20817 — Bethesda, Maryland
Area Profile
Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 20817. Its median household income runs 30% above Bethesda as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 14 sourcesUnemployment is 3.7% and median household income $249,332, putting employment conditions in the middle range of ZIP areas measured. The unemployment rate is published for Bethesda, MD, which contains 20817, rather than for 20817 alone.
Public schools test above most of the state: 77% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 6% of published profiles for schools.
Rent takes 28% of renter income here, below the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Bethesda, MD, which contains 20817, is 3.7%, lower than in 75% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.
Employment across Bethesda, MD, which contains 20817, fell 2.7% over the past year, to 538,171 employed residents.
86% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 99% of measured US ZIP areas.
Median household income of $249,332 is higher than in 99% of measured US ZIP areas.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsMontgomery County, MD’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $98,588 | 84th percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftMontgomery County, MD’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $102,772 | 91st percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$9,9962024 ACS 5-Year | $249,332 | Top 1%of 31,049 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$8,7782024 ACS 5-Year | $127,135 | Top 1%of 32,822 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±1.0%2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.8% | Top 14%of 32,846 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.1 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.8 min | Bottom 30%of 32,887 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 85.6% | Top 1%of 33,193 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 47.8% | 6th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentBethesda, MD’s figureJuly 2026 | 538,171 | Top 7%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Bethesda, MD’s figureJuly 2026 | −4.5% | Bottom 5%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Bethesda, MD’s figureJuly 2026 | −2.7% | Bottom 10%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceBethesda, MD’s figureJuly 2026 | 559,012 | 93rd percentileof 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 84.7% | Top 21%of 32,883 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $91,930 | Top 4%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $71,060 | Top 5%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.9%2024 ACS 5-Year | 4.5% | 93rd percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Bethesda, MD’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.4% | Top 34%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateBethesda, MD’s figureJuly 2026 | 3.7% | Top 25%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 38.7% | 98th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 112,530 | $156,460 |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 76,600 | $104,770 |
| Software Developers | 69,060 | $154,930 |
| Retail Salespersons | 66,920 | $36,610 |
| Management Analysts | 62,360 | $126,830 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 60,560 | $34,600 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Bethesda, MD, the city containing this ZIP code.
77% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 80% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 16.9 students for every full-time teacher across 10 public schools, more than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walt Whitman High | Montgomery County Public Schools | 2,056 | 17.9 | 86% | 91% |
| Thomas W. Pyle Middle | Montgomery County Public Schools | 1,259 | 17.0 | 82% | 82% |
| North Bethesda Middle | Montgomery County Public Schools | 1,224 | 17.2 | 65% | 76% |
| Ashburton Elementary | Montgomery County Public Schools | 871 | 17.8 | 57% | 54% |
| Wyngate Elementary | Montgomery County Public Schools | 640 | 17.3 | 76% | 81% |
| Burning Tree Elementary | Montgomery County Public Schools | 479 | 14.1 | 73% | 79% |
| Bradley Hills Elementary | Montgomery County Public Schools | 474 | 16.9 | 80% | 79% |
| Bannockburn Elementary | Montgomery County Public Schools | 446 | 17.8 | 89% | 91% |
| Seven Locks Elementary | Montgomery County Public Schools | 376 | 15.0 | 78% | 82% |
| Carderock Springs Elementary | Montgomery County Public Schools | 363 | 13.4 | 81% | 82% |
9.1% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Maryland’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 10% above the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 109.5, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD Metropolitan Division is up 29% over five years, and up 1.3% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $3,370, close to the $3,185 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $3,370 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $134,800 a year, about 54% of the median household income here of $249,332.
The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $3,185 a month.
Prices here run about 10% above the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against 20817’s median household income of $249,332, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metro Area’s figure2023 | 109.5 | Bottom 18%of 2,737 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +1.3% | 26th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +29.4% | 14th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Frederick-Gaithersburg-Bethesda, MD Metropolitan Division’s figure2026 Q2 | +56.6% | 5th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 81.4% | 57th percentileof 32,750 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±5052024 ACS 5-Year | 14,357 | 91st percentileof 33,460 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $3,020 | Bottom 1%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $4,250 | Bottom 3%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $3,370 | Bottom 2%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$4782024 ACS 5-Year | $3,185 | Bottom 1%of 26,396 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$25,6882024 ACS 5-Year | $1,183,600 | 99th percentileof 30,812 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes2024 ACS 5-Year | $10,000+ | — | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income2024 ACS 5-Year | $250,000+ | — | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.1% | Top 49%of 26,247 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±642024 ACS 5-Year | 56 | 65th percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.4% | 39th percentileof 32,961 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 4.5% | 32nd percentileof 32,788 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2072024 ACS 5-Year | 697 | 81st percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
71% of the 2,601 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses. The multifamily share is published for Bethesda, MD, which contains 20817, rather than for 20817 alone.
At 2.4 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Bethesda, MD, which contains 20817, rather than for 20817 alone.
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Prince George's County, MD 6,486 people · 16% of arrivals
- District of Columbia, DC 5,079 people · 12% of arrivals
- Fairfax County, VA 1,651 people · 4.0% of arrivals
- Frederick County, MD 1,492 people · 3.6% of arrivals
- Howard County, MD 1,342 people · 3.2% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Prince George's County, MD 6,334 people · 13% of departures
- Frederick County, MD 4,543 people · 9.0% of departures
- District of Columbia, DC 3,096 people · 6.2% of departures
- Howard County, MD 2,311 people · 4.6% of departures
- Fairfax County, VA 2,168 people · 4.3% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Montgomery County, MD. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Bethesda, MD, the city containing this ZIP code.
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 90°F and January a low of 30°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 41.8 inches, including 13.7 inches of snow.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| 90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year | 61 | 2024 calendar year |
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 41.8" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 13.7" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 30°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 90°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year | 0 | 2024 calendar year |
| Median air quality index2024 calendar year | 40 | 2024 calendar year |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 44°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Air quality
A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, hurricane and heat wave, with inland flooding alone responsible for 56% of it. Inland flooding and heat wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Overall hazard risk is lower than 84% of measured US ZIP areas.
Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, heat wave, strong wind, hail, inland flooding, earthquake, tornado, ice storm, wildfire, coastal flooding, avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around 20817 (Montgomery County) rather than 20817 itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Bethesda carries the figure where its department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Washington Dulles Intl at 17 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 97.1% | Top 10%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 17 mi | Top 48%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 4 | Bottom 40%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±0.6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.2% | Top 10%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Dulles Intl | IAD | 17 mi | 11,500 ft |
| Baltimore/Washington Intl Thurgood Marshall | BWI | 29 mi | 10,503 ft |
| Harrisburg Intl | MDT | 85 mi | 10,001 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Where 20817 ranks
Top-ten placements in AreaProfile’s standing rankings- #1Highest-Income ZIP Codes of 50
Every ranking is a standing calculation over all published profiles, not an editorial selection. Each one states its cohort, its inputs and what it excludes.
Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Climate | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System Daily Air Quality Index by county | 2024 calendar year |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
20817 vs Bethesda
How this ZIP area compares with Bethesda as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.
Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.