In Greene County, Alabama, benefit checks brought in more money than paychecks in 2024
In 2024, 44 cents of every dollar of income here came from a benefit check: Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans' benefits and the like (44.3%, Bureau of Economic Analysis). Across the country it was 18 cents.
More distressed than 99% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, collections and bankruptcy weighs most: the score for collections and bankruptcy is 95.0. About half of people with a credit file (47.7%, August 2025) have unpaid debt sent to a collector, a higher share than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 94.8.
The County Distress Index combines five things we measure for every county: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each gets a score from 0 to 100; the higher the score, the worse off the county is compared with others.
Greene County does better than most counties on one measure: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.0%, 2020 to 2024).
The five parts count equally; together they hold 14 measures. Under each part, a bar shows where Greene County ranks among all 3,144 U.S. counties on that measure, as a percentile: the share of counties it is higher than. A longer bar means more trouble.
- 95.0 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector47.7% · August 202595th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people558.5 · 202595th percentile
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- 94.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind14.6% · August 202595th percentile
- People with a credit card behind9.8% · August 202594th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score50.3% · Q4 202595th percentile
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- 94.4 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working36.9% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average6.1% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202693rd percentile
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- 93.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line51.6% · 202495th percentile
- People with a disability25.2% · 2020 to 202495th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$35,813 · 202495th percentile
- People below the poverty line33.7% · 202495th percentile
- People without health insurance13.7% · 2020 to 202485th percentile
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- 63.2 of 100
Housing costs
HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027; renters, 2020–24 Census survey
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income39.0% · fiscal year 202795th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent15.0% · 2020 to 202431st percentile
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Sources: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and U.S. Census Bureau income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Aug 2026.
Where the money in Greene County comes from
The Bureau of Economic Analysis adds up all the income that reaches the people of a county and splits it three ways: pay from work, income from investments and rent, and benefit checks.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
Alabama
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Greene County in 2024, pay from work was 43 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 13 cents. Benefit checks were 44 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
In 1969, pay was 65 cents of every dollar here and benefit checks were 22 cents. They crossed in 2024.
In Greene County, benefit checks have brought in more than pay since 2024
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Greene County, Alabama: 44.3% and 43.1% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 44.3% of all personal income in Greene County, Alabama (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAINC4).
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Greene County, 25.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally.
How Greene County has changed
The number of people living in Greene County fell by about half between 1969 and 2024, from 13,090 to 7,127. The number of jobs located there fell by about three in 10 from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 11.7% in 1990 to 6.5% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 13,090 | 2024 7,127 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 2,521 | 2024 1,741 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.7% | 2025 6.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 42.2% | 2024 33.7% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $12,303 | 2024 $35,813 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 21.6% | 2024 44.3% |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices. We don't chart the distress score over time because it compares counties at one moment.
Dated events in Greene County's history
Largest decennial census count
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 24,182. The 2020 Census counted 7,730, 32% of the peak. Census Bureau
1819
Established December 13, 1819. Wikipedia
2011
Tornado: $5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2011
Tornado: $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 6 of them for flooding. FEMA
Storms are listed if they did $1 million or more in damage or killed someone.
Greene County beside its neighbors
Greene County scores higher than all five counties that border it. Of the group, Greene County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (44.3%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, AL | 99 | 33.7% | 44.3% |
| Sumter County, AL | 97 | 32.6% | 39.7% |
| Hale County, AL | 96 | 21.0% | 35.7% |
| Marengo County, AL | 92 | 21.6% | 34.2% |
| Pickens County, AL | 92 | 22.0% | 36.2% |
| Tuscaloosa County, AL | 75 | 16.5% | 22.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Aug 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Greene County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 33.7% in 2024, 3rd highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 3rd of 67 in the state.
Greene County in photographs
Places in Greene County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Greene County Courthouse in Eutaw, Ala.
Greene County, Alabama: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Greene County, Alabama?
33.7% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in three people. Among children it was 51.6%.
Is Greene County the poorest county in Alabama?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 33.7% in 2024, 3rd highest of 67 in Alabama (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Bullock County, at 36.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 3rd of 67 in the state.
What is the population of Greene County, Alabama?
About 7,127 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 7,730, 32% of the county's peak of 24,182 in 1900.
How is the County Distress Index calculated?
We rank every U.S. county on 14 federal measures of money trouble, grouped into five equally weighted parts, and average them. The published score is the share of the other 3,143 counties with a lower average. The methodology lists every measure and its source.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Greene County
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-approved housing counselor works at a nonprofit agency approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The counseling to avoid foreclosure is free, and a counselor can help you talk to your mortgage company and understand what it offers, according to the Consumer Financial Protection BureauSourceCFPB.
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Legal Services Alabama
Legal aid
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Alabama State Bar Lawyer Referral Service
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,313 approved agencies by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Greene County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Aug 2026, built from HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; Urban Institute, Debt in America; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. Our methodology
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Greene County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.