Moving to
North Bethesda.

All North Bethesda data Compare North Bethesda

49,677people live here $129,092median household income▲ 60% above US $2,191median rent per month▲ 55% above US $731,800median home value▲ 120% above US

North Bethesda is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, MD. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.

What it's like to live in North Bethesda

North Bethesda is an unincorporated community in Maryland with county unemployment below the national average, household incomes running above the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, and a highly educated workforce. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.

The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. North Bethesda deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, and commute times longer than most cities.

The good

Low unemployment in the county
Higher-than-average incomes
Clean air
Highly educated workforce
Average class sizes
Public transit that many commuters use

The not so good

Rent well above the national average
High home prices
Above-average commute times

How North Bethesda compares

Median household income

North Bethesda$129,092

Maryland avg$103,678

US$80,734

Median rent (per month)

North Bethesda$2,191

Maryland avg$1,705

US$1,413

Median home value

North Bethesda$731,800

Maryland avg$419,900

US$332,700

What it takes to move to North Bethesda

Based on North Bethesda's median rent, home value and household income

To rent

$4,382

up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit

Income to keep rent under 30%: $87,640 a year
41% of North Bethesda renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent

To buy

$146,360

a 20% down payment on the median home

With 10% down: $73,180
Homes cost 5.7× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)

Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.

The details

Cost of living▲ 55% above US

$2,191/mo median rent

Rent is expensive here, at $2,191 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices are steep, with a median around $731,800. Renting first to get a feel for the city before buying is often the more practical route.

Median home value $731,800 · 41% of renters cost-burdened

Job market

3.7% county unemployment

Unemployment in Montgomery County is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.

Montgomery County (county-wide)

Safety

167 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction

North Bethesda doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Montgomery County Police Department jurisdiction as a whole, which runs below the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.

Property crime 1571/100k · Policed by Montgomery County Police Department (county-wide rate) · 2025 data

Getting around▲ 14% above US

30 min average commute

Commutes run about average, at 29.6 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 5 in 10 workers drive to work; 10% take public transit; 37% work from home.

How workers get to work

Drive alone

45%

Work from home

37%

Public transit

10%

Carpool

4.7%

Other

1.6%

Walk

1.3%

Climate

Summers are warm, with highs around 85°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 29°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.

Average month

High °FLow °FPrecip (in)

30-year averages, 1991–2020

Education & workforce▲ 109% above US

75% bachelor's degree or higher

This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.

Schools

8 public schools inside the boundary

There are 8 public schools inside the boundary and 10 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.

Parks & recreation

The nearest national park or historic site is Clara Barton National Historic Site (6 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.

Bottom line

North Bethesda's strongest points are county unemployment below the national average and household incomes running above the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,191/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (37% of workers here already work from home), people who would rather not drive, and college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.

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