With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Bethany works elsewhere
Bethany grades C+ for jobs and income and D− for walkability. There are 173 jobs in Bethany; 808 of its residents have a job. Only 2% stay in Bethany for work; outside it, Batavia is the main destination (13%, 6 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Bethany apart
Bethany is a place people come home to
There are 173 jobs based in Bethany, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Bethany has about 1,100 people in it, 36% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Commutes from Bethany are quick
The average trip to work takes 28 minutes, against 33 across New York. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical New York worker. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 808 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
The four measures behind Bethany’s grade
On income, poverty and job access, Bethany is better than 35% of U.S. towns. Household income holds Bethany’s grade up ($75,859, U.S. $80,734); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 33% of U.S. towns).
Unemployment (3.9%) is left out: Bethany’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Bethany could be anywhere from C− to B.
Who works in Bethany, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 788 residents head out to work, 20 work right here, and 153 people come in from elsewhere.
About 1,100 people are in Bethany on a workday afternoon, 36% fewer than live here.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Time on the road from Bethany: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bethany workers work from home, vs 15% across New York. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 781 commuters (the 12% who work from home are left out). Across New York: 57% drive alone, 25% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Commuting out of Bethany: the destinations
Where Bethany clocks in
13% of workers
8% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
A place that makes things: 64% of Bethany’s jobs are in goods
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bethany, 2013 → 2023: 187 → 173. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Bethany’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How far Bethany’s workers travel
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The commute in Bethany is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bethany is near the bottom of U.S. towns. Both inputs place Bethany near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 885 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.9% of Bethany households have no vehicle (New York 29.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Bethany’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,200 to 2,400, Bethany ranks 3,280th of 6,085 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Plandome NY | 1,482 | $250K | 0.9% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 3 | Hewlett Harbor NY | 1,332 | $250K | 1.9% | 7.2% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 8 | Atlantic Beach NY | 1,723 | $166K | 1.8% | 3.1% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,278 | Galesville WI | 1,704 | $71K | 12.3% | 0.0% | 7% | C+ |
| 3,279 | Macon Township MI | 1,314 | $79K | 17.8% | 5.6% | 2% | C+ |
| 3,280 | Bethany NY | 1,749 | $76K | 13.0% | 3.9% | 2% | C+ |
| 3,281 | Delaware Township PA | 2,022 | $72K | 8.9% | 5.8% | 3% | C+ |
| 3,282 | Pinegrove Township PA | 1,348 | $77K | 8.7% | 1.7% | 2% | C+ |
| … | |||||||
| 6,085 | Paraje NM | 1,333 | $33K | 61.7% | 0.0% | 0% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Bethany, the top three, the last and three more from New York.
Bethany and its neighbors
The biggest share goes to Batavia (6%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bethany workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany | – | C+ | D− | 28 min | $75,859 |
| Stafford | under 3% | B | C− | 21 min | $87,554 |
| Middlebury | under 3% | B− | C+ | 28 min | $85,804 |
| Alexander | under 3% | B | C− | 22 min | $75,875 |
| Batavia | 6% | C | B− | 23 min | $67,207 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Bethany’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Bethany: questions
What is the median household income in Bethany?
$75,859 (±$16,061) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $85,974 across New York and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bethany?
13.0%, against 14.0% across New York and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bethany?
28 minutes each way on average, against 33 across New York and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bethany work?
2% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Batavia (13%, 6 mi), Rochester (8%, 31 mi), Pavilion (6%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bethany walkable?
Bethany is near the bottom of U.S. towns (Walkability D−): an EPA walkability index of 3.1 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bethany without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Bethany, from the people who make the trip.
More of Bethany
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.