Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA

Census Place

2024 Population

127,345

US Senator

Jon Ossoff

Democratic Party

US Senator

Raphael Warnock

Democratic Party

2024 Median Age

29.4

0.685% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

26.5%

0.655% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$52,974

2.55% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

Population & Diversity

Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA is home to a population of 127k people, from which 93.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 10% of Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA residents were born outside of the country (12.8k people).

In 2024, there were 2.09 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (68.5k people) in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA than any other race or ethnicity. There were 32.7k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 6.1k Two Races Including Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

93.2%

2024 Citizenship

93.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 93.2% of Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA was 93.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA

White (Non-Hispanic)
68.5k ± 543
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
32.7k ± 794
Two Races Including Other (Hispanic)
6.1k ± 924

11.9%

Hispanic Population

15.1k people

11.9% of the people in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA are hispanic (15.1k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Georgia.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
232,075 ± 11,701 people
India
112,556 ± 8,194 people
Jamaica
54,537 ± 5,719 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Georgia was Mexico, the natal country of 232,075 Georgia residents, followed by India with 112,556 and Jamaica with 54,537.

Foreign-Born Population

10%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

12.8k people

9.79%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

12.4k people

As of 2024, 10% of Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA residents (12.8k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA was 9.79%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,306 ± 279
Gulf War (2001-)
877 ± 280
Gulf War (1990s)
738 ± 281

Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.49 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA.

Economy

The economy of Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA employs 63.7k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA were Educational Services (14,128 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (7,276 people), and Retail Trade (7,051 people), and the highest paying industries were Public Administration ($59,452), Utilities ($57,076), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($56,748).

Employment

Occupations

63.7k

2024 Value

± 2,281

0.233%

1 Year growth

± 5.09%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA grew at a rate of 0.233%, from 63.6k employees to 63.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA, are Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (8,065 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (6,169 people), and Management Occupations (6,069 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Georgia.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Georgia (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

63.7k

2024 Value

± 2,281

0.233%

1 Year growth

± 5.09%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA grew at a rate of 0.233%, from 63.6k employees to 63.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA, are Educational Services (14,128 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (7,276 people), and Retail Trade (7,051 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA, though some of these residents may live in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$39,063

Median earning men ± $2,850

$30,886

Median earning women ± $1,410

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Public Administration ($65,086), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($52,313), and Construction ($46,409).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($54,500), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($40,746), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($36,150).

Education

The student population of Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 19,413 male students and 28,392 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA are White (10,608 and 68.4%), Black or African American (1,415 and 9.13%), Hispanic or Latino (1,360 and 8.77%), and Asian (1,348 and 8.7%).

The largest universities in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA by number of degrees awarded are University of Georgia (13,837 and 85.7%), Athens Technical College (2,194 and 13.6%), and Georgia Institute of Cosmetology (114 and 0.706%).

The most popular majors in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA are Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (642 and 3.98%), General Psychology (614 and 3.8%), and General Biological Sciences (557 and 3.45%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $10,034 for in-state students and $30,272 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA, the percentage of applicants admitted was 37.7%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 38.3%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 47,805 (40.6% men and 59.4% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 47,805 students enrolled in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA, 40.6% men and 59.4% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 29,573 records, of which 58.9% were women and 41.1% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
614 degrees awarded
General Biological Sciences
557 degrees awarded
General Finance
520 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA was General Psychology with 614 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

University of Georgia
13,837 degrees awarded
Athens Technical College
2,194 degrees awarded
Georgia Institute of Cosmetology
114 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was University of Georgia with 13,837 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 6,375 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA, which is 0.653 times less than the 9,770 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 10,608 degrees mean that there were 7.5 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1,415 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($10,034) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,416) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,002) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA was $299,200 in 2024, which is 0.899 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $271,800 to $299,200, a 10.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA is 40.7%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA have an average commute time of 20.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$299,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$10,931

$21,812

Median Property Taxes

±$1,193

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

40.7%

Homeownership

2024

66.7%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 40.7% of the housing units in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 40.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$52,974

Median Household Income

± $2,410

53.6k

Number of Households

± 2,110

In 2024, the median household income of the 53.6k households in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA grew to $52,974 from the previous year's value of $51,655.

The following chart displays the households in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA is from Georgia.

0.471

2024 Wage GINI in Georgia

0.471

2023 Wage GINI in Georgia

In 2024, the income inequality in Georgia was 0.471 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.104% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Georgia was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Georgia in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Georgia across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (70.2%)
Worked At Home (13.5%)
Carpooled (7.83%)

In 2024, 70.2% of workers in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.5%) and those who carpooled to work (7.83%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

20.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA have a shorter commute time (20.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.49% of the workforce in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

26.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA (31k out of 117k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 18 - 24, followed by Males 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), GA is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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