%
Waco, Texas$50,100+10.9%
Walla Walla, Washington$54,560+20.8%
Watertown, New York$50,700+12.3%
Weirton, West Virginia$46,170+2.2%
Wenatchee, Washington$57,080+26.4%
Wheeling, West Virginia$47,610+5.4%
Wichita Falls, Texas$48,130+6.6%
Wildwood, Florida$51,000+12.9%
Williamsport, Pennsylvania$52,640+16.6%
Winchester, Virginia$57,930+28.3%
Yakima, Washington$57,870+28.1%
York, Pennsylvania$56,040+24.1%
Yuba City, California$58,690+30.0%
Gross salary
45,160/yr
Estimated take-home
36,100/yr
Est. total withheld
20.1%

Single filer, federal + Kentucky state tax + FICA, 2026 rates. Does not include state-specific payroll withholdings beyond income tax (see Data transparency). Not tax advice — verify with a professional for your specific situation.

View cost of living in this state All Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics salaries in Kentucky → All Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics salaries →
Data transparency

Sources used for this page

Official occupation and area metadata behind the visible salary, cost, housing and safety signals.

Occupation 49-3023 SOC code
Official area Bowling Green, KY BLS metro/geographic area
Area code 14540 Stable geographic key
Reference year 2025 BLS OEWS
Cost: bea_realHousing: zillow_realCrime: latest availableNet-pay source: ky_dor_verificado 2026
No additional caveats are attached to this row.
Methodology

How this page is built

The salary figure is the mean annual wage reported by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program for this occupation and metro area. Percentile and national-average comparisons are calculated directly from the 188 cities currently in this dataset, not from a fixed external benchmark. Cost of living, crime and housing figures come from BEA, FBI and Zillow respectively — see "Data transparency" above for the exact sources and reference years used on this specific page.

Confidence: the RSE (relative standard error) shown under Overview indicates how reliable the salary estimate is for this metro — a lower RSE means a larger underlying sample.

On this page

Where this is

AK HI

Highlighted: Kentucky

Population (metro area)
183,194