In Greene County, Illinois, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in five dollars of the typical household's income
In Greene County, 18.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 73% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 69% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, jobs are the highest-scoring part, at 59.6. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 23.8. About one in eight renters (12.7%, 2020 to 2024) pays half their income or more in rent, a lower share than in 78% of U.S. counties.
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.
Greene County isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 59.6 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.9% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202648th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working24.5% · 2020 to 202471st percentile
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- 46.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line14.0% · 202456th percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.1% · 202445th percentile
- People with a disability16.8% · 2020 to 202457th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$62,654 · 202461st percentile
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- 38.6 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector17.8% · August 202529th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people121.3 · 202547th percentile
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- 27.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind2.8% · August 20258th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind1.9% · August 20255th or lower percentile
- People with a subprime credit score45.2% · second quarter of 202667th percentile
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- 23.8 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 rent12.7% · 2020 to 202421st percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income18.5% · fiscal year 202726th 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, 20.8% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
Illinois
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Greene County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 29.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Greene County, Illinois, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 29.5%; 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 had its largest rise, from 11.6% in 2013 to 14.7% in 2014.
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2017 and has since fallen to 15.5%
Low on the chart: 9.8% in 2009. 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, Illinois.
How Greene County has changed
Greene County's population had its largest drop, from 13,085 in 2014 to 12,203 in 2019.
Greene County's population fell by about a third to 11,417, the lowest on the chart
High on the chart: 17,142 in 1974. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greene County, Illinois.
The jobs count covers work located in the county; the population count covers residents.
The number of jobs located in Greene County fell by about a quarter to 2,255, the lowest on the chart, with most of the change between 2005 and 2010
High on the chart: 3,004 in 2005. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greene County, Illinois.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.7% | 2025 3.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 15.9% | 2024 14.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $20,190 | 2024 $62,654 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Greene County's history
1821
Established in 1821, carved out of Madison and St. Clair counties, three years after Illinois became a state. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 23,402. The 2020 Census counted 11,985, 51% of the peak. Census Bureau
1983
A tornado in May 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1973
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 14 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greene County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Greene County, four score higher. Of the group, Greene County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (29.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pike County, IL | 46 | 13.5% | 28.1% |
| Macoupin County, IL | 41 | 10.6% | 28.5% |
| Scott County, IL | 33 | 12.0% | 23.2% |
| Morgan County, IL | 32 | 14.1% | 28.4% |
| Greene County, IL | 30 | 14.0% | 29.5% |
| Jersey County, IL | 26 | 9.5% | 25.4% |
| Calhoun County, IL | 15 | 10.0% | 27.3% |
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 Illinois?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 14.0% in 2024, 33rd highest of 102 in Illinois (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Alexander County, at 24.8%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 60th of 102 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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Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
Legal aid
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Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO)
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.