Bet She'an (Hebrew בית שאן unofficially also spelled Beit Shean, Beth Shean; Arabic بيسان Baysān) is a city in the North District in Israel. In Hellenistic and Roman times the city was called Scythopolis in Greek. The city was one of the Decapolis, the "Ten Cities" of northern Palestine that were centers of Greco-Roman culture. In According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), at the end of 2001 the city had a total population of 15,700.

Demographics

According to CBS, in 2001 the ethnic makeup of the city was 99.6% Jewish and other non-Arab, with no significant Arab population. There are 35 immigrant settlers. See Population groups in Israel.

According to CBS, in 2001 there were 7,900 males and 7,800 females. The population of the city was spread out with 40.5% 19 years of age or younger, 16.6% between 20 and 29, 19.4% between 30 and 44, 14.2% from 45 to 59, 2.6% from 60 to 64, and 6.6% 65 years of age or older. The population growth rate in 2001 was -0.2%.

Income

According to CBS, as of 2000, in the city there were 4,980 salaried workers and 301 are self-employed. The mean monthly wage in 2000 for a salaried worker in the city is ILS 4,200, a real change of 3.3% over the course of 2000. Salaried males have a mean monthly wage of ILS 5,314 (a real change of 5.1%) versus ILS 2,998 for females (a real change of -1.0%). The mean income for the self-employed is 6,106. There are 470 people who receive unemployment benefits and 1,409 people who receive an income guarantee.

Education

According to CBS, there are 16 schools and 3,809 students in the city. They are spread out as 10 elementary schools and 2,008 elementary school students, and 10 high schools and 1,801 high school students. 56.2% of 12th grade students were entitled to a matriculation certificate in 2001.