About two in five adults aged 25 to 54 in Greene County, Mississippi, are not working
In Greene County, 44.7% of adults aged 25 to 54 were not working. That is higher than in 99% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 94% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Unemployment averaged 6.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Late payments on loans come next, at 88.9.
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 does better than most counties on one measure: rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income (19.3%, fiscal year 2027).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year6.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working44.7% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 88.9 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.3% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind9.0% · August 202588th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score56.2% · second quarter of 202691st percentile
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- 86.7 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line22.0% · 202491st percentile
- Children below the poverty line23.1% · 202476th percentile
- People with a disability27.3% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance15.5% · 2020 to 202490th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$56,231 · 202480th percentile
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- 72.1 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector31.3% · August 202577th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people169.1 · 202566th percentile
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- 51.8 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 rent21.3% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income19.3% · fiscal year 202734th 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, 15.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
Mississippi
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Greene County, benefit checks' share of income has doubled since 1969, reaching 33.7% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in nearly twice as much as benefit checks
In Greene County, Mississippi, benefit checks' share of income doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 33.7%; 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 had its largest drop, from 16.8% in 2019 to 12.8% in 2020.
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2016 and has since fallen to 13.7%
Low on the chart: 10.0% in 2021. 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, Mississippi.
How Greene County has changed
Greene County's population had its largest rise, from 11,351 in 1994 to 13,229 in 1999.
Greene County's population rose by more than half from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13,675
High on the chart: 14,449 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greene County, Mississippi.
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 1,987, the highest on the chart, with most of the change between 1990 and 1995
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 1,641. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greene County, Mississippi.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 11.4% | 2025 6.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.1% | 2024 22.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $16,522 | 2024 $56,231 |
The table uses 6.9% for 2025; the score uses 6.5% 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
1811
Established in 1811. Wikipedia
1830
Choctaw people forced to cede lands under Indian Removal Act of 1830. Wikipedia
1860
Cotton cultivation severely limited by sandy soil; only 16 of 213 farmers raised cotton in 1860. Wikipedia
1983
A tornado in March 1983 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1998
A thunderstorm in June 1998 did $1.4 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2010
The county's largest recorded population was the 2010 Census count of 14,400. The 2020 Census counted 13,530, 94% of the peak. Census Bureau
2011
A tornado in April 2011 did $11.1 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1969
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greene County beside its neighbors
Greene County scores higher than all five counties that border it, in Mississippi and Alabama. For the share of income from benefit checks, Greene County ranks 3rd of the six; Perry County is highest, at 38.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greene County, MS | 94 | 22.0% | 33.7% |
| Wayne County, MS | 91 | 21.3% | 32.1% |
| Mobile County, AL | 90 | 16.7% | 27.2% |
| Perry County, MS | 86 | 17.8% | 38.3% |
| George County, MS | 71 | 14.1% | 28.5% |
| Washington County, AL | 66 | 17.8% | 34.9% |
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 Mississippi?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 22.0% in 2024, 25th highest of 82 in Mississippi (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Issaquena County, at 55.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 26th of 82 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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Mississippi Center for Legal Services
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.