Bethesda, MD

Census Place

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2024 Population
69,397
US Senator
Chris Van Hollen
Democratic Party
US Senator
Angela Alsobrooks
Democratic Party
2024 Median Age
42.8
1.38% 1-year decrease
2024 Poverty Rate
4.26%
7.16% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$192,237
0.465% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$1.17M
3.56% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
35,674
2.32% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Bethesda, MD reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

86.4% of the residents in Bethesda, MD are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Bethesda, MD was $1.17M, and the homeownership rate was 64%.

Most people in Bethesda, MD drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 27.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Bethesda, MD was 2 cars per household.

About the photo: Aerial view of the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center (Building 10), NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD
Photo by NIH Image Gallery
United StatesMarylandMontgomery County, MDWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVDistrict of Columbia (West) PUMA, DCSouthwest Montgomery County--North Bethesda & Potomac PUMA, MDEast Central Montgomery County--Wheaton, Aspen Hill & Glenmont PUMA, MDSouth Montgomery County--South Bethesda & Chevy Chase PUMA, MD

Population & Diversity

Bethesda, MD is home to a population of 69.4k people, from which 86.4% are citizens. As of 2024, 25.8% of Bethesda, MD residents were born outside of the country (17.9k people).

In 2024, there were 5.19 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.6k people) in Bethesda, MD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8.79k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 4.36k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

86.4%
2024 Citizenship
86.6%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 86.4% of Bethesda, MD residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Bethesda, MD was 86.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Bethesda, MD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Bethesda, MD
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    45.6k ± 1.92k
  2. Asian (Non-Hispanic)
    8.79k ± 1.14k
  3. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    4.36k ± 1.01k
9.62%
Hispanic Population
6.68k people

In 2024, there were 5.19 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.6k people) in Bethesda, MD than any other race or ethnicity. There were 8.79k Asian (Non-Hispanic) and 4.36k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

9.62% of the people in Bethesda, MD are hispanic (6.68k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Bethesda, MD as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Maryland.
Most Common Origin
  1. El Salvador
    130,412 ± 8,772 people
  2. India
    62,394 ± 6,102 people
  3. Nigeria
    47,653 ± 5,339 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Maryland was El Salvador, the natal country of 130,412 Maryland residents, followed by India with 62,394 and Nigeria with 47,653.

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Foreign-Born Population

25.8%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
17.9k people
25.1%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
16.9k people

As of 2024, 25.8% of Bethesda, MD residents (17.9k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Bethesda, MD was 25.1%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Bethesda, MD compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,035 ± 267
  2. Vietnam
    624 ± 163
  3. Korea
    245 ± 182

Bethesda, MD has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.66 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Bethesda, MD.

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Economy

The economy of Bethesda, MD employs 35.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Bethesda, MD were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (9,822 people), Public Administration (5,143 people), and Educational Services (3,937 people), and the highest paying industries were Utilities ($212,143), Manufacturing ($185,201), and Finance & Insurance ($176,827).

Employment

Occupations

35.7k
2024 Value
± 1,364
2.32%
1 Year growth
± 5.21%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bethesda, MD grew at a rate of 2.32%, from 34.9k employees to 35.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Bethesda, MD, are Management Occupations (6,516 people), Business & Financial Operations Occupations (4,334 people), and Life, Physical, & Social Science Occupations (3,428 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Bethesda, MD.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Maryland.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Maryland (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

35.7k
2024 Value
± 1,364
2.32%
1 Year growth
± 5.21%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Bethesda, MD grew at a rate of 2.32%, from 34.9k employees to 35.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Bethesda, MD, are Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services (9,822 people), Public Administration (5,143 people), and Educational Services (3,937 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Bethesda, MD, though some of these residents may live in Bethesda, MD and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$155,266
Median earning men ± $7,486
$89,601
Median earning women ± $3,889

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Manufacturing ($187,411), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($181,026), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($171,939).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($170,625), Manufacturing ($152,991), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($144,071).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Maryland.
Y-Axis
0.617%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 2.69M people employed in Maryland. This represents a 0.617% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 13.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Maryland.

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Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Maryland went to Kamala Harris with 62.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (34.1%), followed by Jill Stein (1.09%).

Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks are the senators currently representing the state of Maryland. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Maryland is currently represented by 8 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Voting results are not available for Bethesda, MD. Showing the available data for Maryland.
2024 Election Results
  1. Kamala Harris (62.6%)
    Democratic Party
  2. Donald J. Trump (34.1%)
    Republican Party
  3. Jill Stein (1.09%)
    Green Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Maryland went to Kamala Harris with 62.6% of the vote. The runner-up was Donald J. Trump (34.1%), followed by Jill Stein (1.09%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Maryland for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Maryland

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Maryland.
Chris Van Hollen
Senator from Maryland3
Assumed office on January 3, 2017
Angela Alsobrooks
Senator from Maryland1
Assumed office on January 3, 2025

Chris Van Hollen and Angela Alsobrooks are the senators currently representing Maryland.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Maryland over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Bethesda, MD was $1.17M in 2024, which is 3.52 times larger than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $1.13M to $1.17M, a 3.56% increase. The homeownership rate in Bethesda, MD is 64%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Bethesda, MD have an average commute time of 27.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Bethesda, MD is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$1.17M
Median Property Value 2024
±$23,157
$17,868
Median Property Taxes
±$721

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Bethesda, MD the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Bethesda, MD compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

64%
Homeownership
2024
68%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 64% of the housing units in Bethesda, MD were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 65.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Bethesda, MD compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$192,237
Median Household Income
± $6,260
27.9k
Number of Households
± 1,109

In 2024, the median household income of the 27.9k households in Bethesda, MD grew to $192,237 from the previous year's value of $191,348.

The following chart displays the households in Bethesda, MD distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $200k+ range.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Bethesda, MD is from Maryland.
0.451
2023 Wage GINI in Maryland
0.454
2022 Wage GINI in Maryland

In 2023, the income inequality in Maryland was 0.451 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.683% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Maryland was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Maryland in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Maryland across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (39.8%)
  2. Worked At Home (38%)
  3. Public Transit (9.61%)

In 2024, 39.8% of workers in Bethesda, MD drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (38%) and those who used public transit to get to work (9.61%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

27.7 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Bethesda, MD have a longer commute time (27.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.845% of the workforce in Bethesda, MD have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Bethesda, MD compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Bethesda, MD distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Bethesda, MD have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

4.26% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Bethesda, MD (2.93k out of 68.7k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is lower than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Females 55 - 64 and then Females 75+.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Bethesda, MD is White, followed by Black and Asian.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

97.9% of the population of Bethesda, MD has health coverage, with 67.1% on employee plans, 3.2% on Medicaid, 13.9% on Medicare, 12% on non-group plans, and 1.69% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Maryland see 1,179 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,179 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1238 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 273 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

Coverage

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.1% under 18 years, 15.1% between 18 and 34 years, 40.6% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

2.14%
Uninsured
67.1%
Employer Coverage
3.2%
Medicaid
13.9%
Medicare
12%
Non-Group
1.69%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Bethesda, MD grew by 1.36% from 2.11% to 2.14%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Bethesda, MD changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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