Should I Move To
Roughly 126,672 people live in Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), Georgia. Living here costs affordable relative to the rest of the country, 8% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,045/mo; the typical household pulls in $47,798. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 50/100 — a C-, putting it at #495 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) sits at 92 — affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($1,045/mo against $47,798 median household income), housing eats roughly 26% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $242,300.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 89°F in summer, 38°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 50 inches. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods. Crime runs a touch higher than the typical US city — citywide numbers, of course, mask big neighborhood differences. Air quality reads good (AQI 46).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 61/100 (grade C+) on the families profile. Strongest on climate (92/100); weakest on job market (21/100).
For retirees, Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 60/100 (grade C+) on the retirees profile. Strongest on climate (92/100); weakest on job market (21/100).
For remote workers, Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) is workable — not standout, not weak. It earns 60/100 (grade C) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on climate (92/100); weakest on job market (21/100).
For young professionals, Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) isn't the strongest match. It earns 49/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on climate (92/100); weakest on job market (21/100).
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance), Georgia pulls a 50/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade C-), currently ranked #495 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance)'s cost-of-living index is 92 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 8% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,045/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 89°F, winter averages around 38°F, with about 50 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 49/100. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods.
Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) has about 126,672 residents, 48% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 29.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Athens-Clarke County unified government (balance) with other Georgia cities scored on UrbRank.
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