Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety30#10,929/15,637
Economy3#15,171/15,631
Housing24#11,380/14,977
Health15#13,229/15,609
Healthcare6#14,770/15,650
Environment47#8,206/15,453
Education24#11,877/15,649
Infrastructure23#12,054/15,650
Community3#15,190/15,651
Leisure & amenities19#12,728/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bowling Green, Florida ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Hardee County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Grocery stores · high3.1 /10k
95/100Florida 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHardee County value
Depression · low17.2%
93/100Florida 18.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Public transit commuters · high4.4%
92/100Florida 1.2%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Math scores · high3.42
92/100Florida 3.28United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardee County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low114 min
90/100Florida 158 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHardee County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Florida 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardee County value

Weaknesses

High school diploma or higher · low73.8%
1/100Florida 89.9%United States 89.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003
Natural hazard risk · high99.1
1/100Florida 75.92025Federal Emergency Management AgencyHardee County value
Mental health providers · low23 /100k
1/100Florida 226 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardee County value
Hot days · high132 days
2/100Florida 102 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationHardee County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · high30.8%
2/100Florida 13.7%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Traffic deaths · high46.0 /100k
2/100Florida 15.3 /100kUnited States 12.3 /100k2020-2024National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationProvisional dataHardee County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
2,893 (2015-2019) → 2,226 (2020-2024)
−23%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
45.1% (2015-2019) → 90.0% (2020-2024)
+45 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
55.5% (2015-2019) → 33.7% (2020-2024)
−22 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.5× (2015-2019) → 2.6× (2020-2024)
+75%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
High school diploma or higherImproving
63.7% (2015-2019) → 73.8% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
21.7% (2015-2019) → 30.8% (2020-2024)
+9.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Bowling Green, Florida improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Broadband+45 points45.1% → 90.0%
High school++10 points63.7% → 73.8%
Rent burden−22 points55.5% → 33.7%

Declined1

Price / income+1.1×1.5× → 2.6×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Bowling Green, Florida between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.9 min2015-2019	31.3 min2020-2024	+3.4 min	Within the margin of error	17%
Bachelor's degree or higher	8.6%2015-2019	7.0%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Broadband subscriptions	45.1%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+45 points	Improved	100%
Child poverty rate	48.2%2015-2019	55.3%2020-2024	+7.2 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Effective property tax rate	1.12%2015-2019	0.71%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	85%
High school diploma or higher	63.7%2015-2019	73.8%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	95%
Home price to income ratio	1.5×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	19%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3912015-2019	0.4562020-2024	+0.065	Within the margin of error	11%
Median household income	$37,2082015-2019	$45,3572020-2024	+22%	Within the margin of error	37%
Poverty rate	29.2%2015-2019	29.0%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Rent as share of income	31.1%2015-2019	25.1%2020-2024	−6 points	Within the margin of error	86%
Rent-burdened households	55.5%2015-2019	33.7%2020-2024	−22 points	Improved	95%
Unemployment rate	9.2%2015-2019	9.8%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Within the margin of error	35%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	21.7%2015-2019	30.8%2020-2024	+9.1 points	Within the margin of error	4%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Bowling Green, Florida five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bowling Green, Florida in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Bowling Green, Florida itself moved +8.5 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

2,226 residents (±531)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 10–19 men (−6.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,226 residents (±531)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

White33%739
Black7.0%†155
Hispanic or Latino54%1,197

Education

1,322 residents (±286)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

No high school diploma26%†347
High school or GED34%†456
Some college24%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

768 households (±175)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

Under $25k17%†130
$25k–50k40%†305
$50k–75k15%†119
$75k–100k7.9%†61
$100k–150k13%†96
$150k–200k2.0%†15
$200k or more5.5%†42

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−15.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

768 households (±175)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

Own70%539
Rent30%†229

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

219 households (±115)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

Under $7503.2%†7
$750–1,00046%†100
$1,000–1,50043%†95

Home values

539 homes (±121)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

Under $150k66%†358
$150k–250k27%†147
$250k–400k2.6%†14

Age of homes

908 homes (±176)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

2010 or later10%†93
2000–200920%†183
1980–199912%†113

Size of homes

908 homes (±176)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

Studio0.6%†5
1 bedroom21%†195
2 bedrooms26%†236

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

909 workers (±300)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

Drive alone65%†588
Carpool24%†216
Public transit4.4%†40
Walk0.5%†5
Bike0.0%0
Work from home6.6%†60
Other0.0%0

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

849 workers (±298)

Bowling Green, Florida
Florida share

Under 15 min25%†209
15–29 min30%†252
30–44 min18%†152

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Hardee County, the county holding most of Bowling Green's residents.

Hardee County has 436 employer establishments, 168 for every 10,000 residents (0.68× the US rate of 248; 0.60× Florida's), with 4,829 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,142. The Census Bureau also counts 1,716 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 436; 1,716 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 168; US 248 · Florida 282
Paid employees: 4,829
Average annual pay: $45,142; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Hardee County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Specialty trade contractors	31	12	0.77×Fewer than typical	209	$46,507	137
Ambulatory health care services	29	11.2	0.54×Fewer than typical	187	$73,743	89
Religious organizations	28	10.8	1.95×More than typical	97	$23,876	—
Restaurants and other eating places	25	9.6	0.53×Fewer than typical	391	$16,949	13
Lessors of real estate	20	7.7	0.63×Fewer than typical	120	$81,433	136
Services to buildings and dwellings	17	6.6	0.97×About typical	107	$31,009	171
Truck transportation	16	6.2	1.22×About typical	80	$57,525	75
Landscaping services	15	5.8	1.65×More than typical	103	$31,233	71
Offices of physicians	14	5.4	0.83×About typical	63	$106,921	8
Child day care services	12	4.6	1.90×More than typical	170	$28,724	51
Construction of buildings	12	4.6	0.61×Fewer than typical	59	$60,678	84
Grocery and convenience stores	12	4.6	1.56×More than typical	106	$23,179	11

Rank places for an industry Open Hardee County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,927 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bowling Green, Florida: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

4.4KFY2017
0FY2018
-4.3KFY2019
3.7KFY2020
0FY2021
-41FY2024

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Bowling Green, Florida, so they do not add up across cities.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Bowling Green is mostly in Hardee County.

See federal money in Hardee County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Bowling Green, Florida is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Scott FranklinR-FL-18 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.7%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Hardee County8100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Hardee County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1207775