About one in four people in Greer County, Oklahoma, lives below the poverty line
In Greer County, 26.0% of people lived below the poverty line. That is higher than in 96% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 86% of U.S. counties.
What drives Greer County's score
In Greer County, income and the safety net weighs most: the score for income and the safety net is 84.5. Late payments on loans come next, at 80.1.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Greer 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.
Greer County does better than most counties on two measures: renters paying half their income or more in rent (15.2%, 2020 to 2024) and people without health insurance (7.4%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.5 of 100
Income and safety net
Biggest factorPoverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line26.0% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line30.3% · 202492nd percentile
- People with a disability24.2% · 2020 to 202494th percentile
- People without health insurance7.4% · 2020 to 202445th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$47,060 · 2024top 5%
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- 80.1 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind5.6% · August 202551st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind11.3% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a subprime credit score57.7% · second quarter of 202693rd percentile
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- 72.6 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.1% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202653rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working31.6% · 2020 to 202492nd percentile
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- 67.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.4% · August 202584th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people128.1 · 202551st percentile
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- 53.3 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 rent15.2% · 2020 to 202432nd percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.4% · fiscal year 202773rd 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 Greer 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 Greer County, 17.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Greer County
Oklahoma
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
In Greer County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 42.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in only a little more than benefit checks
In Greer County, Oklahoma, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 42.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Greer County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 20.1% in 2019 to 23.6% in 2020.
The share of households in Greer County getting SNAP food aid doubled to 25.4%, the highest on the chart
Low on the chart: 13.4% in 2010. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Greer County, Oklahoma.
How Greer County has changed
Greer County's population fell by about a third to 5,433, the lowest on the chart
Biggest drop: 1969 to 1974, reaching 7,434. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Greer County, Oklahoma.
The number of jobs located in Greer County had its largest drop, from 1,224 in 2015 to 902 in 2020.
The number of jobs located in Greer County was at its highest on the chart in 2000 and has since fallen by about half
High on the chart: 1,626 in 2000. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Greer County, Oklahoma.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 3.6% | 2025 3.7% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 27.4% | 2024 26.0% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $15,752 | 2024 $47,060 |
The table uses 3.7% for 2025; the score uses 4.1% 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 Greer County's history
1930
The county's largest recorded population was the 1930 Census count of 20,282. The 2020 Census counted 5,491, 27% of the peak. Census Bureau
2019
EF2 tornado hit Mangum on May 20, 2019. Wikipedia
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Since 1986
22 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Greer County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Greer County beside its neighbors
Greer County scores higher than all four counties that border it. Of the group, Greer County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (42.5%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greer County, OK | 86 | 26.0% | 42.5% |
| Harmon County, OK | 77 | 24.5% | 28.7% |
| Beckham County, OK | 74 | 20.2% | 29.2% |
| Kiowa County, OK | 73 | 22.2% | 38.4% |
| Jackson County, OK | 54 | 16.4% | 24.7% |
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 Greer County the poorest county in Oklahoma?
No, Greer County's poverty rate was 26.0% in 2024, 2nd highest of 77 in Oklahoma (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Choctaw County, at 26.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Greer County ranks 15th of 77 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Greer 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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Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma
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.
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 Greer County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.