Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bethel earns a D, ranked 708th of 745 in New York, mostly because of schools. Its public schools trail 92% of New York towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: natural-hazard risk is low. Homes are expensive, about $248K for a typical one and 3.4 times the Monticello area’s $72K median household income. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Superior State Park, at 1,381 acres. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 71% of U.S. towns.
Where Bethel beats most towns.
Where Bethel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Bethel is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,096 in 1820, a low of 1,096 in 1820, 3,959 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1875 and 3 maps from 1922 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bethel, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Bethel.
Bethel is a second-home town, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has more than doubled its jobs in ten years.
Expected losses in Bethel break down as 66% from inland flooding and 9% from cold waves. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 84% of U.S. communities. Paid flood insurance claims locally since 1983: 10.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 423 in 2013 to 865.
Among residents in Bethel, 13% live below the poverty line, above both the New York town median (9.5%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only nearly a tenth of working residents stay in Bethel for work; the rest commute out. Jobs based in Bethel grew to 865 in 2023, 442 more than in 2013. The town’s mean commuting time is 32 minutes.
| Bethel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 21% | 12% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $67,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Count the trails in 3 parks and preserves and they come to 27 miles. The density of trails for Bethel comes to 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Bethel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Superior State Park | — | 1,381 |
| 2. Forest Reserve at Smallwood | 0.2 mi | 160 |
| 3. Town of Bethel Dog Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,219 U.S. towns with household incomes like Bethel’s, it is healthier than 87%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Nearly a fifth of Bethel adults have been diagnosed with depression. Against the New York average, Bethel comes out ahead on 5 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 4. Among adults locally, 15% report frequent mental distress, where New York’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 17%.
| Bethel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 35% |
| What stands out | Bethel | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 11.1% | 14.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 13.2% | 17.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
For Bethel, the peak summer temperature is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
47.4% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 3.5% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
The age of the median resident in Bethel is 47 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 25% of residents (18% statewide). The town has grown 8.6% since 2020, to 4,296 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. A bachelor’s degree or higher: 36% of adults 25 and older, vs 40% across New York.
| Bethel | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 47 years | 42.9 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 32% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.4 points. Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women.
| Bethel | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.1% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.9% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.1% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.8% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.7% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.6% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.9% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.7% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.3% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,300, single groups can be off by several points
2 within 15 miles of the center of Bethel
About 3 of every 100 Bethel residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across New York.
Town in New York, United States
Bethel is a town in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was estimated at 3,959 in 2020. The town received worldwide attention after it served as the location of Woodstock in 1969, which was originally planned for Wallkill, New York, but was relocated to Bethel after Wallkill withdrew.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Bethel.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel | #708 | D | D | — | D | B+ |
| Thompson | #709 | D | C− | — | D | C+ |
| Liberty | #704 | D | C | — | D− | B− |
| Callicoon | #479 | C+ | C | — | B− | B+ |
| Cochecton | — | — | C− | — | B− | A− |
| Highland | — | — | C− | — | B− | B+ |
| Delaware | — | — | C− | — | B− | A− |
| Mongaup Valley | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Cochecton, Highland and Delaware have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Bethel, Thompson, Liberty, Callicoon, Cochecton, Highland and Delaware report no FBI crime data of their own. Mongaup Valley isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Bethel with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bethel grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #708 of 745 in New York. It grades B+ for health and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
