Photo: Conn, Kit at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0On CDC estimates, Bethany Beach is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns
Bethany Beach differs from Delaware on 28 of 32 measures CDC estimates: 23 better, 5 worse.
Modeled estimates for adults 18+, CDC’s own estimate for Bethany Beach. How CDC estimates town health
What stands out about health in Bethany Beach
Cancer, arthritis and heart disease run high in Bethany Beach
1 in 6 adults have had cancer (17.8%), about twice the Delaware rate. 2 in 5 adults have arthritis (39.3%), vs 28.4% across Delaware. Heart disease is also above the state: 9.4%, vs 6.9% across Delaware. In all, Bethany Beach runs above Delaware on five of 11 chronic conditions. Age is part of it: 54% of residents are 65 or older (Delaware 21%), and cancer, arthritis and heart disease are more common later in life. Conditions ↓
Bethany Beach keeps up with checkups
It beats Delaware on five of five routine checkups and screenings, including yearly checkups (88.9% vs 80.9%) and dentist visits (79.6% vs 63.1%). Checkups ↓
Bethany Beach adults report less loneliness
Loneliness (23.6% vs 31.7%), frequent mental distress (9% vs 15.4%), lack of emotional support (13.4% vs 21.6%) and depression (17.5% vs 21.1%) all run below Delaware. Mind & connection ↓
Written from the CDC, Medicare and HRSA data on this page. CDC PLACES 2025 release: modeled estimates for adults, not counts; “higher” and “lower” mean the Delaware figure falls outside Bethany Beach’s likely range; at the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
What’s behind Bethany Beach’s grade
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Bethany Beach is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns. Mental distress holds the grade up (fewer adults with frequent mental distress than almost every U.S. town); diabetes pulls it down (better than 42%).
Health estimates follow income closely across the country: towns with higher household incomes usually score higher (a correlation of 0.77 across 21,157 graded towns). Bethany Beach’s median household income is $117,159; among the 6,137 U.S. towns within 25% of that ($88K–$146K), it’s healthier than 80%, about where its income would put it.
Out of every 100 Bethany Beach adults…
Bethany Beach runs below DE on 4 of 12 conditions and above it on 5. Tap one to see it as people.
Bethany Beach is an older town: 54% of residents are 65 or older, vs 21% across Delaware. Heart disease, arthritis and cancer rise with age, so higher rates here say as much about who lives in Bethany Beach as about how healthy they are.
Keeping up with care
Share of Bethany Beach adults getting routine care. The full ring is 100%; the dark tick marks Delaware.
How Bethany Beach adults are doing
On 4 of 4 measures, Bethany Beach does better than Delaware.
1 in 4 Bethany Beach adults feel lonely. A hello is a start.
Groups are the easiest way in: a walking group, a book club, your street.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s free, confidential and open 24/7.
Care in and near Bethany Beach
No hospital or community health center in Bethany Beach itself. These are the nearest.
Hospitals: Medicare overall star ratings, 1–5. Community health centers charge on a sliding scale by income. Distances are straight-line from the center of Bethany Beach; ≈ marks a hospital located by its town, not its street. Shortage areas: HRSA Health Professional Shortage Areas (a “population” designation covers specific residents, such as those with low incomes).
Everyday habits, side by side with Delaware
Share of adults, with the Delaware figure marked.
3.2 miles of trails across 3 parks and preserves
Making ends meet
Needs that shape health as much as any doctor visit: food, housing, utilities and a way to get around.
2.8% of Bethany Beach adults receive SNAP (food stamps), compared with 11.7% across Delaware.
Bethany Beach and the towns around it
How health changes across the town line.
Health next door
| Town | Health | Obesity | Diabetes | Smoking | Figures from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany Beach | A | 26.6% | 12.6% | 6.8% | CDC place |
Same-state neighbors only, ordered by length of shared border.
Living with a disability
Shown without a better/worse judgment.
of Bethany Beach adults live with a disability (Delaware 30.6%). Walking or climbing stairs is the most common.
Every CDC estimate for Bethany Beach
Share of adults, 40 measures, with CDC’s likely range.
On the 32 measures below that have a better and a worse direction, Bethany Beach is better than Delaware on 23 and worse on 5; on the rest, the Delaware figure falls inside Bethany Beach’s likely range, so we call them about the same. Disability and SNAP are described, not compared as better or worse.
| Adults who… | Bethany Beach | DE | U.S. | vs DE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall health | ||||
| Fair or poor health | 13%10.9–15.4 | 18.8% | 19.4% | Better |
| Frequent physical distress (physical health not good 14+ days a month) | 11.8%10.2–13.5 | 13.3% | 13% | About the same |
| Frequent mental distress (mental health not good 14+ days a month) | 9%7.9–10.4 | 15.4% | 15.9% | Better |
| Conditions | ||||
| Obesity | 26.6%21.7–31.9 | 35.3% | 32.9% | Better |
| Diabetes | 12.6%10.9–14.4 | 13.1% | 12% | About the same |
| High blood pressure | 45.8%41.7–49.7 | 38.1% | 34.4% | Worse |
| High cholesterol (adults screened in 5 years) | 54%49.9–58.1 | 41.2% | 37.1% | Worse |
| Arthritis | 39.3%35.7–43 | 28.4% | 25.3% | Worse |
| Asthma | 9.3%8.3–10.5 | 10.8% | 9.9% | Better |
| Cancer, other than skin cancer | 17.8%16.3–19.4 | 9.1% | 7.9% | Worse |
| Coronary heart disease | 9.4%8.3–10.6 | 6.9% | 6.4% | Worse |
| COPD | 6.9%5.7–8.3 | 7.1% | 6.3% | About the same |
| Stroke | 4%3.5–4.6 | 3.7% | 3.4% | About the same |
| Lost all teeth (ages 65+) | 7.3%6–9 | 12.7% | 12.3% | Better |
| Habits | ||||
| Smoke cigarettes | 6.8%5.4–8.6 | 12.6% | 11.8% | Better |
| No exercise outside work | 19.8%16.1–23.6 | 27.2% | 24.7% | Better |
| Binge drinking | 10%8.4–11.8 | 14.2% | 15.4% | Better |
| Sleep under 7 hours | 23%19.5–27.3 | 35.7% | 36% | Better |
| Checkups and coverage | ||||
| No health insurance (ages 18–64) | 3.6%2.8–4.6 | 9% | 11% | Better |
| Checkup in the past year | 88.9%86.8–90.8 | 80.9% | 77.4% | Better |
| Dentist visit in the past year | 79.6%77.1–82.2 | 63.1% | 63.2% | Better |
| Cholesterol check in 5 years | 95.3%94.5–96.1 | 87.9% | 87.1% | Better |
| Taking blood pressure medicine (adults with high blood pressure) | 88.3%86–90.3 | 78.1% | 76.5% | Better |
| Colorectal cancer screening (ages 45–75) | 80.9%77.7–84.1 | 67.2% | 65.5% | Better |
| Mammogram in 2 years (women 50–74) | 85.4%81.4–89.2 | 78.5% | 76.4% | Better |
| Mind and connection | ||||
| Ever told they have depression | 17.5%14.9–20.2 | 21.1% | 20.6% | Better |
| Feel lonely | 23.6%20.5–27 | 31.7% | 32.5% | Better |
| Lack social and emotional support | 13.4%11.2–15.8 | 21.6% | 23.6% | Better |
| Everyday needs | ||||
| Worried about having enough food | 4.1%3.1–5.3 | 13.9% | 15% | Better |
| Worried about keeping housing | 3.1%2.4–3.8 | 11.6% | 12% | Better |
| Threatened with a utility shut-off | 2.1%1.7–2.6 | 7.4% | 7.6% | Better |
| Lack reliable transportation | 2.7%2.3–3.3 | 7.7% | 7.9% | Better |
| Received SNAP (food stamps) | 2.8%2–3.9 | 11.7% | 11.6% | Lower |
| Disability | ||||
| Any disability | 26.8%23.1–30.5 | 30.6% | 30.1% | Lower |
| Difficulty walking or climbing stairs | 13.5%11.4–16 | 14.8% | 13.6% | About the same |
| Difficulty concentrating or remembering | 7.1%6–8.5 | 13% | 13.9% | Lower |
| Hearing difficulty | 9.7%8.5–11 | 6.7% | 6.7% | Higher |
| Vision difficulty | 3.3%2.8–3.9 | 4.9% | 5.4% | Lower |
| Difficulty doing errands alone | 5.3%4.4–6.4 | 7.8% | 7.9% | Lower |
| Difficulty dressing or bathing | 2.6%2.2–3.1 | 3.7% | 3.8% | Lower |
Each figure is the share of adults 18+ unless the label says otherwise; small numbers after it are CDC’s likely range (95% interval). “About the same” means the Delaware figure falls inside that range.
Questions about health in Bethany Beach
Is Bethany Beach a healthy place to live?
On seven CDC estimates for adults, Bethany Beach is healthier than 89% of U.S. towns: A for health. Among U.S. towns with similar household incomes it’s healthier than 80%. These are modeled estimates of who lives there, not a measure of local care or habits alone.
What is the obesity rate in Bethany Beach?
CDC estimates 26.6% of adults have obesity, likely between 21.7% and 31.9%, against 35.3% across Delaware and 32.9% nationally.
What hospital is closest to Bethany Beach?
Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin, 15.9 miles in a straight line from Bethany Beach’s center point, is the nearest general hospital with an emergency room; Medicare rates it 3 of 5 stars.
How many people in Bethany Beach have no health insurance?
CDC estimates 3.6% of adults ages 18–64 have no health insurance (likely 2.8–4.6%), against 9% across Delaware.
How accurate are these numbers?
They’re modeled estimates: CDC applies national survey answers to each area’s age, sex, race and education mix, so they describe who lives in Bethany Beach more than anything measured there. At the ends of CDC’s ranges the grade could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Neighbors talk health
Doctors taking patients, urgent care, staying active in Bethany Beach.
Health estimates: CDC PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, 2025 release. The Delaware figure combines its counties, weighted by adult population. Hospitals and star ratings: Medicare Care Compare (CMS). Health centers and shortage areas: HRSA. The Health Grade is our own summary of CDC’s estimates, not an official rating. Ages: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Town boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau. This page isn’t medical advice. In an emergency, call 911.