Town · Maine
Bethel, Maine
Bethel, town, in Oxford County, Maine. Bethel had 2,751 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, up 9.8% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 2,504 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 2,617 (±17). GEOID 2301704825.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
2,751
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 2,504 · ACS 2020-2024: 2,617 ±17
Median household income
$58,929
±$23,120 (90% margin)
Maine: $74,733
Median home value
$344,900
±$36,994 (90% margin)
Maine: $296,600
Median gross rent
$864
±$43 (90% margin)
Maine: $1,139
Where is Bethel and what county is it in?
Bethel is a town in Oxford County, Maine. It covers 64.6 square miles of land, 39 residents per square mile in 2020.
One place lies inside Bethel: Bethel (CDP, 658 in 2020).
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Bethel, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 2,751 people lived in Bethel on July 1, 2025, up 9.8% since 2020, faster than Maine (+3.8%). The 2020 Census counted 2,504 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 2,617 (±17).
| Measure | Bethel | Oxford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 2,617±17 | 59,255 | −73 |
| Households | 1,224±96 | 24,140 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.14±0.17 | 2.42 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 2,065±143 | 36,855 | −304 |
Bethel's population since 2000
From 2,411 in 2000 to 2,751 in 2025: up 14.1%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Bethel as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Bethel?
The median resident of Bethel is 50.2 years old; 15.9% are under 18 and 29.3% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 89.5%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 5.3%.
| Measure | Bethel | Oxford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 50.2±6.4 | 48.2 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 15.9%±3.9 pts | 17.6% | – |
| 65 years and over | 29.3%±6.4 pts | 23.9% | – |
| Male | 52.5%±5.5 pts | 50.0% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.0%±1.0 pts | 1.7% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 89.5%±6.8 pts | 92.2% | no clear change |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±1.0 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 1.1%±1.6 pts | 0.7% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±1.0 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±1.0 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 5.3%±3.9 pts | 4.5% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 4.1%±5.7 pts | 0.4% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.2%±0.3 pts | 1.4% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.6%±0.7 pts | 2.1% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 10.5%±5.0 pts | 9.4% | – |
| With a disability | 13.5%±5.5 pts | 18.6% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 13.3%±6.2 pts | 8.6% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 96.6%±2.0 pts | 92.6% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 41.3%±7.7 pts | 24.0% | +12.2 pts |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 19.1%±6.0 pts | 8.1% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 82.2%±9.1 pts | 91.0% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 1.7%±1.5 pts | 2.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Bethel earn?
Half of Bethel's 1,224 households earn less than $58,929 a year (±$23,120), against $60,173 in Oxford County and $74,733 in Maine. In 2015-2019 it was $66,642 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 13.9% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Bethel | Oxford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,929±$23,120 | $60,173 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $110,682±$20,843 | $81,916 | – |
| Per capita income | $55,434±$11,851 | $35,412 | +$20,460 |
| People below the poverty line | 13.9%±7.6 pts | 13.8% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 36.1%±20.3 pts | 19.1% | no clear change |
| Households receiving SNAP | 20.6%±9.1 pts | 15.7% | – |
| Households with a computer | 98.9%±0.9 pts | 92.3% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 94.2%±3.0 pts | 87.5% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Bethel?
Owners occupy 82.9% of Bethel's occupied homes and renters 17.1%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $344,900 by its owner (±$36,994). The median renter pays $864 a month including utilities.
| Measure | Bethel | Oxford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $344,900±$36,994 | $217,300 | +$92,115 |
| Median gross rent | $864±$43 | $836 | no clear change |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 3.7%±6.1 pts | 40.4% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,610±$75 | $1,442 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 82.9%±7.5 pts | 80.6% | no clear change |
| Renter-occupied homes | 17.1%±7.5 pts | 19.4% | – |
| Housing units | 2,065±143 | 36,855 | −304 |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 1.8%±2.9 pts | 0.8% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 21.6%±20.3 pts | 11.3% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 69.9%±5.7 pts | 75.5% | – |
| Mobile homes | 7.4%±4.2 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 1.9%±1.7 pts | 1.3% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 7.7%±4.0 pts | 6.5% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 19.5%±7.1 pts | 22.9% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 3.1%±2.7 pts | 6.9% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How many new homes is Bethel building?
Builders took permits for 67 new housing units in Bethel in 2025 (29 in single-family houses), 24.4 per 1,000 residents against 4.9 across Maine.
Counts of units in permits a local office issued; not every permitted unit is built. A year marked with months was reported for part of the year.
Source: Building Permits Survey, annual place files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey
How do people in Bethel work and get to work?
69.1% of Bethel's workers drive alone and 27.7% work from home. The average trip to work takes 25.9 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 5.2%.
| Measure | Bethel | Oxford County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 63.3%±6.9 pts | 56.4% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2%±3.4 pts | 4.3% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 69.1%±9.1 pts | 73.8% | – |
| Carpooled | 1.1%±1.1 pts | 9.4% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0%±2.1 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Walked | 0.2%±0.4 pts | 2.2% | – |
| Worked from home | 27.7%±8.2 pts | 13.6% | +22.0 pts |
| Mean travel time to work | 25.9 min±7.4 | 28.9 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Bethel?
1 census tract lies mostly in Bethel (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9659Oxford County | 3,059 | $57,350 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Bethel) · Census block assignment files
How does Bethel compare with other places in Maine?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Bethel is the 3,812th-most populous of the 16,079 U.S. towns and townships that have one and the 111th-most populous of 454 in Maine.
Bethel ranks 268th of 349 places in Maine with 1,000 or more residents and a reliable estimate, by median household income.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 111th | 454 |
| Growth 2020-2025 (PEP) | 12th | 273 |
| Residents per square mile | 306th | 353 |
| Median household income | 268th | 349 |
| Per capita income | 39th | 353 |
| Median home value | 91st | 352 |
| Median gross rent | 235th | 301 |
| Poverty rate | 95th | 277 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 95th | 352 |
| Median age | 110th | 353 |
| Owner-occupied share | 151st | 353 |
| Work from home | 18th | 275 |
| Travel time to work | 162nd | 352 |
Bethel's figures with every place in Maine (CSV)
Every place in Maine, sortable · Compare Bethel with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Bethel?
18 of the 57 figures for Bethel on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Bethel are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.