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. That is lower than in 74% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 53% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, late payments on loans are the highest-scoring part, at 56.7. Jobs are the lowest part, at 33.0. Unemployment averaged 3.5%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, lower than in 69% 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.
- 56.7 of 100
Late payments
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.4% · August 202548th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.7% · August 202569th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score40.6% · second quarter of 202651st 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
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent20.5% · 2020 to 202464th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income20.2% · fiscal year 202744th percentile
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- 42.1 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line10.5% · 202426th percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.7% · 202421st percentile
- People with a disability15.2% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- People without health insurance10.4% · 2020 to 202468th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$66,286 · 202451st percentile
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- 33.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.5% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202630th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working18.3% · 2020 to 202435th 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, 17.2% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
Missouri
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 22.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Greene County, Missouri, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 22.1%; 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 10.7% in 2010 to 12.0% in 2011.
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2013 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Biggest drop: 2023 to 2024, reaching 10.0%. 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, Missouri.
How Greene County has changed
Greene County's population had its largest rise, from 205,902 in 1989 to 227,337 in 1994.
Greene County's population doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 307,942, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1979 to 1984, reaching 193,063. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greene County, Missouri.
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 179,452, the highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1990 to 1995, reaching 127,557. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greene County, Missouri.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.9% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 13.2% | 2024 10.5% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $24,764 | 2024 $66,286 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 3.5% 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
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
A tornado in April 1983 did $25 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
1991
A tornado in November 1991 did $25 million in property damage and killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2002
Lightning in August 2002 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 298,915, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2026
Hail in April 2026 did $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
Greene County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Greene County, three 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 | 73 | 17.0% | 33.3% |
| Webster County, MO | 48 | 15.0% | 27.3% |
| Polk County, MO | 48 | 15.2% | 29.9% |
| Greene County, MO | 46 | 10.5% | 22.1% |
| Lawrence County, MO | 45 | 12.6% | 30.8% |
| Dade County, MO | 43 | 13.5% | 32.1% |
| Christian County, MO | 16 | 8.0% | 20.5% |
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 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 62nd of 115 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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Cambridge Credit Counseling Corporation - Springfield Branch
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of Southern Missouri
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.