menu
Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Athens, OH
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Athens profile


Living in Athens



Athens is a medium-sized city located in the state of Ohio. With a population of 20,820 people and seven associated neighborhoods, Athens is the 71st largest community in Ohio.

Of important note, Athens is also a city of artists. Athens has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Athens’s character.

Also of interest is that Athens has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in Athens telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 14.38% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

In addition, Athens is a major college town that has a very high percentage of its residents over 18 years old who are college students. Naturally, collegiate life has a major influence on local Athens culture, lifestyle and entertainment options. Athens really pulses to the beat of the academic calendar. In Athens every fall, returning students reinvigorate the community, who you will notice are all over town, buying groceries, out with friends, and getting acquainted or re-acquainted with each other and Athens. One of the beneficial effects that colleges provide is that they tend to be lasting institutions that deliver direct economic benefits to the local economy in the form of such things as jobs for faculty and staff, and spending by students. Athens benefits directly from this.

Athens, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Athens spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 15.43 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to Athens, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. Athens is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 66.62% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in Athens in 2018 was $22,737, which is low income relative to Ohio and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $90,948 for a family of four. However, Athens contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Athens also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 43.03% of its population below the federal poverty line.

Athens is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Athens home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Athens residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Athens include German, Irish, English, Italian, and Polish.

The most common language spoken in Athens is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Arabic.