Bethesda Makes Money Magazine's 2014 Top Earnings Town

How would you describe Bethesda? Money magazine last week ranked the community No. 1 nationally on its list of Top Earning Towns.

The magazine conjures up an image of Bethesda filled with white-collar workers at Walter Reed hospital or the National Institutes of Health – brainiacs who love to dine out and take in art and music. And the city takes a hit for not being ethnically diverse.

Did they get it right? Tell us what you think in the Comments box.

Here’s what the magazine had to say about life in Bethesda:

POPULATION: 63,040

MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $197,622

MEDIAN HOME PRICE: $825,000

Here’s how Money magazine describes the community:

“Bethesda tops our list of high-earning towns, with an eye-popping median family income of nearly $200,000. Not surprisingly, this Washington, D.C., suburb has great access to jobs, both in the capital and in town. Bethesda is home to the National Institutes of Health and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The 45,000 people who work in Bethesda’s downtown have their choice of nearly 200 restaurants. The area is also ideal for culture vultures, with displays of outdoor sculpture, galleries, and performance spaces of all types. Be prepared for brainy cocktail party banter: More than half of residents over age 25 hold graduate or professional degrees.

On the downside, the city is relatively homogenous; about 85% of residents are white. Plus, with a median price of $825,000, houses are not cheap, though we suppose the locals can afford it.”