Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bethel grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and schools. Its crime rate is higher than 95% of U.S. towns, with 81 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its schools rank behind 94% of the state's. One bright spot: natural-hazard risk is low. Bethel’s average trip to work is 10 minutes, against 21 minutes in Alaska’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. No town among the 18 in Alaska we compare has a higher violent crime rate than Bethel. First Mission House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where Bethel beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Alaska), ordered by how far Bethel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 29 in 1880, a low of 20 in 1890, 6,325 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and a map from 1954 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bethel, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Bethel.
Bethel carries less natural-hazard risk than most of Alaska (mostly cold waves) and has a shorter frost-free season than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has seen reported crime rise by a third or more.
Reported crimes rose from 99 to 140 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Bethel reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 95% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Lower Kuskokwim School District. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Bethel Regional High School, with 410 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gladys Jung ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 309 | C− |
| Bethel Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 410 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within AK on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 90% of Alaska towns, with expected losses of about $461 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Bethel is 1 of 100. Since 1985, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Bethel.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
17 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Pinky’s Park, 65 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pinky’s Park | 1.3 mi | 65 |
| 2. Owl Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The Bethel Ap weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 122 days, shorter than in 97% of U.S. towns. January nights average 1.2°, colder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 63.6°.
Bethel has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with very little rain. Bethel’s July high is 64°F.
| Bethel | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 64°F | 66°F | 85°F |
| January low | 1°F | 7°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 7% of residents (14% statewide); children under 18 are 29% of residents (24% statewide). Only 4 of the 41 Alaska towns we compare have a lower median age than Bethel. Bethel has grown 4.8% since 2020, to 6,626 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Bethel | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 7.2% | 13% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 29% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 32.4 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 25% | 29% | 29% |
44% women, 56% men
About 126 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.3 points). Across Alaska, 47.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 33.2, men 31.8.
| Bethel | AK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.6% | 13.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.3% | 10.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.1% | 9.2% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.3% | 15.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14% | 14.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.5% | 11.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 5.6% | 9.2% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 1.6% | 4.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.8% | 6.4% | 10.4% |
| High school | 38.3% | 28.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 24% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.4% | 19.8% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.1% | 11.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Against the 6,127 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bethel’s, it is less healthy than 91%, so it trails even them.
22% of adults smoke cigarettes in Bethel. Among 41 Alaska towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Bethel. 38% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Bethel.
| Bethel | Alaska towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 63% | 68% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 33% |
| What stands out | Bethel | AK |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 7% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 19.7% | 23.3% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.3% | 14.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5 notable people were born in Bethel.
City in Alaska, United States
Bethel (Central Yupik: Mamterilleq) is a city in the U.S. state of Alaska, located on the Kuskokwim River approximately 50 miles (80 km) from where the river flows into Kuskokwim Bay. It is the largest community in western Alaska and in the Unorganized Borough, as well as the eighth-largest in the state. Bethel has a population of 6,325 as of the 2020 census, up from 6,080 in 2010. Annual events in Bethel include the Kuskokwim 300 dogsled race; Camai, a Yup'ik dance festival held each spring; and the Bethel Fair held in August.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bethel grades D− overall, better than 2% of U.S. towns. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
5 notable people were born here, including Don Page and Lyman Hoffman.
