Bullpen Bar and Grill, 2026
New Athens’s story
190 years in pictures
The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 2026.
- 1836New Athens is settled
New AthensIL
A town of 1,854, settled in 1836.
Population
1,854
2025 Census estimate · −5.3% since 2020
Typical home
$164K
−3% in a year
Household income
$57K
median
Median age
41.4
years
Jobs based here
243
A commuter town
Is New Athens a good place to live?
New Athens’ best subject grades are an A for safety and the outdoors; its weakest is a C− for hazard risk. Among 769 Illinois towns, just 7 have a higher July high than New Athens. New Athens's schools outperform 74% of the state's. 23% of the land in New Athens is conserved, where Illinois’ towns sit at 3.7% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. On the outdoors, just 113 of Illinois’ 1,285 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Okaw Valley Park, at 54 acres. New Athens has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes New Athens stand out
Where New Athens beats most towns.
A commuter town
96% of working residents leave New Athens for work
Where New Athens’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
243jobs based in New Athens
4%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How New Athens grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Illinois), ordered by how far New Athens is from typical.
SafetyAOpen →Hazard riskinland flooding tops the listC−Open →HealthRed Bud Regional Hospital 10.1 miles awayA−Open →SchoolsB+Open →Cost of livingB+Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 7.9 of 20; 3.8% of households have no car; 2.4% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →Jobs & income$57K median household incomeC+Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsAOpen →History1 notable person born hereB+Open →Civic life4.1 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsBOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 41.4; 18% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to New Athens: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in New Athens, and how to reach them.
PowerAmeren Illinois Company16.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNew Athens water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have New Athens’ trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Illinois you can register online until 16 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 28 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereSt. Clair County ClerkSt. Clair County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP code6226462264 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in New Athens.
SafetyA
Less crime per resident in New Athens than in 87% of U.S. towns
New Athens’ violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents, below both Illinois’ towns (1) and U.S. towns (1.6). The property crime rate in New Athens is 4.9 per 1,000 residents.
87%of U.S. towns report more crimeASafety Grade
| New Athens | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.9 per 1,000 residents | 7.9 | 9.9 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
New Athens0
Illinois2.6
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
New Athens4.9
Illinois15.6
U.S.15.5
87th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
0
violent crimes reported in 2025
9
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
HousingCost of living grade B+
A typical New Athens home is worth about $164K
The typical New Athens home is worth about $164,000, down 3% in a year, 45% below the Illinois typical home. 82% of households own their home in New Athens.
$164KZillow home value
| New Athens | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $993 a month | $1,129 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
New Athens$164K
Illinois$296K
−3%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in April
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthA−
On CDC estimates, New Athens is healthier than 76% of U.S. towns
New Athens beats the Illinois average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 19% of New Athens adults binge drink.
76%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| New Athens | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 35% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 13% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 23% | 25% |
32 measures vs. Illinois
7 better23 too close to call2 worse
| What stands out | New Athens | IL |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.1% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.9% | 15.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 7.6% |
Red Bud Regional Hospital
10.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+
With 0.3 jobs for every working resident, most of New Athens’ workers commute out
Most working residents leave New Athens for work: only 4% work in town. New Athens’ average trip to work is 32 minutes. Since 2013, New Athens has lost 263 jobs, to 243 in 2023.
4%work in town
| New Athens | Illinois towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $57,000 | $83,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 8.4% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In New Athens4%
Belleville13%
St. Louis9%
Freeburg6%
Red Bud3%
20 mi
median commute distance
243
jobs based in New Athens
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 63% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C−
New Athens faces a high natural-hazard risk, led by inland flooding
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1993, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in New Athens.
77risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingEarthquakesCold waves
6
paid flood claims since 1993
4
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
22.7%conserved
22.7%
conserved · 332 of 1,461 acres
0.4 mi
of trails · 0.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Okaw Valley Park | 0.4 mi | 54 |
| 2. Kaskaskia River State Fish and Wildlife Area | — | 295 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Climate
In New Athens, expect four seasons and hot summers
New Athens has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 23° and about 12 inches of snow falls in a winter.
12″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–44°
Spring45–67°
Summer66–87°
Fall47–69°
Oct 20
typical first frost
Apr 12
typical last frost
+1.2°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about New Athens
20pages on New Athens
The big questions
SchoolsB+Beat 74% of IL districtsSafetyA0 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthA−Better than IL on 7 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingB+$164K typical home · down 3% in a yearWork & commuteC+$57K median household income · 243 jobs hereNatural hazardsC−FEMA risk higher than 77% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of New Athens
About 4 of every 100 New Athens residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Illinois.
About New Athens
Village in Illinois, United States
New Athens () is a village in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. Based upon common usage, the 'A' is always sounded with a long vowel, rather than a short vowel, by its residents, unlike the most commonly used English pronunciation of the city in Greece. As of the 2020 census, New Athens had a population of 1,955. New Athens sits on the Kaskaskia River and was originally called Athens. The village was laid out in 1836 and incorporated in 1866. The name change to New Athens came in 1868 after it was discovered there was already an Athens in another part of the state. New Athens is home to several churches, including St. Agatha Catholic Church, St. John United Church of Christ, St. Pa…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1836
- Area
- 2.3 sq mi
- Elevation
- 430 ft
- ZIP code
- 62264
New Athens’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with New Athens.
New Athens TownshipLenzburg TownshipNew Athens
How the neighbors grade
| Town | IL rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Athens | — | — | B+ | A | B+ | A− |
| New Athens Township | — | — | B− | — | A | B+ |
| Lenzburg Township | — | — | — | — | — | — |
New Athens and New Athens Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. New Athens Township reports no FBI crime data of its own. Lenzburg Township isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare New Athens with a neighbor →
Questions about New Athens
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is New Athens, IL expensive?
Not for the area. That is 2 years of the area's median household income ($80,196 across the St. Louis, MO-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+.