Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domainAt 3.1%, unemployment in Athens is lower than in 68% of U.S. towns
Measured by household income, Athens is behind 58% of U.S. towns. The two grades for Athens are B− for jobs and income and C+ for walkability. A typical one-way commute lasts 25 minutes; Alabama averages 26, the U.S. 26.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Athens apart
Athens draws workers from far and wide
The 14,873 jobs in Athens are filled from a wide area. Athens’ own residents hold 18% and the ten next-biggest home towns 18%; the other 64% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
31% of Athens works in Huntsville
3,228 working residents, 31%, have their main job in Huntsville, 17 miles away across the town line. That’s more than work in Athens itself. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The figures behind Athens’ Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Athens is better than 52% of U.S. towns, #62 of 187 in Alabama. Unemployment holds Athens’ grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (12.2%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Athens could be anywhere from C+ to B+.
31% of working residents work in Huntsville
Where Athens clocks in
31% of workers
7% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
How a workday changes Athens
On a workday 7,762 residents head out to work, 2,687 work right here, and 12,186 people come in from elsewhere.
About 39,000 people are in Athens on a workday afternoon, 13% more than live here.
About as many jobs as working residents (1.42 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The kinds of work in Athens
14,873 jobs are based in Athens.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Athens, 2013 → 2023: 12,190 → 14,873. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Athens’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily trip from Athens: about 25 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.9 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Athens workers work from home, vs 9% across Alabama. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 12,385 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Alabama: 88% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Athens
About 15% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Few in Athens walk, bike or ride to work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Athens is more walkable than 43% of U.S. towns, #63 of 187 in Alabama. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.9% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 1.7% across Alabama.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 13,489 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.4% of Athens households have no vehicle (Alabama 5.4%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Athens’ commuters take a bus or train.
Athens places 855th of 1,255 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 24,000 to 46,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Upper Dublin Township PA | 27,258 | $168K | 3.2% | 1.9% | 8% | A+ |
| 2 | Southlake TX | 31,175 | $250K | 1.5% | 2.7% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Leawood KS | 34,093 | $186K | 3.1% | 2.0% | 9% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Trussville AL | 27,273 | $123K | 1.1% | 1.2% | 12% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 220 | Vestavia Hills AL | 38,306 | $134K | 10.0% | 1.9% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 249 | Pelham AL | 25,664 | $101K | 6.7% | 2.0% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 853 | Clay Township IN | 34,221 | $72K | 9.8% | 5.4% | 19% | B− |
| 854 | La Quinta CA | 39,440 | $99K | 8.8% | 7.3% | 13% | B− |
| 855 | Athens AL | 34,209 | $70K | 12.2% | 3.1% | 26% | B− |
| 856 | Redmond OR | 38,547 | $84K | 9.6% | 4.5% | 30% | B− |
| 857 | Reisterstown MD | 25,582 | $86K | 10.7% | 9.0% | 5% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,255 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Athens, the top three, the last and three more from Alabama.
31% of Athens works in a town next door
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Athens workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens | – | B− | C+ | 25 min | $69,922 |
| Huntsville | 31% | B | B | 20 min | $74,714 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Huntsville. Darker towns draw more of Athens’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Athens: questions
What is the median household income in Athens?
$69,922 (±$8,296) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $63,999 across Alabama and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Athens?
12.2%, against 15.6% across Alabama and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Athens?
25 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Alabama and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Athens work?
26% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Huntsville (31%, 17 mi), Decatur (7%, 15 mi), Madison (6%, 12 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Athens walkable?
Athens is more walkable than 43% of U.S. towns (Walkability C+): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Athens without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 5% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Athens, from the people who make the trip.
More of Athens
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.