Bethesda ranked in the top 25 places to live in the United States out of a list of 250 major cities in 2025-2026, according to a recent report from U.S News and World Report.
According to the U.S. News website, the rankings are based on data from Applied Geographic Solutions (AGS), a company that compiles data from such federal government sources as the U.S. Census Bureau and state and local sources, and U.S. News’ internal resources. The data was categorized into five topics: population, average commute, median home value, median monthly rent and median household income.
The data was evaluated “methodology determined by Americans’ preferences” based on a public survey where people voted on the most important factor to choose when considering where to live.
Bethesda ranked 21st in the list of 250 major cities.
U.S. News & World Report said that the median home value in Bethesda is $1,004,244 — $633,755 higher than the national average. The median monthly rent, according to the report, is $1,946.
The median household income in Bethesda is $189,538 compared to the national average of $79,466 and the area had a 2% unemployment rate in 2023, less than the national average at 4.5%. In Bethesda, residents have an average commute of 28 minutes according to the report.
According to the report, Bethesda has a population of more than 71,000 with a median age of 42 years old.
Montgomery County communities are often recognized on similar lists. WalletHub named Germantown as the No. 1 most ethnically diverse city in the U.S. in 2025. Rockville ranked in the top 5% of small cities in the U.S. and the best small city in Maryland according to a 2024 report from WalletHub.
Ellicott City was the only other Maryland city that qualified in the top 25, and was ranked as the 13th best place to live in the U.S. Ellicott City has a population of more than75,000 and a median home value of $627,797.
