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Place dossier plate
SheetDE-SOUTH-BETHANY-DE · South Bethany, DE 503 pop · income 84th 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 South Bethany
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest South Bethany on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Sandersville · lowest
47,167
Sandersville · lowest
47,167 median HH income
42.2% of the leader · rank #1
Rosewood · near
111,658
Rosewood · near
111,658 median HH income
99.9% of the leader · rank #2
South Bethany · this city
111,667
South Bethany · this city
111,667 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #3
Hickam Housing · near
111,667
Hickam Housing · near
111,667 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #4
Lakeland North · near
111,681
Lakeland North · near
111,681 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #5
Pleasureville · near
111,685
Pleasureville · near
111,685 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #6
Pitkin · highest
111,715
Pitkin · highest
111,715 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 South Bethany 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: 503.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
South Bethany - the verdict
Nationally, South Bethany sits in the 84th percentile for household income and the 82nd percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
84th
percentile, household income
96th
percentile, home value
78th
percentile, median rent
82nd
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: South Bethany, DE
South Bethany is a small town in Delaware, home to 503 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in South Bethany brings in $111,667 a year, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 2.5%. Home values in South Bethany run a median of $855,000, and the median resident age is 69.2 years. About 76.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 28.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
South Bethany reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 576.9 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Delaware tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Delaware at 99.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Near Average). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,560 per month. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Delaware run around $243, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 91.3 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Very High).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of South Bethany'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 housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to population change to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For South Bethany, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates.
No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Housing and income
How far does income reach against housing in South Bethany?
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 7.7 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
What does the journey to work look like in South Bethany?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 56.2%. 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.
Which cities make useful reference points for South Bethany?
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 Port Penn (477 residents, $95,287 income); Houston (456 residents, $100,208 income); Bethel (431 residents, $91,111 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Round Valley, AZ (503 residents); Sorento, IL (503 residents); Lamont, IA (503 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.
Is South Bethany growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +73 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +15.7% 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.
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.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in South Bethany?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 576.9 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 75% lower 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.
Total reported rate
576.9
Violent rate
0.0
Property rate
576.9
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Delaware average
A-
City profile score · South Bethany, DE
80/100
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.
Bachelor's+ share A+
76.0%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime A+
0 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Household income A-
$111,667
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate A-
2.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
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.
South Bethany profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Bachelor's+ share: 100/100 (A+) · 76.0%
Violent crime: 97/100 (A+) · 0 /100k
Household income: 82/100 (A-) · $111,667
Poverty rate: 82/100 (A-) · 2.5%
Cost of living: 41/100 (D) · 99.8 index
Where South Bethany sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
South Bethany'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 - South Bethany highlighted among 22 peers.Read the chart values
South Bethany, DE (this city): home $855,000, crime 577/100k
Canton, OK : home $69,700, crime 1,782/100k
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 South Bethany compare to other US cities?
South Bethany measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income84% higher than other cities
Home value96% pricier than other cities
Median rent78% pricier than other cities
Safety82% 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: South Bethany ranks #2 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 South Bethany 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 South Bethany near the bottom of Delaware's cities
Among the 79 Delaware cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, South Bethany ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares South Bethany only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#13 of 77
83rd percentile in Delaware
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 79
0th percentile in Delaware
Median Home Value
#6 of 77
92nd percentile in Delaware
Poverty Rate
#59 of 79
24th percentile in Delaware
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#2 of 79
97th 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
84th percentile nationally for median household income · 82nd percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
South Bethany's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
South Bethany'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 South Bethany's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$855,0004th percentilemore affordable than 4% 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
South Bethany's home-value-to-income ratio: 7.7×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,919 of 15,516
More affordable than 4% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,951 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 7.7×, South Bethany sits in the pressured band:
national rank #14,919 of 15,516 and #10,951 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
$111,667South Bethany, DE median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context South Bethany, 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 South Bethany, DE.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)76.0%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)28.7%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
503
Median Income
$111,667
Median Home Value
$855,000
Median Age
69.2
Poverty Rate
2.5%
Labor force participation
28.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
76.0%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
576.9
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
0.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
576.9
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
South Bethany's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
465 residents
2021
482 residents
2022
499 residents
2023
513 residents
2024
526 residents
2025
538 residents
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
56.2%
Carpool
0.7%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
2.2%
Work from Home
40.1%
Other
0.8%
Based on 137 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 South Bethany. 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 South Bethany 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 South Bethany sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How South Bethany 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.