Photo: Conn, Kit at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Bethany Beach spent more per resident in 2022 than 96% of similar cities
Bethany Beach’s town government spent $9 million on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, about $8,735 per resident. Water and other utilities ($1.4 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Bethany Beach is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
$5,798 per resident in 2022: more than 96% of them
Bethany Beach’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($5,798 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 23 Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $498, and the middle half spent $289–$1,318. Bethany Beach spent more than 96% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($1.2 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Bethany Beach itself left out).
About $8,735 per resident a year, or $23.93 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 29%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Day-to-day spending is up 21% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Bethany Beach reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $5,798 · 2023: $8,664 · 2024: $8,735. Per resident it went from $5,798 to $8,735 (up 51%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 1,283 to 1,030.
full-time in March 2025, up from 42 in 2022.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $1,743 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.24% of the home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Bethany Beach’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Bethany Beach’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Bethany Beach →
Who’s in charge in Bethany Beach
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Bethany Beach’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofbethanybeach.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 23 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (1,030).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Indian River School District
Bethany Beach’s K–12 school district, shared with Dagsboro, Fenwick Island, Frankford, Georgetown, Millsboro and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,516 per pupil, $11,486 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
Delaware districts overall: 32% local, 57% state, 11% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Bethany Beach’s votes are counted by county
Delaware reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bethany Beach alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Sussex County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican54.9%81,025 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat43.9%64,836 votesOthers: 1.2% (1,778 votes).
Most votes in Sussex County: Donald J Trump
Delaware: Harris 56.5%, Trump 41.8%
100% of Bethany Beach lies in Sussex County. Every 2024 race in Sussex County is on the county’s page.
Sussex County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Bethany Beach.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofbethanybeach.com ↗
- 2Delaware HouseState representatives
- 3Delaware SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Delaware
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Bethany Beach’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Bethany Beach’s government
How much does Bethany Beach spend per resident?
About $8,735 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to March 31, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $5,798 was more than 96% of 23 Delaware cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Bethany Beach?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,743 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.24% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.50% across Delaware. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofbethanybeach.com.
Who runs Bethany Beach’s government?
See townofbethanybeach.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Bethany Beach yet.
How did Bethany Beach vote in 2024?
Delaware counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Bethany Beach alone. Sussex County, where 100% of Bethany Beach lies, voted Trump 54.9%, Harris 43.9% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Bethany Beach?
44 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $290,050 (about $3.5M a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Bethany Beach in the state legislature?
State Senate District 20 (Gerald Hocker) and State House District 38 (Ron Gray). The House district also covers four other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Bethany Beach’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →