Town · Maine
Athens, Maine
Athens, town, in Somerset County, Maine. Athens had 955 residents on July 1, 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 0.1% since 2020; the 2020 Census counted 952 and the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates put it at 791 (±142). GEOID 2302501885.
Residents, July 2025 estimate
955
Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 952 · ACS 2020-2024: 791 ±142
Median household income
$50,750
±$13,996 (90% margin)
Maine: $74,733
Median home value
$153,100
±$33,158 (90% margin)
Maine: $296,600
Median gross rent
$538
±$457 (90% margin)
Maine: $1,139
Where is Athens and what county is it in?
Athens is a town in Somerset County, Maine. It covers 43.6 square miles of land, 22 residents per square mile in 2020.
Source: 2024 Gazetteer and 2020 place-by-county files, U.S. Census Bureau · Census reference files
How many people live in Athens, and is it growing?
The Census Bureau estimates that 955 people lived in Athens on July 1, 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, while Maine grew 3.8%. The 2020 Census counted 952 residents. The 2020-2024 American Community Survey, a five-year sample, puts the population at 791 (±142).
| Measure | Athens | Somerset County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population | 791±142 | 50,959 | no clear change |
| Households | 314±49 | 23,209 | no clear change |
| Average household size | 2.43±0.31 | 2.16 | no clear change |
| Housing units | 502±61 | 30,137 | no clear change |
Athens's population since 2000
From 847 in 2000 to 955 in 2025: up 12.8%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts, each for Athens as it was drawn that year: a place that annexed land, or a community that has since incorporated, covered a different area then. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.
Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); Census PEP Vintage 2025 (SUB-EST2025, CO-EST2025); 2020 Census P.L. 94-171 · Check it at data.census.gov
Who lives in Athens?
The median resident of Athens is 47.7 years old; 21.7% are under 18 and 24.4% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 92.5%, then non-Hispanic residents of two or more races at 6.4%.
| Measure | Athens | Somerset County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.7±7.2 | 47.0 | no clear change |
| Under 18 years | 21.7%±5.7 pts | 18.4% | – |
| 65 years and over | 24.4%±6.4 pts | 23.0% | – |
| Male | 47.3%±4.8 pts | 49.8% | – |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.5%±0.9 pts | 1.5% | – |
| White alone, not Hispanic | 92.5%±5.1 pts | 93.8% | −5.6 pts |
| Black or African American alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±3.4 pts | 0.5% | – |
| Asian alone, not Hispanic | 0.1%±0.2 pts | 0.4% | – |
| American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic | 0.4%±0.9 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±3.4 pts | 0.0% | – |
| Two or more races, not Hispanic | 6.4%±4.8 pts | 3.4% | – |
| Some other race alone, not Hispanic | 0.0%±3.4 pts | 0.2% | – |
| Born outside the United States | 0.4%±0.7 pts | 1.5% | – |
| Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+) | 0.6%±0.6 pts | 2.2% | – |
| Civilian veterans (age 18+) | 7.3%±3.2 pts | 10.7% | – |
| With a disability | 22.2%±5.9 pts | 19.4% | – |
| No health insurance coverage | 7.5%±4.0 pts | 7.5% | no clear change |
| High school graduate or higher (age 25+) | 86.6%±5.8 pts | 93.2% | – |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+) | 17.7%±5.2 pts | 21.1% | no clear change |
| Graduate or professional degree (age 25+) | 3.2%±2.1 pts | 5.8% | – |
| Lived in the same house a year earlier | 96.9%±2.6 pts | 88.9% | – |
| Moved from another state in the past year | 0.6%±0.8 pts | 2.1% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov
What do households in Athens earn?
Half of Athens's 314 households earn less than $50,750 a year (±$13,996), against $58,179 in Somerset County and $74,733 in Maine. In 2015-2019 it was $45,931 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 23.3% of residents live below the poverty line.
| Measure | Athens | Somerset County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,750±$13,996 | $58,179 | no clear change |
| Mean household income | $66,837±$13,209 | $76,305 | – |
| Per capita income | $27,595±$5,002 | $34,433 | +$7,237 |
| People below the poverty line | 23.3%±6.7 pts | 14.2% | no clear change |
| Children under 18 below the poverty line | 15.7%±12.7 pts | 14.8% | – |
| Households receiving SNAP | 18.5%±6.2 pts | 17.7% | – |
| Households with a computer | 87.9%±5.2 pts | 93.0% | – |
| Households with a broadband subscription | 79.6%±6.6 pts | 86.3% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What does housing cost in Athens?
Owners occupy 94.6% of Athens's occupied homes and renters 5.4%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $153,100 by its owner (±$33,158).
| Measure | Athens | Somerset County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $153,100±$33,158 | $166,900 | no clear change |
| Median gross rent | $538±$457 | $910 | – |
| Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent | 100.0%±78.7 pts | 34.8% | – |
| Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage | $1,135±$166 | $1,299 | – |
| Owner-occupied homes | 94.6%±3.3 pts | 77.4% | +7.8 pts |
| Renter-occupied homes | 5.4%±3.3 pts | 22.6% | – |
| Housing units | 502±61 | 30,137 | no clear change |
| Homeowner vacancy rate | 2.9%±4.2 pts | 0.3% | – |
| Rental vacancy rate | 0.0%±66.2 pts | 2.3% | – |
| Single-family detached homes | 74.3%±7.1 pts | 75.8% | – |
| Mobile homes | 23.1%±7.2 pts | 14.7% | – |
| Built 2020 or later | 0.0%±5.3 pts | 0.8% | – |
| Built 2010 to 2019 | 7.2%±4.2 pts | 6.1% | – |
| Built 1939 or earlier | 22.9%±6.4 pts | 21.4% | – |
| Households with no vehicle | 8.0%±3.4 pts | 5.8% | – |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov
How do people in Athens work and get to work?
83.8% of Athens's workers drive alone. The average trip to work takes 29.1 minutes.
| Measure | Athens | Somerset County | Change since 2015-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| In the labor force (age 16+) | 44.7%±6.1 pts | 55.7% | – |
| Unemployment rate | 4.2%±4.2 pts | 3.5% | – |
| Drove alone to work | 83.8%±6.7 pts | 76.5% | – |
| Carpooled | 4.3%±2.8 pts | 8.4% | – |
| Public transportation | 0.0%±9.4 pts | 0.1% | – |
| Walked | 3.6%±2.4 pts | 3.0% | – |
| Worked from home | 6.1%±4.3 pts | 11.0% | – |
| Mean travel time to work | 29.1 min±7.0 | 28.0 min | no clear change |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov
What census tracts are in Athens?
No census tract lies mostly in Athens; 1 tract reaches into it (2020 census blocks).
| Tract | Residents, 2020-2024 | Median household income |
|---|---|---|
| Tract 9656Somerset County | 1,863 | $53,854 |
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 block assignment files (tract share = share of the tract's census blocks in Athens) · Census block assignment files
How does Athens compare with other places in Maine?
By the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimates, Athens is the 7,834th-most populous of the 16,079 U.S. towns and townships that have one and the 261st-most populous of 454 in Maine.
Athens is not ranked by income or the other survey measures: those rankings include places of 1,000 or more residents (2020 Census) with a reliable estimate.
| Measure | Rank | Of |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 261st | 454 |
Athens's figures with every place in Maine (CSV)
Every place in Maine, sortable · Compare Athens with other places
Source: PlainCities ranks computed from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed
How reliable are the figures for Athens?
20 of the 57 figures for Athens on this page carry a coefficient of variation over 40% and are marked with a ring: they come from a small sample, so read them as rough.
The American Community Survey samples about one household in eight over five years, so every figure is an estimate with a 90% margin of error (shown under each value). A ring marks an estimate whose coefficient of variation is over 40%. A change is called only when the gap between the two periods is larger than their combined 90% margin (the square root of the sum of the two squared margins), the Census Bureau's test. How to read a margin of error.
Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026): margins of error as published · ACS technical documentation
How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections
Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Athens are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.