Gentry County Courthouse · Photo: Americasroof · CC BY-SA 3.0Households in Athens Township earn less than those in 89% of U.S. towns
About one in four work in Athens Township itself; outside it, Albany draws the most (27%, 3 miles). 16.8% of residents are in poverty, against 12.6% across Missouri. The two grades for Athens Township are C− for jobs and income and B− for walkability.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Athens Township
Athens Township and Albany trade workers both ways
Albany is the top workplace for Athens Township residents (27%) and also where the most people who work in Athens Township come from (23% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
A big share show a job far from home
32% of working residents have a main job more than 50 miles away. Part of that is employers that report every worker at one head office, so not all of those trips happen daily. How far ↓
Commutes from Athens Township are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 24 across Missouri. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Missouri worker. Time on the road ↓
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; with 979 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Breaking down the Jobs & income grade for Athens Township
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Athens Township is better than 23% of U.S. towns. Unemployment holds Athens Township’s grade up (2.0%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car pulls it down (ahead of 6% of U.S. towns).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Athens Township could be anywhere from D to C+.
The towns that employ Athens Township’s residents
Where Athens Township clocks in
27% of workers
11% of workers
7% 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.
Miles to work from Athens Township
About 32% 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.
The trip to work from Athens Township: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Athens Township workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 956 commuters (the 7% who work from home are left out). Across Missouri: 86% 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.
Who leaves, who stays, who comes in
On a workday 713 residents head out to work, 266 work right here, and 660 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.95 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.
A place that makes things: 30% of Athens Township’s jobs are in goods
926 jobs are based in Athens Township.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Athens Township, 2013 → 2023: 874 → 926. 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 Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Athens Township is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Athens Township is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 1.3% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.2% across Missouri.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,026 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). 4.3% of Athens Township households have no vehicle (Missouri 6.6%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Athens Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
Athens Township places 3,848th of 5,404 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 1,500 to 2,900
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 11 | Warson Woods MO | 1,990 | $207K | 1.3% | 1.8% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 50 | Weatherby Lake MO | 2,139 | $153K | 3.4% | 1.4% | 1% | A+ |
| 51 | Lake Winnebago MO | 1,869 | $179K | 1.0% | 0.0% | 1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 3,846 | Colstrip MT | 2,091 | $83K | 9.4% | 8.2% | 41% | C− |
| 3,847 | Towanda PA | 2,746 | $61K | 12.6% | 4.9% | 15% | C− |
| 3,848 | Athens Township MO | 2,173 | $49K | 16.8% | 2.0% | 27% | C− |
| 3,849 | Morgan Township PA | 2,187 | $65K | 15.8% | 4.2% | 2% | C− |
| 3,850 | Jarales NM | 2,144 | $56K | 9.5% | 0.0% | 1% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 5,404 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | 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 Township, the top three, the last and three more from Missouri.
Athens Township and its neighbors
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Athens Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Township | – | C− | B− | 19 min | $49,250 |
| Cooper Township | under 2% | D− | B | 19 min | $53,173 |
| Huggins Township | under 2% | — | — | 9 min | — |
| Miller Township | under 2% | — | — | 37 min | — |
| Howard Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
| White Oak Township | under 2% | — | — | 40 min | — |
| Butler Township | under 2% | — | — | — | — |
Same-state neighbors only. Huggins Township, Miller Township, Howard Township, White Oak Township and Butler Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Athens Township’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 Township: questions
What is the median household income in Athens Township?
$49,250 (±$7,751) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Athens Township?
16.8%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Athens Township?
19 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Athens Township work?
27% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Albany (27%, 3 mi), St. Joseph (11%, 43 mi), Kansas City (7%, 78 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Athens Township walkable?
Athens Township is more walkable than 48% of U.S. towns (Walkability B−): an EPA walkability index of 7.7 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Athens Township without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Athens Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Athens Township
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.