Population 616 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Bethesda
Household size in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.49 | 2.44 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.39 | 2.45 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.57 | 2.44 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.26 | 2.43 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.23 | −0.01 | −0.03 |
Households in Bethesda are small: just 2.26 people on average, compared with 2.65 nationally. That is typical of places where many people live alone or as couples, and fewer have children at home. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.49, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.9 | 41.4 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 41.7 | 42.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 42.5 | 43.1 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 51.8 | 43.2 | 40.1 |
| Change | +12.0 | +1.9 | +2.3 |
Bethesda skews older: half of its residents are older than 51.8, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.3% | 9.7% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 9.4% | 10.4% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 12.8% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 5.2% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| Change | −7.2 pts | +0.6 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Bethesda: 5.2% of households, against 11.6% nationally.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Bethesda
Renters in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 30.9% | 25.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 28.4% | 27.0% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 30.5% | 26.8% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 26.6% | 25.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −4.4 pts | −0.3 pts | +1.5 pts |
Just over a quarter of households in Bethesda rent their homes (26.6%), below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. The picture is much the same across West Virginia. Among homeowners, 79.1% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 15.1% | 15.1% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.3% | 15.0% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 23.3% | 16.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 18.2% | 14.9% | 9.6% |
| Change | +3.0 pts | −0.1 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 18.2% of the housing in Bethesda, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1976 | 1970 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1978 | 1973 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1978 | 1974 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1975 | 1976 | 1980 |
| Change | −0 | +6 | +6 |
Housing in Bethesda leans a little older: the median home dates to 1975, against 1980 nationally. West Virginia as a whole looks much the same.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $574 | $578 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $494 | $657 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $698 | $759 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $745 | $905 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$172 | +$327 | +$606 |
The median renter in Bethesda pays $745 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent takes 40.3% of the typical renter's income, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Bethesda
Bachelor's degrees in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.4% | 18.4% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 6.7% | 19.7% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 8.3% | 21.4% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.0% | 25.0% | 35.6% |
| Change | +0.5 pts | +6.6 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Bethesda: 8.0% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 69.5% | 82.5% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 68.6% | 84.8% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 74.6% | 87.2% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 84.8% | 89.4% | 89.3% |
| Change | +15.3 pts | +6.9 pts | +4.3 pts |
Just over one in seven adults in Bethesda never finished high school, more than nationally: 84.8% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Bethesda
| Period | Bethesda | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.0% | 7.2% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 18.0% | 8.2% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 13.3% | 6.7% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.0% | 5.5% | 5.4% |
| Change | −0.1 pts | −1.6 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been harder to find in Bethesda than nationally: unemployment was 7.0%, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Bethesda compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethesda | 2.26 | 51.8 | 5.2% | 26.6% | 18.2% | 1975 | $745 | 8.0% | 84.8% | 7.0% |
| Wayne | 2.72 | 45.2 | 6.5% | 24.3% | 15.0% | 1978 | $795 | 8.3% | 86.3% | 4.5% |
| East Lynn | 2.21 | 50.7 | 7.6% | 17.9% | 20.8% | 1972 | $889 | 15.2% | 82.4% | 4.6% |
| Echo | 2.66 | 48.7 | 7.8% | 18.5% | 13.3% | 1977 | $897 | 8.1% | 83.2% | 6.7% |
| Gilkerson | 2.83 | 44.6 | 5.9% | 6.2% | 27.1% | 1975 | $796 | 34.5% | 85.0% | 0.5% |
| Genoa | 2.61 | 41.2 | 7.8% | 12.9% | 24.5% | 1982 | $892 | 8.0% | 77.7% | 12.1% |
| Nestlow | 1.93 | 50.0 | 9.2% | 12.4% | 23.0% | 1973 | $837 | 15.6% | 84.5% | 2.4% |
| Lavalette | 2.43 | 43.6 | 3.9% | 11.7% | 8.9% | 1982 | $980 | 27.5% | 93.9% | 5.1% |
| Prichard | 3.27 | 35.2 | 18.5% | 22.1% | 16.0% | 1978 | $870 | 11.1% | 83.0% | 3.3% |
| Hubbardstown | 2.60 | 52.9 | 13.5% | 22.4% | 18.7% | 1978 | $870 | 8.4% | 88.4% | 2.4% |
| Shoals | 2.54 | 40.5 | 5.0% | 7.8% | 7.7% | 1978 | $1,105 | 30.0% | 93.5% | 0.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Eureka, UT · Red Lake, AZ · Reading, VT · Put-in-Bay, OH · Princeton, ID · Troy, VT · Enders, AR · Powers, AL · Enlow, PA · East Tallassee, AL
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Bethesda. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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