Athens County, Ohio

Athens County is a county in Ohio, United States, in the southeastern part of the state, about
75 miles southeast of Columbus along US Route 33. It had a population of 62,431 at the 2020
census, an estimated 63,197 by 2024, and covers 508 square miles (1,320 km2) centred near
39°20′N 82°03′W.

Athens is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 45701. The
county holds 2 cities, 8 incorporated villages, 2 census-designated places and about 10
unincorporated communities across 14 townships, and it runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is
39009.

Towns & Villages in Athens County

Athens County has 22 named places on record: 2 cities, 8 incorporated villages, 2
census-designated places (CDPs) and roughly 10 unincorporated communities with no local
government of their own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and
rural communities with no formal boundary.

Two places on this list straddle township lines rather than county lines. Athens sits partly in
Athens Township and partly in Canaan Township, and The Plains sits partly in Athens Township and
partly in Dover Township — both are ordinary Ohio township splits, not cross-county
overlaps. Buchtel is the one genuine county straddler: most of the village lies in York Township
here in Athens County, but part of it extends into Ward Township in neighboring Hocking County.

Townships

Athens County has 14 civil townships. Township population totals below include any city or
village population located inside that township, following standard Census Bureau practice for
Ohio county subdivisions.

ZIP Codes

• 45701 — Athens (also covers the Ohio University campus)
• 45780 — The Plains
• 45764 — Nelsonville
• 45732 — Glouster
• 45719 — Chauncey
• 45710 — Albany
• 45716 — Buchtel
• 45723 — Coolville
• 45740 — Jacksonville
• 45782 — Trimble
• 45761 — Millfield
• 45711 — Amesville (also serves 45777, a rural-route ZIP for the same village)
• 45735 — Guysville

Beaumont, Beebe, Burr Oak, Mineral, Modoc, Redtown, Shade, Torch and Utley have no ZIP code of
their own; mail addressed to these unincorporated communities is delivered under the nearest
incorporated town’s code.

Geography

Athens County sits in Ohio’s unglaciated Appalachian Plateau, a region of steep, forested
hills and narrow valleys with little level ground. Of its 508 square miles, 504 are land and 4.8
are water, about one percent — nearly all of it in the Hocking River, which crosses the
county from northwest to southeast. Most of the county drains into the Hocking River watershed,
with smaller areas feeding the Shade River and Raccoon Creek. The Hocking River joins the Ohio
River at the unincorporated village of Hockingport, on the county’s southeastern edge.

Perry County lies to the north, Morgan County to the northeast, Washington County to the east,
Wood County, West Virginia to the southeast across the Ohio River, Meigs County to the south,
Vinton County to the west, and Hocking County to the northwest. Perry County, Morgan County, Washington County, Meigs County, Vinton County and Hocking County all border Athens County
directly; Wood County has no page on this site.

Demographics

Athens County had a population of 62,431 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate puts the
county near 63,197 residents. Athens and Nelsonville are the two largest communities, followed by
the unincorporated CDP of The Plains at 3,140. Median household income for the county was
$56,001 as of 2024 (Data USA), well under Ohio’s statewide median household income of
$67,769 (2023 ACS) — a gap common to counties anchored by a large university population of
students with little independent income. Population density works out to about 120 people per
square mile of land, low for Ohio and typical of the hilly, sparsely settled southeastern
counties.

Economy & Local Life

Ohio University, founded in Athens in 1804 as the first state university in the Northwest
Territory, is the county’s largest employer. Educational services employ about 6,744
county workers, health care and social assistance about 4,507, and accommodation and food
services about 3,006, according to 2024 Data USA figures. O’Bleness Memorial Hospital in
Athens and Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare are major health care employers, and the
headquarters of Wayne National Forest sits between Athens and Nelsonville. Historically the
county’s hill towns — Glouster, Buchtel, Chauncey, Trimble and Millfield — grew
up around Hocking Valley coal mining, salt production and timber, industries that shaped the
county long before the university became its dominant employer. The county’s biggest
annual event is the Ohio Pawpaw Festival, held near Nelsonville each mid-September to celebrate
the harvest of the native pawpaw fruit.

History

Ohio’s General Assembly formed Athens County on 1 March 1805, carving it out of
Washington County. The town and county are named for Athens, Greece, the ancient center of
learning, because Ohio University had already been founded there the year before, in 1804.

On 5 November 1930, an underground explosion at the Sunday Creek Coal Company’s Poston
Mine No. 6 near Millfield killed 82 miners, the deadliest mining disaster in Ohio history. The
blast, touched off by an electrical arc between a fallen trolley wire and a rail 10,200 feet from
the main shaft, left the small mining town of about 1,500 people with 59 widows and 154 orphans.
The disaster prompted Ohio to tighten its mine safety laws the following year.

Getting There

US Route 33 crosses the county on a limited-access expressway alignment through Athens, running
concurrently with US Route 50 and State Route 32 for about three miles near the city. US Route 50
and several state routes also serve the county, but no interstate highway passes through Athens
County.

• Columbus — about 75 miles northwest
• Parkersburg, West Virginia — about 35 miles southeast
• Marietta — about 45 miles east
• Chillicothe — about 45 miles west

Gordon K. Bush Airport, about 12 miles southwest of downtown Athens, handles general aviation
and charter flights for the county. Amtrak’s Cincinnati–Washington, D.C. Shenandoah
service once stopped at Athens station but was discontinued in 1981; the county’s only
current intercity public transit is the GoBus service linking Athens to Columbus, Cincinnati and
Marietta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Athens County located?
It sits in Ohio’s unglaciated Appalachian Plateau in the southeastern part of the state,
about 75 miles southeast of Columbus, bordered by Perry, Morgan, Washington, Meigs, Vinton and
Hocking counties and by Wood County, West Virginia.

What is the population of Athens County?
62,431 at the 2020 census, with an estimate near 63,197 by 2024.

How big is Athens County?
508 square miles (1,320 km2), of which 504 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Athens County?
Athens, home to Ohio University, is the county seat and largest city.

How many towns and villages are in Athens County?
Two cities — Athens and Nelsonville — eight incorporated villages, two
census-designated places, and roughly ten unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes does Athens County use?
45701 for Athens, 45764 for Nelsonville, 45780 for The Plains, and separate codes for each of the
county’s villages, including 45732 for Glouster and 45719 for Chauncey.

What is Athens County known for?
Ohio University, the state’s first, founded in 1804, and the Ohio Pawpaw Festival held each
September near Nelsonville.

More counties in this state: Towns and
villages in Ohio.