About one in 10 people in Greene County, Missouri, lives below the poverty line
In Greene County, 10.5% of people lived below the poverty line (Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024). That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 52% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 60.3. Jobs are the lowest part, at 33.0. Unemployment averaged 3.5%, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, lower than in 69% of U.S. counties.
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 isn't among the worst-off quarter of U.S. counties on any measure.
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.
- 60.3 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, Q4 2025
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score26.5% · Q4 202562nd percentile
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- 55.5 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector24.7% · August 202555th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people138.2 · 202555th percentile
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- 54.1 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 income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
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- 42.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- Children below the poverty line11.7% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,286 · 202451st percentile
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Jobs
Adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey; unemployment through Aug 2026
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.3% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- Unemployment rate, 12-month average3.5% · Sep 2025 to Aug 202630th 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
Missouri
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Greene County in 2024, pay from work was 57 cents of every dollar of income. Income from investments and rentals was 21 cents. Benefit checks were 22 cents. Across the country, pay is 61 cents of the dollar and benefit checks are 18.
Benefit checks have grown from 9 cents of every dollar in 1969, but pay from work still brings in more.
In Greene County, benefit checks rose from 9 to 22 cents of every dollar
Benefit checks and pay from work as shares of all personal income, Greene County, Missouri: 22.1% and 57.4% in 2024. Yearly, 1969–2024.
Use this chart Free to use with credit
The quote: In 2024, benefit checks made up 22.1% of all personal income in Greene County, Missouri (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, 17.2% 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 more than doubled between 1969 and 2024, from 151,813 to 307,942. The number of jobs located there grew by about 65% from 1990 to 2024.
Unemployment fell from 4.9% in 1990 to 3.7% in 2025.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| People living in the countyBEA | 1969 151,813 | 2024 307,942 |
| Jobs located in the countyBLS QCEW | 1990 108,266 | 2024 178,374 |
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household income (not adjusted for prices)Census SAIPE | 1989 $24,764 | 2024 $66,286 |
| Share of income from benefit checksBEA | 1969 9.2% | 2024 22.1% |
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 2020 Census count of 298,915, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
1833
Organized January 2, 1833. Wikipedia
1861
Battle of Wilson's Creek on August 10, 1861 was Confederate victory with Nathaniel Lyon killed. Wikipedia
1861
First Battle of Springfield (Zagonyi's Charge) on October 25, 1861. Wikipedia
1863
Second Battle of Springfield on January 8, 1863. Wikipedia
1983
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, one death. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
Tornado: $25 million in property damage, two deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Lightning: four deaths. NOAA Storm Events Database
2026
Hail: $314.9 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
26 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 18 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
Of the six counties that border Greene County, two score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Greene County ranks 6th of the seven; Dallas County is highest, at 33.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas County, MO | 74 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Webster County, MO | 49 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Greene County, MO | 47 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Polk County, MO | 47 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Dade County, MO | 43 | 13.5% | 32.1% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 43 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Christian County, MO | 17 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 Missouri?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 97th highest of 115 in Missouri (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Dunklin County, at 25.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 59th of 115 in the state.
Greene County in photographs
Places in Greene County from Wikimedia Commons, each captioned in its photographer's own words.
Greene County, Missouri, historic courthouse in Springfield.
Greene County, Missouri: common questions
What is the poverty rate in Greene County, Missouri?
10.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates: about one in 10 people. Among children it was 11.7%.
Is Greene County the poorest county in Missouri?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 10.5% in 2024, 97th highest of 115 in Missouri (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Dunklin County, at 25.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 59th of 115 in the state.
What is the population of Greene County, Missouri?
About 307,942 people in 2024, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis's count. The 2020 Census counted 298,915, the most of any census.
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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Cambridge Credit Counseling Corporation - Springfield Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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The Legal Aid and Defender Association (LAD)
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Counseling to avoid foreclosure is free. Our help directory lists 1,311 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.