Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 49,677.
Yes, by almost any measure. North Bethesda earns an A, ranked 34th of 259 in Maryland. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, the median household earns $129K, and natural-hazard risk is low. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $732K for a typical one and 5.8 times the Washington metro’s $127K median household income. 75% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in North Bethesda, against 42% in Maryland’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. North Bethesda is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. North Bethesda is home to SANS Technology Institute.
Where North Bethesda beats most towns.
| Widest gap | North Bethesda | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.1% | 9.9% |
43,828 counted in 2010 and 50,094 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Maryland), ordered by how far North Bethesda is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 22,671 in 1980, 50,094 in 2020. The archive holds 6 maps from 1908 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Bethesda. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi National park siteWhite House311K visitors a year
Big draw11 mi National MemorialWashington Monument204K visitors a year
Big draw11 mi LandmarkArlington National Cemetery
Big draw11 mi LandmarkUnited States Triumphal Arch
Big draw11 mi MuseumSmithsonian Institution30.0M visitors a year
Big draw11 mi National MemorialLincoln Memorial7.7M visitors a yearWhite House: This image or media was taken or created by Matt H. Wade. To see his entire port, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Washington Monument: Oren Rozen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Arlington National Cemetery: Protoant, Public domain · United States Triumphal Arch: Hstoops, CC0 · Smithsonian Institution: Highsmith, Carol M., 1946-, photographer, Public domain · Lincoln Memorial: Aerial_view_of_Lincoln_Memorial_-_east_side.jpg: Carol M. Highsmith derivative w, Public domain
North Bethesda is unincorporated, so Montgomery 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 Mar 11, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in North Bethesda.
North Bethesda has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in Maryland, draws workers from Washington and beyond and has less tooth loss than most of Maryland.
Its widest gap with Maryland is tooth loss: 5.1% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9.9% statewide.
For adults in North Bethesda, the share who report frequent mental distress is 11%. The town beats the Maryland average on 25 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| North Bethesda | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 36% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.8% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | North Bethesda | MD |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.1% | 9.9% |
| Fewer smokers | 5.8% | 10.9% |
| Fewer adults getting a yearly checkup | 76.7% | 79.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools: the Montgomery County Public Schools. Three of the 20 schools are below, and why each made the list.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tilden MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,112 | A− |
| Walter Johnson HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 3,016 | A+ |
| Farmland ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 847 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MD on state tests and graduation
42,511 jobs are based in North Bethesda, 2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 58,376 in 2013 to 42,511.
37% of North Bethesda workers do their job from home. Commuting out is the norm in the town: nearly a tenth of working residents work locally. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in North Bethesda dropped by 15,865, to 42,511. Half commute less than 10 miles.
| North Bethesda | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 37% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $129,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 32 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.2% | 7% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Of the losses FEMA expects in North Bethesda, 54% come from inland flooding and 11% from hurricanes. On expected storm and flood damage, North Bethesda sits below 97% of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1978: 35.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Dalecarlia Rsvr weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 44 days a year reach 90°, the #2 highest of 536 Maryland places with climate records.
In July, afternoons reach 87°; in January, nights fall to 26°, and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails total 2.5 miles in 22 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, at 283 acres. North Bethesda’s concentration of trails stands at 0.3 miles per square mile.
| North Bethesda | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.6 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.4% | 9.5% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tilden Woods Stream Valley Park | 0.5 mi | 67 |
| 2. Rock Creek Stream Valley Park | 0.4 mi | 283 |
| 3. Cabin John Stream Valley Park | — | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The median property tax bill is $6,452, against $4,093 across Maryland, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The share of households in North Bethesda who live in a home they own: 50%. In North Bethesda, the going rate for rent is $2,191 a month. Also worth knowing: a home in North Bethesda typically sold within 41 days of listing.
| North Bethesda | Maryland towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 74% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,191 a month | $1,809 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 43% | 51% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
32 within 15 miles of the center of North Bethesda
About 6 of every 100 North Bethesda residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Maryland.
Where North Bethesda’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in North Bethesda on the National Register of Historic Places.
Census-designated place in Maryland, United States
North Bethesda is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just north-west of the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. It had a population of 50,094 as of the 2020 census. Among its neighborhoods, the centrally located, urbanizing district of White Flint is the commercial and residential hub of North Bethesda. The Pike & Rose development and the Pike District is an initiative of Montgomery County to brand and market this region as "North Bethesda's Urban Core". The WMATA North Bethesda (formerly White Flint) metro station and Grosvenor-Strathmore metro station serve the region. Four of the National Institutes of Health as well other federal agencies, incl…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with North Bethesda.
| Town | MD rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Bethesda | #34 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Wheaton | #87 | A− | C | — | B+ | A− |
| Rockville | #86 | A− | D | B− | B+ | A+ |
| South Kensington | #47 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Bethesda | #37 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Potomac | #40 | A | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Garrett Park | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Kensington | #10 | A+ | C | — | B+ | A+ |
North Bethesda, Wheaton, South Kensington, Bethesda, Potomac and North Kensington report no FBI crime data of their own. Garrett Park isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare North Bethesda with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. North Bethesda grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #34 of 259 in Maryland. It grades A+ for health and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $732,000, 72% above the Maryland typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
