BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Western Kentucky University said a new report done by analysis group Lightcast shows the school has added $1.6 billion to the state's economy. 

What You Need To Know

  • Western Kentucky University said per a new report, it has contributed $1.6 billion to the state's economy

  • It added it contributed nearly $530 million to nearby cities such as Glasgow and Owensboro 

  • Much of the money comes from out-of-state students, said Jace Lux, the university's director of media relations 

  • Another main source is tuition and extracurricular activities 

The report highlighted how WKU has impacted the Kentucky economy during fiscal year 2022-23. WKU said according to the Lightcast report, it helped bring in nearly $530 million for the Bowling Green region.

The money comes from tuition and extracurricular activities, said Jace Lux, director of media relations. 

“People come to Bowling Green for athletic events, music concerts or theatre productions our students may be putting on," Lux said. "All of that has an economic impact. when you think about money spent on hotels (and) money spent on restaurants.”

WKU said per the report it has contributed $134 million to nearby cities such as Glasgow and Ownsboro. 

Lux said much of that comes from out-of-state students. Their tuition is $27,000, more than doubling that of in-state tuition, which is just north of $11,000. 

“All of those play a significant role in not only boosting Bowling Green’s economy but also Kentucky’s economy as well," Lux said. 

Lux said the economic footprint WKU has on the state is only going to get bigger.

“As WKU expands its footprint, as individuals come to Kentucky specifically for WKU-related events and activities, I think that economic impact will certainly grow," he added. 

WKU added per the report that students support one out of every 17 jobs in counties such as Allen, Barren, Butler, Edmonson, Logan, Simpson and Warren.

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