Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Athens is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 414th of 640 graded towns in Texas, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is schools: its schools outperform 55% of the state's. Expect to pay for it: the typical home is worth about $255K, 3.9 years of the Athens area’s $65K median household income. 35% of working residents work locally in Athens, against 8.3% in Texas’ towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Only 41 of Texas’ 1,000 towns score higher on hazard risk. Athens is home to Trinity Valley Community College.
Where Athens beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Trinity Valley Community College | 3,967 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Texas), ordered by how far Athens is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 240 in 1860, a low of 240 in 1860, 12,857 in 2020. The archive holds 25 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1949 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
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 carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Texas (mostly cold waves), draws workers from Dallas and beyond and has hotter summers than nearly all U.S. towns.
8,661 jobs are based in Athens, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 20.7 minutes, against 26.7 across Texas.
About one in 3 of Athens’s working residents works in town. Athens’ average trip to work is 21 minutes. Since 2013, Athens has added 1,011 jobs, to 8,661 in 2023.
| Athens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 12% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by Athens ISD. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Athens H S, with 879 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Athens MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 660 | B− |
| Athens H SLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 879 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TX on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 98% of Texas towns, with expected losses of about $268 per resident a year; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Athens is 6 of 100. Since 1980, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Athens.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 338 to 189 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Athens beats the Texas average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 19% of Athens adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Athens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 18% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 20% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 19% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 25% |
| What stands out | Athens | TX |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 77.3% | 74.1% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.5% | 5.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
July afternoons average 94°, hotter than in 95% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36°.
Athens has mild winters and hot summers.
| Athens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 94°F | 95°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 37°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
58% of households own their home in Athens. The typical Athens home is worth about $255,000, down 0.5% in a year, 14% below the Texas typical home.
| Athens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 69% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,112 a month | $1,208 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The biggest park or preserve is Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, at 99 acres.
| Athens | Texas towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 2.7% | 1.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. East Texas Arboretum | 0.5 mi | 75 |
| 2. Cain Park | 0.4 mi | 70 |
| 3. Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center | — | 99 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Athens
About 6 of every 100 Athens residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Texas.
Where Athens’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 notable people were born in Athens.
City in Texas, United States
Athens is a city in and the county seat of Henderson County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 12,857. The city has called itself the "Black-Eyed Pea Capital of the World." Athens was selected as one of the first "Certified Retirement Communities" in Texas. Athens was incorporated in 1856 and was named after Athens, the capital of Greece.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Athens grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #414 of 640 in Texas. It grades C for health, C for safety and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
7 notable people were born here, including Gerald D. Griffin and Sid W. Richardson.