Most of Athens is in Limestone County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $29.29 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 4 ZIP codes in Athens with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $930 to $1,200 a month. At the middle rent, $960, a full-time job would need to pay $29.95 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35611 | Limestone County | $930/mo | $28.97/hr |
| 35612 | Limestone County | $940/mo | $29.29/hr |
| 35613 | Limestone County | $1,200/mo | $38.26/hr |
| 35614 | Limestone County | $980/mo | $30.60/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Athens needs to pay at least $29.29 an hour before taxes, about $60,933 a year. That is the figure for Limestone County, where the typical studio rent is $940 a month.
Yes. Across the 4 ZIP codes in Athens with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $930 to $1,200 a month. At the middle rent of $960, the pay needed would be $29.95 an hour.
The minimum wage in Limestone County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 4.0 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads