Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Athens’ subject grades are an A− for history and civic life; the weakest is a C− for walkability. 11% of residents are 65 or older in Athens, below both Illinois’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). North Sangamon United Presbyterian Church and Col. Matthew Rogers Building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Athens has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Athens beats most towns.
Where Athens’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far Athens is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 392 in 1860, 1,977 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2014 and 5 maps from 1907 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Athens. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi LandmarkLincoln Tomb
12 mi National Historic SiteLincoln Home National Historic Site124K visitors a year
6 mi MuseumLincoln's New Salem12 mi National MonumentSpringfield 1908 Race Riot National Monument
12 mi MuseumOld State Capitol State Historic Site
34 mi MuseumDickson MoundsLincoln Tomb: David Jones, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Lincoln Home National Historic Site: Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lincoln's New Salem: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Old State Capitol State Historic Site: Shadow2700 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Dickson Mounds: MattHucke, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Athens, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Athens.
For half of commuters, work is under 13 miles away. Athens had 204 jobs in 2023, up 59 from 2013. Most people who work leave Athens to do it: just 4% work in town. The top destinations are Springfield (46%), Petersburg (4%) and Bloomington (3%).
| Athens | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.4% | 8.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 9.6% | 11% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its two schools are below. The public schools here belong to Athens CUSD 213. 2 public schools serve Athens, with 443 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 144 | B+ |
| Athens Sr High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 299 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within IL on state tests and graduation
Athens’ typical rent is $855 a month. Home values are up 7.4% over the year to September 2026. Among households locally, 72% are owner-occupiers.
| Athens | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $855 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 75% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The range runs from 19° on a January night to 86° on a July afternoon, with about 21 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The level of property crime for Athens comes to 2.6 per 1,000 residents. The violent crime rate for Athens comes to 1.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Athens | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
34% of Athens’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 15%. Compared with 67% of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in the town is lower. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 5 declared disasters, most recently in 2011.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Athens: 38% of adults have obesity. CDC measures, 32 in all: Athens beats Illinois on 3 and trails on 1. One in ten adults locally have diabetes; 24% have been diagnosed with depression.
| Athens | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 16% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
| What stands out | Athens | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12% | 15.9% |
| More adults with depression | 24% | 19.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
There are 0.5 miles of trail across 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Athens Community Park, at 21 acres. The density of trails locally is 0.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Athens Community Park | 0.1 mi | 21 |
| 2. Primm Street Park | — | 2 |
| 3. Salzenstein Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Athens
About 6 of every 100 Athens residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Illinois.
City in Illinois, United States
Athens ( AY-thənz) is a city in Menard County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,977 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Not for the area. That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($75,895 across the Springfield, IL metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
