Athens is a city in southern Menard County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,988 at the 2010 census, and 1,921 at a 2018 estimate. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Demographics At the 2000 census there were 1,726 people in 695 households, including 462 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 740 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.26% White, 0.41% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.46% from other races, and 0.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.27%. Of the 695 households 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.5% were non-families. 28.5% of households were one person and 11.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.10. The age distribution was 28.6% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males. The median household income was $41,208 and the median family income was $50,272. Males had a median income of $32,375 versus $24,519 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,981. About 5.4% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over. Recreation Athens is adjacent to the north end of the Sangamon Valley Trail right-of-way. The trail includes a bridge over the Sangamon River and Cantrall Creek. Notable people Jack Brittin, pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies Alice Sudduth Byerly (1855–1904), temperance activist, H. V. Porter, educator and member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Porter was the principal of Athens High School from 1919 to 1927. See also List of municipalities in Illinois References External links Cities in Illinois Cities in Menard County, Illinois Springfield metropolitan area, Illinois