States · North Carolina · Alexander County

Bethlehem, North Carolina.

A community in Alexander County, with no city government of its own. Zillow publishes no home prices for it: see Alexander County’s.

Living in Bethlehem, Alexander County, North Carolina

Bethlehem, in Alexander County, had 4,491 people in the 2020 census. Half its households earn more than $87,795 a year and half less, against $65,354 across Alexander County; 4% of its people live below the poverty line. 90% of its homes are lived in by their owners and 10% are rented. Unemployment in Alexander County was 3.4% in August 2026, and the county had 1.8% more jobs in 2025 than the year before. The most people in Alexander County work in manufacturing, then schools and health care.

People 4,491 in the 2020 census; median age 52.7
Household income $87,795 the median, give or take $14,900 · Alexander County: $65,354
Unemployment 3.4% Alexander County, August 2026; 4.0% a year before
Homes 90% lived in by their owners; 10% rented
  • 1,591households
  • 43%of adults have a degree
  • 4%below the poverty line
  • 26 mintypical commute
  • 9%work from home

What people in Alexander County work in

  • Manufacturing24%
  • Schools, hospitals and social care20%
  • Shops (retail)12%
  • Professional and business services8%
  • Other services8%
  • Transport, warehouses and utilities7%

Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Alexander County had 8,667 jobs in 2025, 1.8% more than the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Weather through the year

Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 49° and 30°; warmest in July, 87° and 68° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° J 49° 30° F M A M J J 87° 68° A S O N D
Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 49° and 30°; warmest in July, 87° and 68° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° J 49° 30° F M A M J J 87° 68° A S O N D

Coldest in January, with highs near 49° and lows near 30°; warmest in July, with highs near 87° and lows near 68°. About 47 inches of rain and melted snow a year.

Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the Hickory Faa Airport weather station, 7 miles away (NOAA).

Largest workplaces in Bethlehem

  1. Way To Go Merchandising and StaffingTeleconferencing services287
  2. Hancock & Moore, LLC Plant 3106
  3. Lowes FoodsGrocery stores68
  4. Player's RidgeGolf and country clubs24

Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 4 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 485 people in all. Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.

Natural hazards

  1. Ice stormsVery high
  2. Inland floodingRelatively high
  3. LightningRelatively high
  4. Strong windRelatively high
  5. TornadoesRelatively high
  6. Cold wavesRelatively moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in Bethlehem’s census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively high. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.

From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Alexander County.