Photo: Kingofthedead · Public domainHouseholds in Bethany have higher incomes than those in 97% of U.S. towns
Below the poverty line: 4.0% of residents, next to 11.9% across Oregon. The two grades for Bethany are A for jobs and income and A for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 9.7 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 19.6 in Portland.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Bethany: the figures worth knowing
A lot of Bethany works from home
39% of Bethany workers work from home, against 19% across Oregon. Time on the road ↓
Most Bethany residents work close to home
73% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about three in four. Only 5% work more than 50 miles away. How far ↓
Bethany and Portland trade workers both ways
Portland is the top workplace for Bethany residents (26%) and also where the most people who work in Bethany come from (20% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Bethany is a place people come home to
There are 3,755 jobs based in Bethany, about three for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Bethany has about 22,000 people in it, 32% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
Three in four Bethany workers earn over $40,000 a year
79% of Bethany’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, the top earnings band in the Census data. The jobs based in Bethany itself pay less: 61% are in that band. The jobs ↓
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.
How the Jobs & income grade adds up in Bethany
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Bethany is better than 92% of U.S. towns, #6 of 142 in Oregon. Household income is its strongest input ($167,735, U.S. $80,734); unemployment ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns. It also does well on the poverty rate and unemployment and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Bethany could be anywhere from A− to A+.
Commuting from Bethany: about 24 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Bethany workers work from home, vs 19% across Oregon. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 9,941 commuters (the 39% who work from home are left out). Across Oregon: 80% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Short hops and long hauls from Bethany
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.
26% of working residents work in Portland
Where Bethany clocks in
26% of workers
10% 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.
The daily flow of workers through Bethany
On a workday 13,894 residents head out to work, 492 work right here, and 3,263 people come in from elsewhere.
About 22,000 people are in Bethany on a workday afternoon, 32% fewer than live here.
0.26 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Bethany is a services town
3,755 jobs are based in Bethany.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Bethany, 2013 → 2023: 2,765 → 3,755. 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.
In Bethany, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Bethany is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns, #34 of 142 in Oregon. 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 16,349 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 98% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 33% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 9.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 93% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.4% of Bethany households have no vehicle (Oregon 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 4% of Bethany’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 23,000 to 45,000, Bethany ranks 190th of 1,315 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 115 | Lake Oswego OR | 39,722 | $142K | 3.4% | 3.4% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 188 | Moon Township PA | 26,756 | $113K | 3.3% | 3.6% | 14% | A |
| 189 | Lower Makefield Township PA | 34,028 | $175K | 3.3% | 5.0% | 6% | A |
| 190 | Bethany OR | 33,106 | $168K | 4.0% | 4.0% | 3% | A |
| 191 | Long Beach NY | 34,918 | $141K | 7.6% | 3.2% | 10% | A |
| 192 | Lemont Township IL | 23,223 | $121K | 3.9% | 4.5% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 310 | West Linn OR | 26,567 | $147K | 5.5% | 4.3% | 8% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 498 | Happy Valley OR | 28,916 | $122K | 7.7% | 4.8% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,315 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | 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 Oregon.
Bethany and the towns next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Bethany workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethany | – | A | A | 24 min | $167,735 |
| Cedar Mill | under 2% | B+ | A+ | 25 min | $164,079 |
| Oak Hills | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 21 min | $127,179 |
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?
$167,735 (±$7,067) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $83,011 across Oregon and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Bethany?
4.0%, against 11.9% across Oregon and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Bethany?
24 minutes each way on average, against 23 across Oregon and 26 nationally. 39% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Bethany work?
3% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Portland (26%, 9 mi), Hillsboro (26%, 5 mi), Beaverton (10%, 6 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Bethany walkable?
Bethany is more walkable than 94% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.2 out of 20, and 7% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Bethany without a car?
4% of commuters take transit and 3% of households have no car. 33% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
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.