In Greene County, Iowa, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Greene County, 16.0% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 92% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 75% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 57.4. Housing costs are the lowest part, at 16.6.
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.
- 57.4 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.5% · August 202549th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.9% · second quarter of 202652nd percentile
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- 41.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector16.9% · August 202526th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people139.8 · 202556th percentile
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- 37.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line11.3% · 202433rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line16.0% · 202444th percentile
- People with a disability16.6% · 2020 to 202455th percentile
- People without health insurance4.1% · 2020 to 20249th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$69,469 · 202442nd percentile
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- 21.9 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.4% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202622nd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working15.9% · 2020 to 202420th percentile
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- 16.6 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 rent13.8% · 2020 to 202425th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income16.0% · fiscal year 20277th 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, 24.4% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
Iowa
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Greene County rose most in two steps: 11.6% in 1979 to 16.0% in 1984; 19.9% in 2014 to 24.3% in 2019.
In Greene County, benefit checks' share of income has tripled since 1969, reaching 27.2% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in twice as much as benefit checks
In Greene County, Iowa, benefit checks' share of income tripled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 27.2%; 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 8.4% in 2010 to 11.4% in 2011.
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2020 and has since fallen by about half
Low on the chart: 6.1% 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, Iowa.
How Greene County has changed
Greene County's population fell by about a third to 8,662, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1984 to 1989, reaching 10,167. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greene County, Iowa.
The number of jobs located in Greene County had its largest rise, from 3,047 in 2010 to 3,424 in 2015.
The number of jobs located in Greene County was at its highest on the chart in 2015 and is down 8% since
High on the chart: 3,424 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greene County, Iowa.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.1% | 2025 3.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 11.4% | 2024 11.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $22,676 | 2024 $69,469 |
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Greene County's history
1851
Formed January 15, 1851; self-governed from 1854. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 17,820. The 2020 Census counted 8,771, 49% of the peak. Census Bureau
1991
Hail in May 1991 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2021
A tornado in December 2021 did $1.2 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
19 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 10 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greene County beside its neighbors
Greene County scores higher than all six counties that border it. Of the group, Greene County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (27.2%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webster County, IA | 24 | 13.1% | 25.5% |
| Greene County, IA | 24 | 11.3% | 27.2% |
| Guthrie County, IA | 12 | 8.8% | 23.1% |
| Calhoun County, IA | 10 | 13.3% | 25.8% |
| Boone County, IA | 3 | 8.2% | 23.0% |
| Dallas County, IA | 1 | 5.2% | 9.0% |
| Carroll County, IA | 0 | 8.0% | 21.1% |
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 Iowa?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 11.3% in 2024, 40th highest of 99 in Iowa (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Decatur County, at 18.1%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 20th of 99 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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Iowa Legal Aid
Legal aid
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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.