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Place dossier plate
SheetDE-BETHANY-BEACH-DE · Bethany Beach, DE 923 pop · income 81st pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Bethany Beach
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Bethany Beach on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Pineville · lowest
34,688
Pineville · lowest
34,688 median HH income
32.8% of the leader · rank #1
Safety Harbor · near
105,813
Safety Harbor · near
105,813 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #2
Bethany Beach · this city
105,833
Bethany Beach · this city
105,833 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #3
San Dimas · near
105,833
San Dimas · near
105,833 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #4
Three Lakes · near
105,833
Three Lakes · near
105,833 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #5
Oconomowoc · near
105,833
Oconomowoc · near
105,833 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
Porter · highest
105,859
Porter · highest
105,859 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Bethany Beach on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 923.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Bethany Beach - the verdict
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Bethany Beach lands in the 81st percentile for household income and the 0th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
81st
percentile, household income
91st
percentile, home value
78th
percentile, median rent
0th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Bethany Beach, DE
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 923 residents in Bethany Beach, a small town within Delaware. Median household income here is $105,833 per year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 0.7%. Bethany Beach's housing stock carries a median value of $648,500, and the median resident age is 66.4 years. 64.8% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 37.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Bethany Beach's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 9881.1 crimes per 100,000 residents, above the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score).
Delaware tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Delaware scores 99.8 (Near Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,560 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Delaware's average monthly utility costs around $243 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 91.3 out of 100 (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Bethany Beach's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from reported crime to work and mobility to population change to housing and income to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Bethany Beach, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, matched public-school count; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What can the FBI record say about safety in Bethany Beach?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 9881.1 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 333% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
What does the journey to work look like in Bethany Beach?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 51.4%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. Remote work has a visible role in the local pattern. That can reduce commute exposure for some workers, but it says nothing about job availability or broadband quality; read it alongside income and housing rather than as a stand-alone lifestyle score.
Is Bethany Beach growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +149 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +15.6% change. No comparable local building-permit series is available here, so population change should not be read as a housing-supply measure. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Which cities make useful reference points for Bethany Beach?
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
Within Delaware, the closest population matches are Frankford (883 residents, $74,583 income); Frederica (972 residents, $70,288 income); Blades (1,055 residents, $62,596 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Goodland, IN (923 residents); Pineville, MO (923 residents); Knoxville, PA (923 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in Bethany Beach?
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 0.7%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Value / income
6.1×
Home value
$648,500
Household income
$105,833
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Delaware average
C+
City profile score · Bethany Beach, DE
63/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Poverty rate A+
0.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share A+
64.8%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income B+
$105,833
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Cost of living D
99.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
640 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bethany Beach profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Poverty rate: 95/100 (A+) · 0.7%
Bachelor's+ share: 94/100 (A+) · 64.8%
Household income: 79/100 (B+) · $105,833
Cost of living: 41/100 (D) · 99.8 index
Violent crime: 8/100 (F) · 640 /100k
Where Bethany Beach sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Bethany Beach's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Bethany Beach highlighted among 27 peers.Read the chart values
Bethany Beach, DE (this city): home $648,500, crime 9,881/100k
Pineville, MO : home $170,300, crime 4,660/100k
Frankford, DE : home $277,800, crime 884/100k
Blades, DE : home $209,600, crime 2,545/100k
Felton, DE : home $276,800, crime 1,826/100k
Ellendale, DE : home $223,700, crime 896/100k
Newport, DE : home $230,900, crime 3,475/100k
New York, NY : home $751,700, crime 3,039/100k
Los Angeles, CA : home $879,500, crime 2,212/100k
Chicago, IL : home $315,200, crime 4,012/100k
Houston, TX : home $253,400, crime 5,442/100k
Phoenix, AZ : home $381,900, crime 3,125/100k
Philadelphia, PA : home $232,400, crime 5,457/100k
San Antonio, TX : home $219,700, crime 5,218/100k
San Diego, CA : home $848,500, crime 2,082/100k
Dallas, TX : home $295,300, crime 4,010/100k
San Jose, CA : home $1,187,800, crime 3,195/100k
Austin, TX : home $512,700, crime 3,709/100k
Fort Worth, TX : home $277,300, crime 3,158/100k
Columbus, OH : home $234,500, crime 3,088/100k
Indianapolis, IN : home $207,000, crime 4,214/100k
San Francisco, CA : home $1,380,500, crime 4,526/100k
Seattle, WA : home $912,100, crime 5,783/100k
Denver, CO : home $586,700, crime 5,755/100k
Oklahoma City, OK : home $215,100, crime 3,570/100k
El Paso, TX : home $171,700, crime 1,772/100k
Washington, DC : home $724,600, crime 4,514/100k
How does Bethany Beach compare to other US cities?
Where Bethany Beach sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income81% higher than other cities
Home value91% pricier than other cities
Median rent78% pricier than other cities
Safety0% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Delaware and the picture shifts: Bethany Beach ranks #32 of 31 Delaware cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Bethany Beach against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Delaware only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Delaware-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Bethany Beach near the bottom of Delaware's cities
Among the 79 Delaware cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Bethany Beach ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bethany Beach only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#17 of 77
78th percentile in Delaware
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 79
0th percentile in Delaware
Median Home Value
#9 of 77
88th percentile in Delaware
Poverty Rate
#70 of 79
11th percentile in Delaware
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#10 of 79
87th percentile in Delaware
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Delaware only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
81st percentile nationally for median household income · 0th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Bethany Beach's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Bethany Beach's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Bethany Beach's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$648,5009th percentilemore affordable than 9% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Bethany Beach's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,193 of 15,516
More affordable than 9% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,517 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 6.1×, Bethany Beach sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,193 of 15,516 and #10,517 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$105,833Bethany Beach, DE median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Bethany Beach, DE median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Bethany Beach, DE.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)64.8%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)0.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)37.9%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
923
Median Income
$105,833
Median Home Value
$648,500
Median Age
66.4
Poverty Rate
0.7%
Labor force participation
37.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
64.8%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
9881.1
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
640.4
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
9240.6
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Bethany Beach's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
955 residents
2021
990 residents
2022
1,024 residents
2023
1,053 residents
2024
1,081 residents
2025
1,104 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
51.4%
Carpool
2.7%
Public Transit
2.1%
Walk
5.2%
Work from Home
31.3%
Other
7.3%
Based on 329 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Delaware statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $243
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Delaware at $243 (electricity about $115 , water and sewer about $48 ).
These are Delaware statewide averages, not a meter reading for Bethany Beach. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Delaware's BEA cost-of-living index is 99.8 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Bethany Beach is $1,560/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Delaware statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 91.3 / 100 (Very High).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Delaware statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Bethany Beach sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Bethany Beach compares to similar-size Delaware cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.