What percentage of people rent in Bethesda, MD?

Name: Renters and owners in Bethesda, MD, 2020–2024
Creator: US Census Bureau
License: https://www.census.gov/data/developers/about/terms-of-service.html

36.0% (±1.6 points) of the occupied homes in Bethesda, MD are rented (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

That is 10,069 renting households against 17,868 that own their home.

In Bethesda, the share of households that rent went from 33.9% in 2015–2019 to 36.0% in 2020–2024 (+2.1 percentage points), not a measurable change.

Figures last updated on November 12, 2026.

Households that rent: 36.0% (±1.6 points)
Renting households: 10,069 (±569)
Median renter income: $111,535 (±$6,975)

Who rents and who owns in Bethesda

Tenure, estimate (90% margin of error)
	Bethesda	Montgomery County	Maryland	United States
Renter-occupied share	36.0% (±1.6 points)	34.7% (±0.6 points)	32.4% (±0.3 points)	34.8%
Renting households	10,069 (±569)	135,071 (±2,368)	765,363 (±6,619)	45,017,354
Owning households	17,868 (±604)	254,139 (±2,460)	1,597,565 (±8,362)	84,210,142
Average renter household size	2.1 (±0.1)	2.5 (±0.0)	2.3 (±0.0)	2.3
Average owner household size	2.7 (±0.1)	2.9 (±0.0)	2.7 (±0.0)	2.6
Median renter household income	$111,535 (±$6,975)	$79,810 (±$1,782)	$62,703 (±$866)	$52,966
Median owner household income	$250,000 or more	$172,408 (±$2,055)	$129,423 (±$883)	$100,009

In Bethesda, the renter share is not measurably different from Montgomery County (34.7%).

It is also higher than in Maryland (32.4%).

It is not measurably different from the national figure (34.8%).

In Montgomery County, Bethesda ranks 11 of 59 places with a published estimate, from highest to lowest renter share.

Statewide, it ranks 114 of 388.

Rankings use the estimates alone; where margins of error overlap, neighboring ranks may not truly differ.

How renting in Bethesda has changed since 2015–2019

2015–2019 and 2020–2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates
	2015–2019	2020–2024	Amount of change	Verdict
Households that rent	33.9% (±1.5 points)	36.0% (±1.6 points)	+2.1 percentage points	Not a measurable change
Median gross rent	$2,026 (±$74)	$2,469 (±$92)	+21.9%	No measurable change after inflation
Median household income	$164,142 (±$6,296)	$192,237 (±$6,260)	+17.1%	No measurable change after inflation

The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.

Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.

The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.

Households that rent in places near Bethesda

Nearest places with a published estimate, compared with Bethesda
Place	Distance	Households that rent	Compared with this place
Bethesda	—	36.0% (±1.6 points)	—
Glen Echo	1.8 mi	1.0% (±2.9 points)	Lower
Somerset	1.9 mi	12.2% (±6.1 points)	Lower
Chevy Chase	1.9 mi	6.3% (±3.8 points)	Lower
Friendship Heights Village	2.3 mi	61.4% (±6.3 points)	Higher
Chevy Chase (community)	2.4 mi	24.1% (±5.0 points)	Lower
Brookmont	2.4 mi	20.3% (±7.8 points)	Lower
Chevy Chase Section Five	2.4 mi	10.6% (±11.8 points)	Lower
Chevy Chase Village	2.4 mi	3.7% (±1.8 points)	Lower

Nearby places with a measurably lower figure: Glen Echo, MD (1.0%), Somerset, MD (12.2%), Chevy Chase, MD (6.3%).

Nearby places with a measurably higher figure: Friendship Heights Village, MD (61.4%).

Distance is measured in a straight line between the Census Bureau’s internal points for each place.

Households that rent across Montgomery County, place by place

Rank	Place	Households that rent
5	North Bethesda	49.6% (±2.3 points)
6	Kensington	49.5% (±7.9 points)
7	Gaithersburg	49.2% (±2.5 points)
8	Rockville	47.4% (±2.2 points)
9	Takoma Park	45.8% (±3.9 points)
10	Derwood	42.0% (±10.1 points)
11 (tie)	Bethesda	36.0% (±1.6 points)
11 (tie)	Glenmont	36.0% (±4.8 points)
13	Wheaton	35.4% (±3.2 points)
14	Aspen Hill	35.3% (±2.9 points)
15	Forest Glen	33.7% (±9.6 points)
16	Germantown	32.8% (±2.2 points)
17	Montgomery Village	32.5% (±4.1 points)

Showing 13 of 59 places in Montgomery County, ranked from highest to lowest.

Bethesda is a census-designated place: an unincorporated community the Census Bureau draws for statistics, with no municipal government of its own.

Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.

Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.

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Questions about Bethesda

How many renters are there in Bethesda?

Bethesda has an estimated 10,069 (±569) renting households, 36.0% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).

Is renting growing in Bethesda?

In Bethesda, the share of households that rent went from 33.9% in 2015–2019 to 36.0% in 2020–2024 (+2.1 percentage points), not a measurable change.

How big are renting households in Bethesda?

A renting household in Bethesda has 2.1 people on average, against 2.7 in an owned home.

How much do renters earn in Bethesda?

The median renting household in Bethesda, MD has an income of $111,535 (±$6,975) a year, against $250,000 or more for households that own their home.

Sources

To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) and detailed tables (acs/acs5) for Bethesda CDP, Maryland (place:07125, in state:24).

Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).

The 2015–2019 figures are DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, B25064_001E, B25064_001M, B19013_001E, B19013_001M from the 2019 release.

The API needs a free key.

Request a Census API key.

DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0047E, DP04_0047M, DP04_0046E, DP04_0046M, DP04_0049E, DP04_0049M, DP04_0048E, DP04_0048M, B25119_003E, B25119_003M, B25119_002E, B25119_002M

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.