Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0How is Athens run?
Athens’ town government spent $564,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, about $605 per resident. Water and other utilities ($715,000) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Athens is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
About $605 per resident a year, or $1.66 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 71%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$789 per resident in 2022, close to the middle of similar cities
Athens’ day-to-day spending in 2022 ($789 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $645, and the middle half spent $334–$964. Athens spent more than 63% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($391,000), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Athens itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is down 20% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Athens reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $789 · 2023: $605.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $854 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.51% of the home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Athens’ rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Athens’ Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Athens →
Who’s in charge in Athens
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
Athens’ meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The town posts agendas and minutes on townofathens.com ↗.
One full-time town employee for every 104 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2023 finance file (933).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Mercer County School District
Athens’ K–12 school district, shared with Bluefield, Bramwell, Oakvale, Princeton. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $14,226 per pupil, $8,258 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
West Virginia districts overall: 36% local, 46% state, 18% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Athens’ votes are counted by county
West Virginia reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Athens alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Mercer County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican77.9%18,372 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat20.6%4,851 votesOthers: 1.5% (361 votes).
Most votes in Mercer County: Donald J Trump
West Virginia: Trump 70.0%, Harris 28.1%
100% of Athens lies in Mercer County. Every 2024 race in Mercer County is on the county’s page.
Mercer County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Athens.
- 1Your townTown governmentOfficials: townofathens.com ↗
- 2West Virginia House of DelegatesState representatives
- 3West Virginia SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of West Virginia
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Athens’ government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Athens’ government
How much does Athens spend per resident?
About $605 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2023, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $789 was more than 63% of 114 West Virginia cities of under 2,500 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Athens?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $854 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.51% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.53% across West Virginia. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see townofathens.com.
Who runs Athens’ government?
See townofathens.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Athens yet.
How did Athens vote in 2024?
West Virginia counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Athens alone. Mercer County, where 100% of Athens lies, voted Trump 77.9%, Harris 20.6% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Athens?
9 full-time and 13 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $47,876 (about $574,512 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Athens in the state legislature?
State Senate District 6 (Craig Hart and Mark Maynard) and House of Delegates District 39 (Doug Smith). The House of Delegates district also covers 1 neighboring town. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Athens’ government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →