Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bethany is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 93rd of 131 graded towns in Oklahoma, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: a typical home costs about $175K, 2.4 years of the Oklahoma City metro’s $72K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: residents are less healthy than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On hazard risk, just 9 of Oklahoma’s 229 towns do better. Bethany is home to Southern Nazarene University. Only 19 of Oklahoma’s 205 towns score lower on civic life.
Where Bethany beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Southern Nazarene University | 1,599 |
| Southwestern Christian University | 351 |
2 colleges in town.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oklahoma), ordered by how far Bethany is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 485 in 1920, 20,831 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2003 and 4 maps from 1966 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bethany. Close and well known come first.
7 mi MuseumOklahoma City National Memorial419K visitors a year
24 mi Stadium & arenaGaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium
9 mi MuseumNational Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum13 mi Theme parkFrontier City10 mi Zoo & aquariumOklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden
15 mi MuseumMuseum of OsteologyOklahoma City National Memorial: User:Dual Freq, CC BY 2.5 · Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium: Toniklemm, CC BY-SA 4.0 · National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum: Billy Hathorn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Osteology: SkeletonsRCool, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bethany, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Bethany.
Bethany looks healthier within Oklahoma than nationally and has seen reported crime fall by a fifth or more.
2.7 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Eldon Lyon Park, at 60 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Bethany | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.8% | 7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Eldon Lyon Park | 1.3 mi | 60 |
| 2. Harry B. Macrory Park | 0.4 mi | 3 |
| 3. McFarland Park | 0.1 mi | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Putnam City school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl Harris EsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 769 | A+ |
| Bethany HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 558 | A |
| Bethany MSTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 381 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OK on state tests and graduation
Within Oklahoma it is healthier than 52% of the 131 graded towns: much of Oklahoma scores lower on these measures.
16% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Bethany, where Oklahoma’s towns sit at 11% and U.S. towns at 8.1%. 23% of adults worry about having enough food in Bethany. Bethany beats the Oklahoma average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10.
| Bethany | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 11% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 21% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 34% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Bethany | OK |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 15.8% | 11.3% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 17.6% | 14.1% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 11.8% | 9.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Bethany for work: only 6% work in town. 21% of residents live below the poverty line in Bethany, above both Oklahoma’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Since 2013, Bethany has added 483 jobs, to 4,735 in 2023.
| Bethany | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 21% | 18% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 22% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 6.2% | 6.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 28% of residents (37% statewide); children under 18 are 29% of residents (24% statewide). The median age in Bethany is 31.1 years. Bethany has lost 2.4% of its people since 2020, down to 20,315 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Bethany | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 31.1 years | 36.3 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 29% | 25% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 20% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 16% | 18% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.2 points. Across Oklahoma, 50.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 31.4, men 30.7.
| Bethany | OK | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.3% | 12.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 14.6% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.8% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.3% | 13.5% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.7% | 13.2% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.9% | 11.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.1% | 11.9% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 9.7% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7% | 6.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.4% | 10.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.1% | 30.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.8% | 22.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.6% | 18.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.5% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Bethany has chilly winters and hot summers. Bethany’s July high is 94°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
53% of Bethany households own their home. The typical Bethany home is worth about $175,000, down 1.2% in a year, 21% below the Oklahoma typical home.
| Bethany | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,071 a month | $870 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes fell from 414 to 311 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Oklahoma, it does better than 60% of towns.
| Bethany | Oklahoma towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13.4 per 1,000 residents | 14.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
10 within 15 miles of the center of Bethany
About 8 of every 100 Bethany residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oklahoma.
Where Bethany’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Bethany.
City in Oklahoma, United States
Bethany is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. Bethany has a population of 20,831 at the 2020 census, a 9.3% increase from 2010. The community was founded in 1909 by followers of the Church of the Nazarene from Oklahoma City.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Bethany.
| Town | OK rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany | #93 | C− | B− | C+ | C | C− |
| Warr Acres | #106 | D | B | D | C | D |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bethany grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #93 of 131 in Oklahoma. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Oklahoma, it does better than 60% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
5 notable people were born here, including Allie Reynolds and Tommy Collins.
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