In Greene County, Ohio, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in six dollars of the typical household's income
In Greene County, 17.1% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is lower than in 85% of U.S. counties.
Less distressed than 78% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greene County's score
In Greene County, collections and bankruptcy is the highest-scoring part, at 47.3. Income and the safety net is the lowest part, at 20.0. The typical household earns $87,684 a year (2024), more than in 87% 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.
- 47.3 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Biggest factorCredit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector18.8% · August 202534th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people152 · 202560th percentile
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- 39.1 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 202634th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working19.7% · 2020 to 202444th percentile
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- 31.0 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind4.4% · August 202531st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind4.5% · August 202540th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score32.5% · second quarter of 202621st percentile
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- 28.1 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 rent16.8% · 2020 to 202442nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income17.1% · fiscal year 202714th percentile
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- 20.0 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.9% · 202421st percentile
- Children below the poverty line11.1% · 202418th percentile
- People with a disability13.8% · 2020 to 202429th percentile
- People without health insurance4.9% · 2020 to 202417th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$87,684 · 202412th 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, 18.6% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greene County
Ohio
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Greene County, benefit checks' share of income has grown since 1969, reaching 19.1% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about three times as much as benefit checks
In Greene County, Ohio, benefit checks' share of income rose from 1969 to 2024, reaching 19.1%; 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 7.4% in 2010 to 8.5% in 2011.
The share of households in Greene County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen by about a quarter
Low on the chart: 7.0% 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, Ohio.
How Greene County has changed
Greene County's population rose 39% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
Biggest rise: 1989 to 1994, reaching 143,529. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greene County, Ohio.
The number of jobs located in Greene County had its largest rise, from 43,965 in 1995 to 61,010 in 2000.
The number of jobs located in Greene County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 80,454, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 2005 to 2010, reaching 66,929. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greene County, Ohio.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.7% | 2025 4.4% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 7.6% | 2024 9.9% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $34,861 | 2024 $87,684 |
The table uses 4.4% 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
1803
Established March 24, 1803. Wikipedia
1974
Kroehler Furniture factory destroyed 1974. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 did $250 million in property damage and killed 36 people. NOAA Storm Events Database
1989
A tornado in April 1989 did $2.5 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2000
A tornado in September 2000 did $15 million in property damage and killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A tornado in May 2019 did $50 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 167,966, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
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Since 1968
16 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greene County, 4 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greene County beside its neighbors
Of the six counties that border Greene County, five score higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Greene County ranks 6th of the seven; Fayette County is highest, at 30.7%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clark County, OH | 78 | 14.1% | 30.1% |
| Montgomery County, OH | 71 | 14.4% | 23.9% |
| Fayette County, OH | 65 | 12.1% | 30.7% |
| Clinton County, OH | 50 | 11.9% | 26.1% |
| Madison County, OH | 32 | 8.8% | 19.7% |
| Greene County, OH | 21 | 9.9% | 19.1% |
| Warren County, OH | 7 | 6.6% | 12.8% |
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 Ohio?
No, Greene County's poverty rate was 9.9% in 2024, 63rd highest of 88 in Ohio (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Athens County, at 25.3%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greene County ranks 75th of 88 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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Greenpath Financial Wellness
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Aid of Western Ohio (LAWO)
Legal aid
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Ohio Legal Help
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.