Athens, Texas
Area Profile
13,200 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Athens, in Henderson County.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 13 sourcesUnemployment is 5.1% and median household income $67,984, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured. The unemployment rate is published for Henderson County, TX, which contains Athens, rather than for Athens alone.
In the public schools here, 43% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.4 students for every teacher.
Rent takes 32% of renter income here, above the 30% threshold conventionally called cost-burdened, and the median home is 2.5 times what its owners earn.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Henderson County, TX, which contains Athens, is 5.1% — higher than in all but 22% of the 4,226 measured US cities.
Employment across Henderson County, TX, which contains Athens, grew 0.9% over the past year, to 35,955 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsHenderson County, TX’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $78,090 | 60th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftHenderson County, TX’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $54,971 | 15th percentileof 4,101 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$17,2492024 ACS 5-Year | $67,984 | Top 48%of 29,223 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$3,1972024 ACS 5-Year | $30,150 | Bottom 37%of 31,420 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 13.3% | Bottom 40%of 31,773 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±3.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 21.3 min | Top 23%of 31,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 21.3% | Top 48%of 31,919 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year | 80.5% | 61st percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentHenderson County, TX’s figureJuly 2026 | 35,955 | Bottom 39%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Henderson County, TX’s figureJuly 2026 | +4.9% | Top 5%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Henderson County, TX’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.9% | Top 20%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceHenderson County, TX’s figureJuly 2026 | 37,889 | 39th percentileof 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 74.6% | Bottom 38%of 31,513 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public transit to work ±0.3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.1% | 74th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Henderson County, TX’s figureJuly 2026 | +0.2% | Bottom 33%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateHenderson County, TX’s figureJuly 2026 | 5.1% | Bottom 22%of 4,226 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 3.1% | 27th percentileof 31,433 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes city-level labor data only for places of 25,000 or more. This is the figure for Henderson County, TX, which contains this city.
43% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 38% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 15.4 students for every full-time teacher across 5 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens H S | ATHENS ISD | 879 | 12.9 | 34% | 42% |
| Athens Middle | ATHENS ISD | 660 | 16.1 | 45% | 38% |
| Central Athens | ATHENS ISD | 568 | 16.7 | 37% | 27% |
| Bel Air El | ATHENS ISD | 465 | 16.6 | 43% | 36% |
| South Athens El | ATHENS ISD | 457 | 17.6 | 62% | 47% |
76.5% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Texas’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Texas is up 44% over five years, and up 2.9% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $2,690 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.28% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,009, below the $1,112 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,009 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $40,400 a year, about 59% of the median household income here of $67,984.
The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,112 a month.
A median home at $210,800 costs 2.5 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $85,639, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
The figures above are measured against Athens’s median household income of $67,984, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Texas’s figure2026 Q2 | +2.9% | 47th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Texas’s figure2026 Q2 | +43.8% | 53rd percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Texas’s figure2026 Q2 | +97.6% | 57th percentileof 4,154 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.5 | Top 49%of 26,815 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 57.7% | 17th percentileof 31,717 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±3392024 ACS 5-Year | 5,408 | 89th percentileof 32,177 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $830 | Top 10%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,328 | Top 9%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,009 | Top 8%of 4,072 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$1202024 ACS 5-Year | $1,112 | Bottom 38%of 23,120 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$13,6672024 ACS 5-Year | $210,800 | 56th percentileof 29,111 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$4102024 ACS 5-Year | $2,690 | 69th percentileof 26,440 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$5,7802024 ACS 5-Year | $85,639 | Top 41%of 27,548 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.21%2024 ACS 5-Year | 1.28% | 67th percentileof 20,543 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 31.9% | Bottom 32%of 22,950 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±262024 ACS 5-Year | 16 | 69th percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.3% | 54th percentileof 31,895 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 12.8% | 73rd percentileof 31,769 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±2172024 ACS 5-Year | 710 | 93rd percentileof 32,330 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
Population has grown 5% since 2020, reaching 13,575 in 2024.
Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 13,575 residents in 2024, up 0.3% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.
New construction is predominantly single-family: of 31 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.
Federal tax returns show Henderson County, which contains Athens, gained about 2.3% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $78,090, above the $54,971 of households that moved out.
At 2.3 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.
Population, annual estimates
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- Kaufman County, TX 985 people · 16% of arrivals
- Dallas County, TX 790 people · 13% of arrivals
- Smith County, TX 663 people · 11% of arrivals
- Van Zandt County, TX 319 people · 5.3% of arrivals
- Tarrant County, TX 285 people · 4.7% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- Smith County, TX 663 people · 15% of departures
- Kaufman County, TX 644 people · 14% of departures
- Dallas County, TX 350 people · 7.7% of departures
- Van Zandt County, TX 346 people · 7.7% of departures
- Anderson County, TX 193 people · 4.3% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Henderson County, TX. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
Housing units permitted per year
Weather & climate
6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 94°F and January a low of 37°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 42.1 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 42.1" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 37°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 94°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 6 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 37°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, inland flooding and tornado, with cold wave alone responsible for 32% of it. Every one of these is independently rated low or minimal nationally — this describes how a small risk is composed, not a large one.
Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, tornado, heat wave, wildfire, inland flooding, drought, earthquake, avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.
Athens's police department reported 327 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, near the middle of places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 1,040.
Henderson County records 11.6 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.
Firearm deaths of all intents run at 25.5 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.
Drug overdose deaths run at about 11.1 per 100,000 residents in Henderson County.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Offenses are reported to the FBI by Athens’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Athens (Henderson County) rather than Athens itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Cost of living
- Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
6 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Tyler Pounds Rgnl at 27 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 81.9% | Bottom 23%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 27 mi | Bottom 32%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 6 | Top 27%of 4,226 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±5%2024 ACS 5-Year | 14.8% | Bottom 22%of 31,588 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Pounds Rgnl | TYR | 27 mi | 8,334 ft |
| Majors | GVT | 61 mi | 8,030 ft |
| East Texas Rgnl | GGG | 67 mi | 10,000 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyCompare
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Moving to Athens from somewhere else?
You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.
Data & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Safety | Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency | 2025 calendar year |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
ZIP codes in Athens
2 ZIP areasEvery ZIP area in Athens with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Athens closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.
| ZIP | Population | Median household income | Median home value | Area Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75751 | 18,644 | $70,620 | $209,400 | — |
| 75752 | 7,536 | $70,223 | $232,900 | 60 |