Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety26#686/924
Economy38#570/925
Housing13#808/925
Health21#733/925
Healthcare3#891/923
Environment29#651/917
Education24#704/925
Infrastructure5#883/925
Community20#743/925
Leisure & amenities13#809/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Athens, TX micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low22.5%
86/100Texas 24.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · low11.1 /100k
75/100Texas 13.4 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Comfortable days · high29.1%
74/100Texas 30.7%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationAggregated from counties
High ozone days · low0 days
71/100Texas 7 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Adult obesity · low35.6%
68/100Texas 37.5%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Property crime rate · low936 /100k
65/100Texas 1,786 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Uninsured residents (under 65) · high21.3%
4/100Texas 19.1%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010
Mental health providers · low71 /100k
6/100Texas 181 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Average commute time · high29.1 min
6/100Texas 26.7 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Homicide rate · high11.6 /100k
6/100Texas 5.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Dentists · low33 /100k
8/100Texas 63 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Life expectancy · low72.1 yrs
9/100Texas 77.2 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
82,400 (2020) → 88,595 (2025)
+7.5%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
21% (2021) → 60% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+39 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Homicide rateWorsening
4.9 /100k (2021) → 11.6 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+137%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
75.0% (2015-2019) → 86.0% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New business applicationsImproving
8.1 /1k (2020) → 12.4 /1k (2025)
+54%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
52.0% (2019) → 43.0% (2023)
−9 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Athens, TX micropolitan area improved on 14 of 31 measures with a comparison and declined on 8. 5 moved within the margin of error and 4 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved14

Commute−2.9 min32.1 min → 29.1 min
High school++4.6 points83.5% → 88.1%
Pharmacies+18%1.3 /10k → 1.6 /10k
Household income+38%$47,355 → $65,179
Suicides−24%29.1 /100k → 22.1 /100k

Declined8

Homicides+68%6.9 /100k → 11.6 /100k
Price / income+1.0×2.3× → 3.2×
Arts & recreation−15%2.9 /10k → 2.5 /10k
Gyms−32%1.3 /10k → 0.9 /10k
Firearm deaths+24%20.6 /100k → 25.5 /100k

All 31 measures

Change of every measure of Athens, TX micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.9 /10k2020	2.5 /10k2025	−15%	Declined	9%
Average commute time	32.1 min2015-2019	29.1 min2020-2024	−2.9 min	Improved	99%
Average weekly wage	$7802020	$1,0052025	+29%	Improved	89%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.3%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Improved	63%
Broadband subscriptions	75.0%2015-2019	86.0%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	71%
Child poverty rate	27.1%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	−6.4 points	Improved	86%
Distance to an airport	70 mi2020	70 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	12.1 /100k2020	11.1 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−8.3%	Improved	34%
Effective property tax rate	1.20%2015-2019	0.98%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	79%
Firearm deaths	20.6 /100k2020	25.5 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+24%	Declined	22%
Grocery stores	1.1 /10k2020	1.0 /10k2025	−7%	Declined	29%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.3 /10k2020	0.9 /10k2025	−32%	Declined	11%
High school diploma or higher	83.5%2015-2019	88.1%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Improved	94%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	3.2×2020-2024	+1.0×	Declined	13%
Homicide rate	6.9 /100k2020	11.6 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+68%	Declined	3%
Income adjusted for local prices	$47,1832019	$62,5952024	+33%	Improved	57%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4702015-2019	0.4552020-2024	−0.015	Within the margin of error	84%
Median household income	$47,3552015-2019	$65,1792020-2024	+38%	Improved	91%
New business applications	8.1 /1k2020	12.4 /1k2025	+54%	Improved	62%
Pharmacies	1.3 /10k2020	1.6 /10k2025	+18%	Improved	94%
Poverty rate	17.1%2015-2019	14.7%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Property crime rate	1,083 /100k2020	936 /100k2025	−14%	Improved	15%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	−5.4%	Declined	23%
Rent as share of income	29.3%2015-2019	32.1%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Rent-burdened households	48.6%2015-2019	54.0%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Restaurants and bars	6.6 /10k2020	6.5 /10k2025	−0.1%	Little change	45%
Suicide rate	29.1 /100k2020	22.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−24%	Improved	89%
Traffic deaths	20.5 /100k2015-2019	24.0 /100k2020-2024	+17%	Declined	31%
Unemployment rate	7.2%2020	4.5%2025	−2.7 points	Improved	42%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	22.7%2015-2019	21.3%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Violent crime rate	235 /100k2020	231 /100k2025	−1.7%	Little change	28%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 925 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Metro and micro areas like Athens, TX micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Athens, TX micropolitan area in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Athens, TX micropolitan area itself moved −3.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

84,862 residents

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

33,575 households (±572)

Athens, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k19%6,227
$25k–50k20%6,836
$50k–75k17%5,860

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

33,575 households (±572)

Athens, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Own78%26,126
Rent22%7,449

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.6 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

34,672 workers (±918)

Athens, TX micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone76%26,503
Carpool12%3,999
Public transit0.2%†54

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes no occupation wages for Athens, TX micropolitan area.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

Athens, TX has 1,521 employer establishments, 176 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248), with 15,622 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,189. The Census Bureau also counts 8,105 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,521; 8,105 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 176; US 248
Paid employees: 15,622
Average annual pay: $42,189; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Athens, TX by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	152	17.6	0.96×About typical	2,292	$19,282	62
Specialty trade contractors	124	14.4	0.93×About typical	769	$54,250	1,063
Ambulatory health care services	82	9.5	0.46×Fewer than typical	832	$56,331	213
Religious organizations	73	8.5	1.52×More than typical	516	$20,731	—
Limited-service restaurants	68	7.9	0.98×About typical	1,332	$17,522	21
Full-service restaurants	66	7.6	0.99×About typical	884	$22,000	23
Lessors of real estate	58	6.7	0.55×Fewer than typical	146	$39,164	555
Construction of buildings	55	6.4	0.84×About typical	215	$60,558	535
Building equipment contractors	54	6.3	1.04×About typical	376	$57,356	210
Automotive repair and maintenance	37	4.3	0.85×About typical	192	$43,089	176
Gasoline stations	36	4.2	1.29×More than typical	299	$20,000	7
General merchandise stores	36	4.2	2.36×More than typical	837	$31,413	68

Rank places for an industry

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 86,371 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $0 on contracts performed in Athens, TX micropolitan area: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

391.5KFY2017
82.6KFY2018
13.8KFY2019
146.4KFY2020
6.9KFY2021
81KFY2022
72.6KFY2023
154.1KFY2024
8.5KFY2025

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $618.7M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Athens, TX micropolitan area: $6,983 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $618.7M; −2.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,983; US $12,955
Loan face value: $33.8M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$414.3M67%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$58.1M9.4%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$50.6M8.2%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$43.3M7.0%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$18.7M3.0%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$11.8M1.9%
64.110 · Veterans Dependency and Indemnity Compensation for Service-Connected Death$4.2M0.7%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$2.4M0.4%

Top recipients (organizations)

TRINITY VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE$12M1.9%
ATHENS, TX
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$1.9M0.3%
AUSTIN, TX
ATHENS HOUSING AUTHORITY$1.4M0.2%
ATHENS, TX
WH ANTELOPE LLC$1.1M0.2%
ATHENS, TX
EAST TEXAS COMMUNITY CLINIC INC$650K

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$526.9M85%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$66.3M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$12.1M2.0%
Railroad Retirement Board$2.4M0.4%
Federal Highway Administration$1.9M0.3%

Assistance by fiscal year

514.4MFY2021
525.4MFY2022
557.3MFY2023
587.1MFY2024
632.7MFY2025
618.7MFY2026

County aggregates

96%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Athens, TX

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Henderson CountyCentral county1888,595

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

AthensPrincipal city13,200

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Areas based in Texas, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M11980

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved14

Declined8

Metro and micro areas like Athens, TX micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Athens, TX

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Texas

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved14

Declined8

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type