Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
2.6 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Oregon town.
Athena’s best subject grade is an A for civic life; its weakest is a D for walkability. On cost of living, just 14 of Oregon’s 228 towns do better. M. L. Watts House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Athena has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Athena beats most towns.
M. L. Watts HouseIn a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Athena is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 495 in 1890, 1,209 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1926 and 2 maps from 1964 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Athena, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Athena.
The typical Athena home is worth about $284,000, up 2.4% in a year, 42% below the Oregon typical home. Athena’s median rent is $894 a month, below both the Oregon town median ($1,414 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 79% of households own their home in Athena.
| Athena | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $894 a month | $1,414 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 79% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by Athena-Weston SD 29RJ. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athena Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 124 | D |
| Weston-McEwen High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 173 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Athena for work: only 6% work in town. Athena’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, against 23 minutes in Oregon’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. The top destinations are Pendleton (19%), Walla Walla (13%) and Milton-Freewater (4%).
| Athena | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9% | 11% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Athena has mild winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Athena is 88°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 11% of residents (19% statewide); children under 18 are 25% of residents (20% statewide). 36% of Athena adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Athena | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 25% | 21% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.7 years | 39.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 36% | 27% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.1 points. Across Oregon, 50.1% of residents are women.
| Athena | OR | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.7% | 10.3% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 15.4% | 9.6% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.5% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 16% | 14.1% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.2% | 12.2% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.1% | 11.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 3.8% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.7% | 8.2% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27% | 22.4% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.2% | 23.5% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.6% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 22.7% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.2% | 14.1% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
Athena beats the Oregon average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 2. Only 9 of the 143 Oregon towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Athena.
| Athena | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 72% | 79% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 32% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 21% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Athena | OR |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 9.6% | 12.5% |
| More adults with arthritis | 31.7% | 27.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Athena since 2010.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Athena City Park | — | 5 |
| 2. Athena Memorial Ball Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Athena; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Athena residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
Where Athena’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Oregon, United States
Athena is a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2020 census, Athena had a population of 1,209. It is part of the Hermiston-Pendleton Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
2.6 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Oregon town.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($68,427 across the Hermiston-Pendleton, OR 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.