Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $59,700
- Median hourly wage: $28.70
- Total employment: 120 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Bowling Green that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Bowling Green, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $59,710
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 570 people (7.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
- Median annual wage: $60,110
- Median hourly wage: $28.90
- Total employment: 40 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Fundraisers
- Median annual wage: $60,610
- Median hourly wage: $29.14
- Total employment: 40 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Human resources specialists
- Median annual wage: $61,390
- Median hourly wage: $29.51
- Total employment: 370 people (4.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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boonchoke // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $61,420
- Median hourly wage: $29.53
- Total employment: 120 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Training and development specialists
- Median annual wage: $61,550
- Median hourly wage: $29.59
- Total employment: 160 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anyaivanova // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
- Median annual wage: $61,580
- Median hourly wage: $29.61
- Total employment: 130 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photographee.eu // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Special education teachers, secondary school
- Median annual wage: $62,500
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 90 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Dietitians and nutritionists
- Median annual wage: $62,670
- Median hourly wage: $30.13
- Total employment: 70 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Surveyors
- Median annual wage: $63,090
- Median hourly wage: $30.33
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VH-studio // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Child, family, and school social workers
- Median annual wage: $63,130
- Median hourly wage: $30.35
- Total employment: 300 people (3.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Web developers
- Median annual wage: $64,220
- Median hourly wage: $30.87
- Total employment: 30 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $64,800
- Median hourly wage: $31.15
- Total employment: 90 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $65,770
- Median hourly wage: $31.62
- Total employment: 60 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $66,150
- Median hourly wage: $31.80
- Total employment: 120 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $66,660
- Median hourly wage: $32.05
- Total employment: 430 people (5.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $67,130
- Median hourly wage: $32.27
- Total employment: 2,140 people (26.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $71,290
- Median hourly wage: $34.28
- Total employment: 80 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $72,230
- Median hourly wage: $34.73
- Total employment: 60 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pakorn Khantiyaporn // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $74,260
- Median hourly wage: $35.70
- Total employment: 70 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $74,550
- Median hourly wage: $35.84
- Total employment: 90 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $74,600
- Median hourly wage: $35.86
- Total employment: 70 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $76,620
- Median hourly wage: $36.84
- Total employment: 1,640 people (20.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $79,030
- Median hourly wage: $37.99
- Total employment: 290 people (3.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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comzeal images // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Loan officers
- Median annual wage: $79,740
- Median hourly wage: $38.34
- Total employment: 140 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Social science research assistants
- Median annual wage: $80,340
- Median hourly wage: $38.63
- Total employment: 100 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $81,330
- Median hourly wage: $39.10
- Total employment: 30 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $86,250
- Median hourly wage: $41.47
- Total employment: 30 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $88,270
- Median hourly wage: $42.44
- Total employment: 60 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $90,360
- Median hourly wage: $43.44
- Total employment: 90 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $93,240
- Median hourly wage: $44.83
- Total employment: 90 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $93,790
- Median hourly wage: $45.09
- Total employment: 60 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $96,240
- Median hourly wage: $46.27
- Total employment: 290 people (3.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $97,680
- Median hourly wage: $46.96
- Total employment: 170 people (2.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,030
- Median hourly wage: $47.13
- Total employment: 30 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $99,270
- Median hourly wage: $47.73
- Total employment: 330 people (4.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $102,490
- Median hourly wage: $49.27
- Total employment: 100 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $109,690
- Median hourly wage: $52.74
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $109,990
- Median hourly wage: $52.88
- Total employment: 80 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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creativemarc // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $110,390
- Median hourly wage: $53.07
- Total employment: 80 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $112,300
- Median hourly wage: $53.99
- Total employment: 50 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $113,560
- Median hourly wage: $54.60
- Total employment: 70 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $114,590
- Median hourly wage: $55.09
- Total employment: 250 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $115,850
- Median hourly wage: $55.70
- Total employment: 250 people (3.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $116,230
- Median hourly wage: $55.88
- Total employment: 70 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $123,650
- Median hourly wage: $59.45
- Total employment: 140 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $124,800
- Median hourly wage: $60.00
- Total employment: 330 people (4.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $129,880
- Median hourly wage: $62.44
- Total employment: 40 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $170,990
- Median hourly wage: $82.21
- Total employment: 110 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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