BethesdaAR
Population 79: a town settled in 1888.
Is Bethesda a good place to live?
No town among the 124 in Arkansas we compare has a higher home-ownership rate than Bethesda. Taylor-Stokes House and Walter Gray House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bethesda has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
79 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Bethesda: who provides what
Bethesda is unincorporated, so Independence County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Bethesda.
More than half of Bethesda’s working residents commute to Batesville
The share of working residents in Bethesda who work locally: 1.4%. For half of commuters, work is under 10 miles away. The top destinations are Batesville (53%), Southside (10%) and Mountain Home (3%). The town’s median household income stands at $78,000, above Arkansas’ towns ($55,000) and close to U.S. towns ($80,000).
| Bethesda | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 22% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $55,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Bethesda has a high natural-hazard risk, chiefly from inland flooding
Storm and flood damage is expected to run higher than in 75% of U.S. communities. Expected losses in Bethesda break down as 27% from inland flooding and 24% from tornadoes.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mild winters and hot summers in Bethesda
Summer afternoons peak near 90° in July, and January nights bottom out around 28°; snowfall runs to about 4 inches a winter. Bethesda brings mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
How healthy Bethesda is
Among adults in Bethesda, 14% binge drink. Of 32 CDC measures, Bethesda beats the Arkansas average on 4 and trails it on 7. In Bethesda, 47% of adults have high blood pressure, above both the Arkansas town median (41%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). Two figures for adults here: 16% have diabetes, 18% report frequent physical distress.
| Bethesda | Arkansas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 47% | 41% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 13% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 34% | 25% |
| What stands out | Bethesda | AR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 14.2% | 18.6% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.5% | 14.4% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.4% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Bethesda
Colleges nearby
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bethesda
About 0 of every 100 Bethesda residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Arkansas.
99% of working residents leave Bethesda for work
Where Bethesda’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Bethesda
Census-designated place in Arkansas, United States
Bethesda was an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in western Independence County, Arkansas, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 199. It is connected to the Arkansas Highway System via Highway 106S and is approximately eight miles west of Batesville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Elevation
- 643 ft
Questions about Bethesda
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Bethesda, AR a good place to live?
Bethesda has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.