What it's like to live in Bethany
Bethany is a small city in Oklahoma with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, county unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Bethany deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, a poverty rate above the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment in the county
- Low crime rates
- Short commutes
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Bethany compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Bethany
Based on Bethany's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,142
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,840 a year
- 51% of Bethany renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$34,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,160
- Homes cost 3.0× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 24% below US
$1,071/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,071 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $171,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $171,600 · 51% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Oklahoma County is 3.4%, 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.
Oklahoma County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 42% below US
192 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1348/100k · Bethany Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 20% below US
21 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 20.8 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 30°F and snow a regular occurrence.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 33% below US
24% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 24%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
9 public schools inside the boundary
There are 9 public schools inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 15:1, 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 Oklahoma City National Memorial (7 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Bethany's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,071/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget, job seekers (county-wide unemployment is low), and anyone prioritizing low crime.
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