Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Where it falls short is incomes: the median household income is $72K, and 13% of residents live below the poverty line. It also trails on hazard risk: FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than nearly two thirds of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. Its strongest subject is walkability — it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 59% of U.S. towns. A typical home there costs about $208K, 3.3 years of the Sayre area’s $64K median household income. Put together, the subjects come to a C overall, better than just over a quarter of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 908th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. On civic life, just 77 of Pennsylvania’s 1,717 towns do worse. The biggest park or preserve is State Game Lands Number 239, at 727 acres.
Figures: incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · FEMA National Risk Index · home values, Zillow · OpenStreetMap.
Where Athens Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 435 in 1840, a peak of 4,515 in 1960, 3,267 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1779 and 6 maps from 1939 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Athens Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Athens Township, 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 Township.
Athens Township sends many workers across the state line to Barton and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s; it also carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Pennsylvania (mostly inland flooding).
For Athens Township, the July high is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Athens Area SD runs its public schools. One of its 2 schools is below, with the reason it’s listed. 2 public schools serve Athens Township, with 1,038 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audrielle Lynch-Ellen Bustin El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 542 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of Pennsylvania towns, with expected losses of about $548 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on. 117 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 20 properties have flooded more than once.
Athens Township’s FEMA risk score is 66 of 100, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (30 of 100) and U.S. towns (44 of 100). The national flood insurance program has paid 117 claims here since 1978. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 87% come from inland flooding.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
34% of working residents cross a state line to work, Barton among the top destinations.
Commuting out is the norm in Athens Township: 8% of working residents work locally. Between 2013 and 2023, jobs here rose by 320, to 1,830. Also worth knowing: the town’s typical journey to work is 22 minutes, below both the Pennsylvania town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). The top destinations are Sayre (21%), Athens (6%) and Barton (5%).
| Athens Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Athens Township: 22% of residents are 65 or older. Children under 18 are 26% of residents (21% statewide). 29% of adults 25 and older hold at least a bachelor’s degree, against 35% across Pennsylvania.
| Athens Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 26% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 22% | 21% | 18% |
| Median age | 40.4 years | 43.2 years | 40.5 years |
55% women, 45% men
About 81 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.2 points). Across Pennsylvania, 50.7% of residents are women.
| Athens Township | PA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13% | 10.8% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.6% | 9.7% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.5% | 9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 13% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.6% | 11.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 11.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 11.6% | 8.1% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.8% | 7.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 42.9% | 32.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.3% | 15.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.7% | 8.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.6% | 20.9% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.8% | 14.3% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The share of adults in Athens Township who report frequent physical distress: 15%. Nearly a fifth of adults smoke cigarettes here.
| Athens Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 38% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Athens Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.3% | 7.7% |
| More smokers | 18.5% | 15.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.6% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
There are 1.5 miles of trail across 7 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. State Game Lands Number 239 | — | 727 |
| 2. Loyalsock State Forest | — | 17 |
| 3. Valley Youth Soccer Park | — | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 20.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 76% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns.
In Athens Township, the level of violent crime is 1.4 per 1,000 residents. Athens Township’s property crime rate stands at 14.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Athens Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.3 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Athens Township. Close and well known come first.
33 mi State parkWatkins Glen State Park
29 mi MuseumCorning Museum of Glass400K visitors a year
34 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
34 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a year
33 mi State parkWorlds End State Park
20 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 Township; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Athens Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
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)
9 towns share a border with Athens Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens Township | #908 | C | B− | B− | C+ | C+ |
| Athens | #933 | C− | B | B | C+ | C |
| Sayre | #705 | B− | B− | B+ | C | B |
| Greens Landing | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sheshequin Township | — | — | C+ | — | C+ | C+ |
| Litchfield Township | — | — | B− | — | C | C+ |
| South Waverly | — | — | B | — | C | C− |
| Ulster Township | — | — | B+ | — | C+ | C+ |
Sheshequin Township, Litchfield Township, South Waverly and Ulster Township have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sheshequin Township, Litchfield Township, South Waverly and Ulster Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Greens Landing isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Athens Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Athens Township grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #908 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades C+ for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a C−.
Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Athens Township sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
