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Bowling Green, Kentucky Paycheck Calculator (2026)

Last reviewed: April 20, 2026

Bowling Green sits in Warren County, south-central Kentucky, and levies a 1.75% occupational license tax on wages earned within city limits. The tax applies to residents and to non-residents who work in the city, withheld at the source. Combined with Kentucky's 4% flat state tax, a Bowling Green wage earner pays about 5.75% in state plus local income tax. Kentucky has no State Disability Insurance program funded by employee payroll. This calculator estimates 2026 take-home pay for a Bowling Green wage earner after federal tax, FICA, Kentucky state tax, and the Bowling Green occupational license rate. It supports pre-tax 401(k) and HSA deductions.

$85,000 single filer take-home comparison

Bowling Green, Kentucky

$63,700

Kentucky (no city tax)

$65,200

Texas (no income tax)

$68,600

Bowling Green, Kentucky take-home is -$1,500 vs the state-only figure and -$4,900 vs the no-income-tax baseline.

Bowling Green, Kentucky local tax breakdown

Local bracket schedule applied by the calculator for 2026.

Taxable IncomeRate
$0+1.75%

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Bowling Green, Kentucky paycheck FAQ

How does Bowling Green compare to Louisville?
Bowling Green's 1.75% rate is below Louisville Metro's 2.28%. The smaller Kentucky cities tend to charge lower occupational license rates than the two largest metros.
Does Western Kentucky University drive workforce tax dynamics in Bowling Green?
WKU is one of the larger employers in the city; wages earned on campus are subject to the standard 1.75% occupational license tax. The university's employment footprint contributes meaningfully to local revenue, but the rate is set by the city, not the school.
Does Warren County levy a separate occupational license tax?
Some Kentucky counties levy a county-level occupational tax on top of the city tax. Warren County's specifics vary by year and may apply to wages earned outside Bowling Green city limits. The 1.75% rate here reflects the Bowling Green city share modeled by the calculator.

See also

Run the full Kentucky paycheck calculatorCompare to Louisville paycheck calculatorCompare to Lexington, Kentucky paycheck calculatorCompare to Covington, Kentucky paycheck calculatorCompare to Owensboro paycheck calculatorCompare to Florence, Kentucky paycheck calculatorCompare to Henderson County, Kentucky paycheck calculatorCompare to Hopkinsville paycheck calculatorCompare to Frankfort, Kentucky paycheck calculatorCompare to Elizabethtown, Kentucky paycheck calculatorBrowse all city paycheck calculatorsBrowse paycheck calculators by statePaycheck and tax glossaryHow we calculate paycheck taxes

Reviewed

How This Page Is Reviewed

The Bowling Green, Kentucky paycheck page is reviewed against primary federal, state, and city sources before each major tax-year update. Source links below are the references used to validate brackets, wage bases, and supported local taxes.

Reviewed by

PaycheckCalc Research Desk

Last reviewed

2026-04-20