Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 70/100
B−
Median home value$1,169,900
Washington $579,900
Median rent$2,469/mo
Washington $2,027/mo
Cost-burdened households30%
Washington 31%
Bethesda
Montgomery County69,397 residentsMontgomery County Public Schools
73
B
Suburbgrade score
1st of 60 Washington suburbs. Strong on amenities and employment & income, held back by commute & transport.
73
Washington median 64
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Bethesda yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 73 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Bethesda is like to live in, by category
Bars show Bethesda against Washington. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 71/100
B−
Within-state proficiency78th pct
Washington median 78th pct
Student–teacher ratio16.7
Washington median 14.1
Graduation rate89%
Washington median 86%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 69/100
B−
Housing cost index135
Washington 100
Eff. tax rate0.89%
Washington 0.85%
Local sales tax6.00%
Washington median 5.77%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Mean commute27.7 min
Washington 32.4 min
Under 30 minutes54%
Washington 47%
Transit stops / sq mi32
Washington median 6.4 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 89/100
A
Restaurants & cafés137
Washington median 87 · within 2 miles
Groceries10
Washington median 8 · within 2 miles
Parks135
Washington median 85 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 78/100
B+
Median household income$192,237
Washington $126,684
Unemployment3.1%
Washington 4.8%
Professional occupations80%
Washington 58%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Bethesda yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Bethesda on commute & transport
Bethesda's weakest grade is C+. Four suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbCommuteOverall
McNair16 mi from BethesdaB 66 C+ Arlington8 mi from BethesdaB− 73 B Reston13 mi from BethesdaB− 70 B− Ashburn19 mi from BethesdaB− 71 B− Mean commute: ACS 2020–24 · Commuting under 30 minutes: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Bethesda
Is Bethesda, MD a good place to live?
Bethesda scores 73 out of 100, 1st of 60 Washington suburbs. It is strongest on amenities and weakest on commute & transport. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Bethesda expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B−. The median home is $1,169,900, 102% above the Washington median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.89%. $2,469/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Bethesda?
Schools grade B−. The districts serving Bethesda sit at the 78th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 89% graduation rate and a 16.7 student–teacher ratio. Bethesda is served by Montgomery County Public Schools. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Bethesda?
The mean commute is 27.7 min, with 54% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 38% working from home. Transit density is 32 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Bethesda?
Within two miles there are 10 groceries, 137 restaurants and cafés and 135 parks, which grades A on amenities.
Are the homes in Bethesda old or new?
The median home in Bethesda was built in 1970 — older than the Washington median of 1983. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 57% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.