Bethany Beach, Delaware

Town in Sussex County · population 954 (2020 Census)

Median home: $720,900
Household income: $117,159
Jan low / Jul high: 28° / 84°
Snow a year: 11 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950: 7
Median age: 66.3

Bethany Beach is a town of 954 people in Sussex County, Delaware. The median home is worth $720,900, above the typical Delaware town ($302,450). It ranks better for cycling than 98% of Delaware towns, better for a vacation home than 93% of Delaware towns, quieter than 91% of Delaware towns.

Bethany Beach in our rankings:

#13 in The 21 Best Small Towns to Retire in Delaware

How Bethany Beach ranks

Percentile among Delaware towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Delaware towns.

The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

The median home in Bethany Beach is worth $720,900, above the typical Delaware town ($302,450). Homes cost about 6.2 times the median household income of $117,159, which is more affordable than 7% of Delaware towns. Median rent is $1,375 a month. 93.7% of households own their home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Delaware towns with 500+ people.

Housing	Bethany Beach	Typical Delaware town
Median home value	$720,900	$302,450
Median rent	$1,375	$1,342
Median household income	$117,159	$78,707
Home value ÷ income	6.2×	3.8×
Homeownership	93.7%	72.0%
Median year built	1987	1987
Seasonal / vacation homes	78.9%	—

Who lives in Bethany Beach

People	Bethany Beach	Typical Delaware town
Median age	66.3	39.5
Age 65 and over	53.9%	17.5%
Under 18	4.3%	—
Bachelor's degree or higher	66.1%	32.5%
Below the poverty line	1.7%	8.4%
Veterans	8.9%	—
Born outside the U.S.	3.6%	—
Work from home	35.4%	13.8%
Average commute	23.0 min	25.1 min
Homes with broadband	92.0%	93.0%

Weather in Bethany Beach

July highs average 84.2°F and January lows 27.9°F. About 42.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 10.5 inches of snow (typical Delaware town: 12.8 in). Expect about 13 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 81 nights at or below freezing.

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Ocean City Muni Ap station (16.1 mi away); snowfall estimated from the 1 nearest snow stations, weighted by distance.

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

7 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bethany Beach since 1950, compared with 13 for the typical Delaware town. 1 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an F2, struck on August 12, 1955 about 0.3 miles from the town center. The most recent was on June 30, 2025.

NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 6 times; the largest was 1.00 inches on June 8, 2023.

Severe weather in Sussex County since 1996

NOAA Storm Events Database, Sussex County, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 15 deaths recorded.

Sussex County has been included in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, drought, hurricane.

Declared	Incident	Declaration
May 29, 2026	Winter Storm	DR-4916: Severe Winter Storm
April 5, 2020	Biological	DR-4526: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020	Biological	EM-3449: Covid-19
March 16, 2016	Snowstorm	DR-4265: Severe Winter Storm And Snowstorm
November 16, 2012	Hurricane	DR-4090: Hurricane Sandy

Jobs and pay in Sussex County

Sussex County had 94,273 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $55,078 a year. Unemployment was 3.8% in 2023; in Bethany Beach itself the ACS puts it at 1.7%.

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.

Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Bethany Beach

Ocean View, DE
1.7 mi · 2,636 people · home $514,200
Millville, DE
3.5 mi · 1,825 people · home $494,500
Long Neck, DE
7.9 mi · 3,017 people · home $187,600
Frankford, DE
9.2 mi · 790 people · home $315,000
Selbyville, DE
9.3 mi · 2,878 people · home $432,900
Dagsboro, DE
9.8 mi · 870 people · home $318,400
Ocean City, MD
10.0 mi · 6,844 people · home $429,000
Ocean Pines, MD
11.5 mi · 12,145 people · home $380,100

Bethany Beach questions

Is Bethany Beach, Delaware a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Bethany Beach scores better for retirees than 77% of Delaware towns and quieter than 91%. 53.9% of residents are 65 or older (median age 66.3).

How much does a house cost in Bethany Beach?

The median owner-occupied home in Bethany Beach is valued at $720,900 (Census ACS 2020–2024), against a median household income of $117,159, so homes cost about 6.2 times income. Median rent is $1,375 a month.

What is the weather like in Bethany Beach?

July highs average 84.2°F and January lows 27.9°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 42.6 inches of precipitation a year and 10.5 inches of snow.

Does Bethany Beach get tornadoes?

7 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Bethany Beach since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was a F2 on August 12, 1955. The typical Delaware town has had 13.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Bethany Beach's Census boundary (GEOID 1005690). Comparisons use the median of Delaware towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center.

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)

Data snapshot 2026-11-13.