In Greene County, Georgia, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in seven dollars of the typical household's income
In Greene County, 14.3% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 98% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 57% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 62.3. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 27.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Greene County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Even so, Greene County is worse off than most counties on people without health insurance (13.9%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 62.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.2% · August 202553rd percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people183.4 · 202570th percentile
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- 52.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line13.6% · 202453rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line22.7% · 202474th percentile
- People with a disability14.4% · 2020 to 202434th percentile
- People without health insurance13.9% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$84,198 · 202415th percentile
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- 46.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working22.1% · 2020 to 202458th percentile
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- 40.2 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20259th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.8% · August 202570th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.8% · second quarter of 202640th percentile
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- 27.1 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent18.6% · 2020 to 202452nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income14.3% · fiscal year 20271st percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; 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 Sep 2026.
Where the money in Greene County comes from
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, 30.9% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
Georgia
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Greene County had its largest rise, from 20.7% in 2004 to 24.7% in 2009.
In Greene County, benefit checks' share of income has risen by about half since 1969, reaching 20.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about one and a half times as much as benefit checks
In Greene County, Georgia, benefit checks' share of income rose by about half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 20.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid fell most sharply on the way to its 2023 low, from 9.4% in 2022 to 6.7% in 2023.
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 6.7% in 2023. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Greene County, Georgia.
How Greene County has changed
Greene County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 18,510 in 2019 to 21,091 in 2024.
Greene County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 21,091, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1984 to 1989, reaching 11,728. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greene County, Georgia.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Greene County nearly doubled to 7,333, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 2020 to 2025, reaching 7,333. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greene County, Georgia.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 6.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 21.7% | 2024 13.6% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $17,676 | 2024 $84,198 |
The table uses 3.9% for 2025; the score uses 3.6% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Greene County's history
1786
Formed on February 3, 1786, from land given by Washington County. Wikipedia
1861
Before the Civil War (1861-65), Greene County was largely given over to cotton plantations, with a well-to-do white population and a large enslaved population. New Georgia Encyclopedia
1920
The county's largest recorded population was the 1920 Census count of 18,972. The 2020 Census counted 18,915, 100% of the peak. Census Bureau
1992
A tornado in November 1992 did $2.5 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in January 1998 did $2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1977
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 2 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greene County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Greene County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Greene County ranks 6th of the seven; Hancock County is highest, at 43.1%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock County, GA | 99 | 30.7% | 43.1% |
| Taliaferro County, GA | 94 | 23.4% | 36.6% |
| Putnam County, GA | 67 | 13.5% | 24.6% |
| Oglethorpe County, GA | 57 | 12.2% | 22.6% |
| Morgan County, GA | 51 | 10.6% | 20.8% |
| Greene County, GA | 42 | 13.6% | 20.7% |
| Oconee County, GA | 1 | 5.7% | 10.8% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 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 Georgia?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 13.6% in 2024, 108th highest of 159 in Georgia (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Calhoun County, at 36.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 145th of 159 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Greene County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Georgia Legal Services Program
Legal aid
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Georgia Legal Aid
Legal help website
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, 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 Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- 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.