Jobs, pay and daily life in Athens, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Athens is a city in Tennessee with 14,471 residents. The median household earns $53,929 a year and the median rent is $846 a month, which is 18.8% of the median household income. The nearest metropolitan area with BLS wage data is Cleveland, TN (43,010 jobs), about 24 miles away; this place is probably not part of it, so its pay tables are a reference only.
How Athens compares. Among the 80 largest places in Tennessee, Athens is #43 by population, #72 for remote work (#1 = most), #15 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #57 for household income (#1 = highest). Its county, McMinn County, is #47 of 95 counties for average pay ($50,929).
Athens has 14,471 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of Tennessee. It covers 16 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 930 people per square mile. The median age is 39.0, about the same as the state median (39.0 against 38.9).
The median gross rent is $846 a month (rent plus utilities), 29% below the state median ($846 against $1,189). Over a year that is 18.8% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $225,000, which is 4.2 times the median household income ($53,929). 59.9% of households own their home, 10% below the state average (59.9% against 66.9%).
The nearest metropolitan area with wage data is Cleveland, TN, metropolitan area has 43,010 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $40,230 a year, 21% below the national median ($40,230 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are transportation and material moving (5,360 jobs, median $38,460); production (5,090 jobs, median $39,610); office and administrative support (5,040 jobs, median $40,700). The area is most specialised in production (2.1 times) and transportation and material moving (1.4 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are office and administrative support ($40,700) and production ($39,610). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of McMinn County was 4.2%. 58.4% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in McMinn County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 81.9% drive alone, 0.0% use public transit, 2.4% walk, 4.9% work from home. 15.9% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 5% above the state average (15.9% against 15.2%).
23.2% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 25% below the state share (23.2% against 31.1%). 4.0% of residents were born outside the United States, 34% below the state share (4.0% against 6.1%). The poverty rate is 17.0%, 24% above the state rate (17.0% against 13.8%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 78°F (25.7°C), and the coolest is Jan at 38°F (3.1°C). About 1,383 mm (54 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (137 mm) and Oct the driest (88 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Cleveland (24 miles, rent 22% higher); Lenoir City (31 miles, rent 10% higher); Soddy-Daisy (35 miles, rent 24% higher); Collegedale (37 miles, rent 87% higher). Rent differences are against Athens; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Tennessee (395) →State guide: TennesseeCountry guideMcMinn CountyTennessee rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 395 federal postings open in Tennessee (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Tennessee →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,900 | 2.33 | $38,460 | $30,210 | $44,850 | -4% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,830 | 1.72 | $26,140 | $21,580 | $31,750 | -16% |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,230 | 1.14 | $32,160 | $23,570 | $45,630 | -9% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,100 | 2.83 | $44,110 | $31,000 | $47,600 | -1% |
| Cashiers | 1,000 | 1.17 | $27,140 | $20,800 | $33,680 | -17% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 990 | 1.26 | $32,870 | $29,480 | $41,090 | -12% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 970 | 1.70 | $49,250 | $36,850 | $77,850 | -16% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 720 | 1.15 | $23,300 | $15,080 | $45,660 | -34% |
| General and Operations Managers | 690 | 0.71 | $92,800 | $41,810 | $212,760 | -12% |
| Office Clerks, General | 630 | 0.92 | $36,100 | $24,830 | $54,870 | -20% |
| Registered Nurses | 630 | 0.67 | $72,800 | $56,220 | $79,730 | -25% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 600 | 1.52 | $59,190 | $38,310 | $95,480 | -15% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 590 | 0.83 | $37,600 | $28,230 | $55,380 | -16% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 540 | 0.45 | $31,620 | $26,850 | $33,330 | -12% |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 510 | 1.92 | $38,580 | $30,560 | $53,240 | -16% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 500 | 1.49 | $36,580 | $27,930 | $58,730 | -17% |
| Production Workers, All Other | 500 | 7.22 | $38,010 | $30,000 | $48,670 | -5% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 450 | 1.07 | $45,830 | $29,110 | $64,620 | -8% |
| Nursing Assistants | 440 | 1.10 | $37,130 | $30,400 | $37,920 | -12% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | 430 | 2.29 | $58,120 | $35,880 | $97,630 | -22% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 690 | 0.71 | $92,800 | $41,810 | $212,760 | -12% |
| Registered Nurses | 630 | 0.67 | $72,800 | $56,220 | $79,730 | -25% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 600 | 1.52 | $59,190 | $38,310 | $95,480 | -15% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 970 | 1.70 | $49,250 | $36,850 | $77,850 | -16% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 1,100 | 2.83 | $44,110 | $31,000 | $47,600 | -1% |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 510 | 1.92 | $38,580 | $30,560 | $53,240 | -16% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 1,900 | 2.33 | $38,460 | $30,210 | $44,850 | -4% |
| Production Workers, All Other | 500 | 7.22 | $38,010 | $30,000 | $48,670 | -5% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 590 | 0.83 | $37,600 | $28,230 | $55,380 | -16% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 500 | 1.49 | $36,580 | $27,930 | $58,730 | -17% |
| Office Clerks, General | 630 | 0.92 | $36,100 | $24,830 | $54,870 | -20% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 990 | 1.26 | $32,870 | $29,480 | $41,090 | -12% |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,230 | 1.14 | $32,160 | $23,570 | $45,630 | -9% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 540 | 0.45 | $31,620 | $26,850 | $33,330 | -12% |
| Cashiers | 1,000 | 1.17 | $27,140 | $20,800 | $33,680 | -17% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,830 | 1.72 | $26,140 | $21,580 | $31,750 | -16% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 720 | 1.15 | $23,300 | $15,080 | $45,660 | -34% |
These figures are for the nearest metropolitan area with wage data, Cleveland, TN, about 24 miles away. They show what the regional labour market pays; they are not a measure of this city.
| Occupation field ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation and Material Moving | 5,360 | 1.42 | $38,460 | -13% |
| Production | 5,090 | 2.15 | $39,610 | -16% |
| Office and Administrative Support | 5,040 | 1.03 | $40,700 | -14% |
| Food Preparation and Serving Related | 4,890 | 1.29 | $26,760 | -24% |
| Sales and Related | 3,790 | 1.02 | $33,390 | -13% |
| Educational Instruction and Library | 2,550 | 1.01 | $59,330 | -2% |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical | 2,310 | 0.85 | $72,680 | -16% |
| Management | 2,300 | 0.75 | $99,480 | -21% |
| Installation, Maintenance, and Repair | 1,900 | 1.13 | $50,280 | -16% |
| Healthcare Support | 1,590 | 0.73 | $35,740 | -7% |
| Construction and Extraction | 1,520 | 0.86 | $47,470 | -20% |
| Business and Financial Operations | 1,460 | 0.50 | $63,760 | -23% |
| Personal Care and Service | 1,030 | 1.14 | $28,620 | -21% |
| Protective Service | 710 | 0.68 | $44,790 | -11% |
| Community and Social Service | 570 | 0.77 | $50,660 | -13% |
| Computer and Mathematical | 520 | 0.36 | $75,360 | -31% |
| Architecture and Engineering | 420 | 0.59 | $81,580 | -18% |
| Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media | 280 | 0.49 | $43,750 | -30% |
| Life, Physical, and Social Science | 240 | 0.59 | $59,800 | -28% |
| Legal | 130 | 0.37 | $77,880 | -24% |
Median pay across all occupations: $40,230 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 26.4% |
| Education and health care | 17.9% |
| Retail trade | 13.8% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 9.6% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 6.8% |
| Other services | 6.7% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 5.3% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 4.4% |
| Construction | 3.0% |
| Public administration | 2.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.2% |
| Information | 1.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.3% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Athens lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McMinn County | 54,884 | $2,685 million | $48,923 | 17,207 | 1,098 | $50,929 | -1.5% | 4.2% | 20,684 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 5,160 | 34.6% | $68,405 | 3.65 |
| Retail trade | 2,264 | 15.2% | $31,901 | 1.32 |
| Health care and social assistance | 2,031 | 13.6% | $51,290 | 0.82 |
| Accommodation and food services | 1,560 | 10.5% | $19,426 | 1.00 |
| Administrative and waste services | 839 | 5.6% | $42,578 | 0.83 |
| Construction | 621 | 4.2% | $70,789 | 0.69 |
| Finance and insurance | 522 | 3.5% | $72,290 | 0.75 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 398 | 2.7% | $55,128 | 0.55 |
| Wholesale trade | 360 | 2.4% | $56,759 | 0.53 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 307 | 2.1% | $37,405 | 0.59 |
| Educational services | 285 | 1.9% | $37,583 | 0.80 |
| Professional and technical services | 237 | 1.6% | $55,636 | 0.20 |
| Real estate and rental | 139 | 0.9% | $35,208 | 0.52 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 111 | 0.7% | $20,924 | 0.38 |
| Information | 55 | 0.4% | $62,961 | 0.17 |
| Management of companies | 12 | 0.1% | $62,208 | 0.04 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 81.9% |
| Public transit | 0.0% |
| Walk | 2.4% |
| Work from home | 4.9% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 15.9% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $53,929 |
| Income per person | $31,458 |
| Median gross rent per month | $846 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 18.8% |
| Median home value | $225,000 |
| Homeowners | 59.9% |
| Poverty rate | 17.0% |
| Price level of the nearest metro area (US = 100) | 88.1 |
| Nearest metro median pay, all occupations | $40,230 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: No state tax on wages.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 39.0 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 87.7% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 23.2% |
| Born abroad | 4.0% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 58.4% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3.1 | 38 | 114 |
| Feb | 5.2 | 41 | 127 |
| Mar | 9.7 | 49 | 115 |
| Apr | 14.8 | 59 | 123 |
| May | 19.5 | 67 | 114 |
| Jun | 23.9 | 75 | 110 |
| Jul | 25.7 | 78 | 137 |
| Aug | 25.4 | 78 | 96 |
| Sep | 21.9 | 71 | 111 |
| Oct | 15.6 | 60 | 88 |
| Nov | 9.2 | 49 | 111 |
| Dec | 5.1 | 41 | 137 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | TN | 24 mi | 48,829 | $58,559 | $1,034 |
| Lenoir City | TN | 31 mi | 11,110 | $67,259 | $932 |
| Soddy-Daisy | TN | 35 mi | 13,231 | $75,113 | $1,047 |
| Collegedale | TN | 37 mi | 11,330 | $70,246 | $1,581 |
| Farragut | TN | 38 mi | 24,634 | $142,093 | $1,966 |
| Middle Valley | TN | 38 mi | 12,187 | $95,000 | $1,180 |
| Harrison | TN | 38 mi | 8,011 | $89,395 | $1,216 |
| Oak Ridge | TN | 39 mi | 32,693 | $72,311 | $1,131 |
| Maryville | TN | 40 mi | 32,392 | $81,963 | $1,157 |
| Fairfield Glade | TN | 41 mi | 9,487 | $71,682 | $1,310 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
14,471 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$846 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 18.8% of the median household income.
$53,929 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
4.2% (BLS county, McMinn County (latest month 2026M09)).
Tennessee. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.