Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Athens is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, ranked 933rd of 1032 in Pennsylvania, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is cost of living: homes are within reach, about $167K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the Sayre area’s $64K median household income. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $53K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. On hazard risk, just 95 of Pennsylvania’s 1,751 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Spalding Memorial Library-Tioga Point Museum and Protection of the Flag Monument.
Where Athens beats most towns.
Census counts: 435 in 1840, a peak of 4,515 in 1960, 3,267 in 2020. The archive holds 33 old photos and papers going back to 1779 and 6 maps from 1939 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Athens is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Athens.
Athens sends many workers across the state line to Barton and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 96% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $457 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Athens’ FEMA risk score is 79 of 100, above both the Pennsylvania town median (30 of 100) and the median of U.S. towns (44 of 100). Since 1979, 72 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Athens.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by Athens Area SD. Its one school is below. The largest public high school is Athens Area HS, with 599 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Area HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 599 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
25% of working residents cross a state line to work, Barton among the top destinations. The average commute for its 1,466 working residents takes 19.1 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Most working residents leave Athens for work: only 8% work in town. Athens’ average trip to work is 19 minutes, against 26 minutes in Pennsylvania’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Since 2013, Athens has added 429 jobs, to 926 in 2023.
| Athens | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 6,792 U.S. towns with household incomes like Athens’s, it is healthier than 53%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income.
Athens beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 20% of Athens adults smoke cigarettes.
| Athens | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Athens | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 19.8% | 15.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.2% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Athens has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 35 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Only 40.6% of households own their home, against 69.3% across Pennsylvania.
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Pennsylvania average. Athens’ median age is 47 years. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Athens | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
43% women, 57% men
About 133 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.4 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women. Among residents 18 to 24, 81% are men (PA 51%).
| Athens | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.2% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.1% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.4% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.1% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.2% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.4% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.5% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 18% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.1% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 15.9% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.4% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,200, single groups can be off by several points
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Athens sits closer to the middle. The violent crime rate in Athens is 1.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Athens | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Athens | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 8.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Valley Playland Park | 0.1 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 2.6 years of the Sayre area’s $64K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 78% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
41% of households own their home in Athens.
| Athens | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 41% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $842 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Athens. Close and well known come first.
36 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
31 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
35 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
36 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a year
32 mi State parkWorlds End State Park
17 mi MuseumFrench AzilumWatkins Glen State Park: Flickr user: Peter Rivera Stamford, Connecticut https://www.flickr.com/people/ri, CC BY 2.0 · Corning Museum of Glass: User:Stilfehler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Worlds End State Park: Nicholas, CC BY 2.0 · French Azilum: Nicholas A. Tonelli from Northeast Pennsylvania, USA, CC BY 2.0
None within 15 miles of Athens; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Athens residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Athens’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Athens on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Athens.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Athens is a borough in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania and is located 2 miles (3 km) south of the New York state line on the Susquehanna and Chemung rivers. The population was 3,265 at the 2020 census. Athens is in a small area locally known as "The Valley", a group of four contiguous communities in Pennsylvania and New York: Waverly, New York; South Waverly, Pennsylvania; Sayre, Pennsylvania; and Athens. The Valley has a population near 30,000.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Athens.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens | #933 | C− | B | B | C+ | C |
| Athens Township | #908 | C | B− | B− | C+ | C+ |
| Greens Landing | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sayre | #705 | B− | B− | B+ | C | B |
Greens Landing isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Athens with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Athens grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #933 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C for health, B for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Athens sits nearer the middle.
The typical home is worth about $167,000, 42% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
5 notable people were born here, including Joshua Reed Giddings and Louise Murray.
