City profile · Georgia · Census ACS 2023

Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

126,987
Residents
$51,655
Median income
$271,800
Median home
$1,203
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA

Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) is a city in Georgia with a population of 126,987 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $51,655 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 12.7%. Typical homes in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) are valued around $271,800, and the median resident age is 29.2 years. About 48.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Georgia registers 96.3 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,203 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $225 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) report an average commute of 18.3 minutes, with 72.0% driving alone and 11.9% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.5 out of 100 (Very Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

126,987 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Georgia

Median Household Income

$51,655 /yr

Poverty 12.7%

Cost of Living Index

96.3 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) compare to other US cities?

Where Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 22% higher than other cities
Home value 60% pricier than other cities
Median rent 51% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA — median $51,655/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 48.7%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 12.7%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 59.1%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
126,987
Median Income
$51,655
Median Home Value
$271,800
Median Age
29.2
Poverty Rate
12.7%
Labor force participation
59.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
48.7%

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
18.3 minutes
Drive Alone
72.0%
Carpool
7.8%
Public Transit
2.1%
Walk
4.5%
Work from Home
11.9%
Other
1.7%

Based on 62,216 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Georgia — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$125
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Georgia state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Georgia state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
96.3
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,203/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
39.5 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) compares to nearby Georgia cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)) plus the nearest peer cities in Georgia, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

GA

Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)

51.65% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$51,655
Brackets
127
Selected

GA

South Fulton

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$10,920
Brackets
109
Selected

GA

Sandy Springs

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$10,720
Brackets
107
Selected

GA

Savannah

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$14,750
Brackets
148
Census ACS 5-year FIPS GA OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA?

What is the population of Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA? +

Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA has a population of 126,987 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA? +

The median household income in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) is $51,655 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)? +

Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) has a cost of living index of 96.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA? +

The median home value in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) is $271,800, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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