Athens County, Ohio Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Athens County, OH Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageHealthier than 74% of counties in Ohio
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D
Income Well below averageLeast wealthy county in Ohio
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C
Education Below averageBetter educated than 82% of counties in Ohio
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Athens County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 61,737 | 11,799,428 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 121.5 | 263.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.65% | 0.23% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 30.6 | 38.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 23,013 | 4,857,236 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Athens County declined by 2.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 61,737 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Athens County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 38.1% of residents. That is 17.2 points above Ohio as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 23,512 38.1% +17.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 10,992 17.8% -3.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 10,500 17.0% -3.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,634 14.0% -4.1 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Ohio, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.5% of the people living in Athens County and men 49.5%.
- Women 50.5% Ohio 50.8%
- Men 49.5% Ohio 49.2%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Athens County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Athens County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Athens County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $55,886 | $71,509 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.39% | 4.38% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.5% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Athens County is about 22% lower than in Ohio.
Housing
| Metric | Athens County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $156,842 | $139,044 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $938 | $1,033 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 60.4% | 67.2% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Athens County is about 13.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $938 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Athens County spend about 35 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 145 hours, about 6.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Athens County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 17.4 | 21.1 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 34.8 | 42.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 145 | 176 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,492 | $5,447 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.1% | 13.0% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,340 | 8,648 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 418 | 1,212 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Ohio:
Hancock County (15.3 min), Van Wert County (15.5 min), Mercer County (16.0 min).
Slowest:
Morgan County (32.5 min), Vinton County (32.0 min), Brown County (32.0 min).
The average commute time in Athens County is 17 minutes, shorter than the 21 minutes in Ohio.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Athens County has a education index of C, which means it is somewhat educated.
| Metric | Athens County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26.3% | 28.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.35 | 2.37 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Ohio:
Delaware County (0.4), Warren County (0.4), Greene County (0.3).
Lowest:
Holmes County (0.1), Vinton County (0.2), Noble County (0.2).
Health
Athens County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Athens County | Ohio Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.9 | 77.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 17.3% | 17.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.8% | 24.3% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Ohio:
Delaware County (0.8), Union County (0.8), Warren County (0.8).
Lowest:
Adams County (0.8), Holmes County (0.8), Scioto County (0.8).
Athens County, OH Compared With Nearby Counties
Athens County, OH is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 61,737 residents against a local median of 27,799. The measure that sets Athens County, OH apart most is commute: 17.4 min, 38% below the local median of 28.1 min. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $156,842 against a local median of $115,517, 36% above it. The counties themselves sit within 4.0 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Athens County, OH, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Athens County, OH has the lowest commute of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens County, OH | 61,737 | $55,886 #3/4 | $156,842 #1/4 | 17.4 min #1/4 |
| Meigs County, OH | 21,896 | $47,026 | $115,517 | 28.1 min |
| Perry County, OH | 35,535 | $68,138 | $150,625 | 30.5 min |
| Hocking County, OH | 27,799 | $63,642 | $38,801 | 26.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Athens County, Ohio.
How big is Athens County, Ohio by population?
About 61,737 people live in Athens County, Ohio, in 23,013 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 30.6, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
Is Athens County, Ohio mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Athens County, Ohio has 122 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Athens County, Ohio?
The median home costs 2.8 times the median household income ($156,842 against $55,886), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $938 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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