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Place dossier plate
SheetMN-EAST-BETHEL-MN · East Bethel, MN 11,995 pop · income 85th 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 East Bethel
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest East Bethel on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Centralia · lowest
47,308
Centralia · lowest
47,308 median HH income
30.8% of the leader · rank #1
East Bethel · this city
114,583
East Bethel · this city
114,583 median HH income
74.7% of the leader · rank #2
The Cliffs Va… · near
114,583
The Cliffs Va… · near
114,583 median HH income
74.7% of the leader · rank #3
Firestone · near
114,591
Firestone · near
114,591 median HH income
74.7% of the leader · rank #4
St. Joseph · near
114,594
St. Joseph · near
114,594 median HH income
74.7% of the leader · rank #5
Kincora · near
114,618
Kincora · near
114,618 median HH income
74.7% of the leader · rank #6
Lake Elmo · highest
153,407
Lake Elmo · highest
153,407 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
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for East Bethel on ACS population and median household income
. 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: 11,995.
East Bethel ranks in the 85th percentile for household income nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS.
85th
percentile, household income
71st
percentile, home value
36th
percentile, median rent
📝 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: East Bethel, MN
11,995 people live in East Bethel, Minnesota - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. East Bethel households earn a median of $114,583 annually, placing it in the top quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 2.8%. Typical homes in East Bethel are valued around $343,200, and the median resident age is 40.5 years. About 22.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 70.6% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 99 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 267% from five years earlier.
Minnesota tracks close to the national cost-of-living baseline: the state registers 98.6 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,125 per month statewide. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Minnesota run around $225, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 42.4 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of East Bethel'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 schools and households to population change to work and mobility to comparison shortlist to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For East Bethel, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, commute-mode shares, annual population history, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the education layer cover for East Bethel?
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 22.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
Is East Bethel growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
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.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +817 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +6.9% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 99 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What does the journey to work look like in East Bethel?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.1%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Which cities make useful reference points for East Bethel?
Within Minnesota, the closest population matches are St. Peter (12,085 residents, $65,042 income); Mendota Heights (11,644 residents, $132,935 income); Lake Elmo (12,504 residents, $153,407 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Port Wentworth, GA (11,997 residents); Pike Creek Valley, DE (11,992 residents); Archdale, NC (11,992 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.
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.
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 East Bethel?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.0 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.8%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Household income
$114,583
Home value
$343,200
Value / income
3.0×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Above-average cost · BEA RPP 2024, Minnesota average
B-
City profile score · East Bethel, MN
66/100
4 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.
Household income A-
$114,583
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate A-
2.8%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Cost of living D
98.6 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share D
22.9%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
East Bethel profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Household income: 83/100 (A-) · $114,583
Poverty rate: 80/100 (A-) · 2.8%
Cost of living: 46/100 (D) · 98.6 index
Bachelor's+ share: 43/100 (D) · 22.9%
How does East Bethel compare to other US cities?
East Bethel measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Household income85% higher than other cities
Home value71% pricier than other cities
Median rent36% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares East Bethel against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Minnesota only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Minnesota-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places East Bethel near the bottom of Minnesota's cities
Among the 785 Minnesota cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, East Bethel ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares East Bethel only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#81 of 775
90th percentile in Minnesota
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 785
0th percentile in Minnesota
Median Home Value
#105 of 774
86th percentile in Minnesota
Poverty Rate
#549 of 785
29th percentile in Minnesota
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#331 of 784
57th percentile in Minnesota
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 Minnesota only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
85th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How East Bethel's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$343,20029th percentilemore affordable than 29% 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
East Bethel's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.0×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#6,662 of 15,516
More affordable than 57% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#895 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.0×, East Bethel sits in the affordable band:
national rank #6,662 of 15,516 and #895 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
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
$114,583East Bethel, MN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context East Bethel, MN median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for East Bethel, MN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)22.9%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)2.8%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)70.6%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
11,995
Median Income
$114,583
Median Home Value
$343,200
Median Age
40.5
Poverty Rate
2.8%
Labor force participation
70.6%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.9%
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
East Bethel's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
11,788 residents
2021
12,046 residents
2022
12,199 residents
2023
12,213 residents
2024
12,313 residents
2025
12,605 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
99
housing units authorized
Single-Family
19
detached homes
Multifamily
80
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
8.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
27
27
0
$5.9M
2020
108
41
67
$19.2M
2021
113
43
70
$20.7M
2022
20
20
0
$5.8M
2023
14
14
0
$5.0M
2024
99
19
80
$20.3M
Permit volume increased 267% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.1%
Carpool
8.5%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
0.8%
Work from Home
11.8%
Other
0.7%
Based on 6,679 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Minnesota statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $225
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Minnesota at $225 (electricity about $95 , water and sewer about $45 ).
These are Minnesota statewide averages, not a meter reading for East Bethel. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Minnesota's BEA cost-of-living index is 98.6 (Near Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around East Bethel is $1,125/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Minnesota statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 42.4 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Minnesota statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county East Bethel sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How East Bethel compares to similar-size Minnesota 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, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, 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.