Greene County is located in the southwest part of the U.S. state of Missouri. As of the 2020 census, its population was 298,915. making it the fourth most-populous county in Missouri and the most populous outside the Kansas City or Saint Louis metropolitan areas.
Its county seat and most-populous city is Springfield. The county was organized in 1833 and is named after American Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. Greene County is included in the Springfield metropolitan area. It is in the area of the Ozark Mountains and foothills.
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.
Adjacent counties Polk County (north) Dallas County (northeast) Webster County (east) Christian County (south) Lawrence County (southwest) Dade County (northwest)
National protected area Wilson's Creek National Battlefield
Demographics
2020 census As of the 2020 census, Greene County had a population of 298,915, a median age of 36.8 years, 20.6% of residents under the age of 18, and 17.1% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.7 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 83.9% White, 3.4% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.7% from some other race, and 8.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 4.8% of the population.
85.9% of residents lived in urban areas, while 14.1% lived in rural areas.
There were 126,028 households in the county, of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 29.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 136,450 housing units, of which 7.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 56.0% were owner-occupied and 44.0% were renter-occupied, with a homeowner vacancy rate of 1.6% and a rental vacancy rate of 8.2%.
Racial and ethnic composition +Greene County, Missouri – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010 Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020White alone (NH)179,112199,639222,447246,378246,36896.66%96.00%92.54%89.54%82.42%Black or African American alone (NH)2,9853,7125,3227,7389,9871.61%1.79%2.21%2.81%3.34%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)9321,2381,5131,6671,7350.50%0.60%0.63%0.61%0.58%Asian alone (NH)8111,4852,6814,4896,1820.44%0.71%1.12%1.63%2.07%Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)x included in the Asian category in the 1980 Censusx included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census136291375xx0.06%0.11%0.13%Other race alone (NH)2071002722081,1010.11%0.05%0.11%0.08%0.37%Mixed-race or multiracial (NH)x not an option in the 1980 Censusx not an option in the 1990 Census3,5866,19618,775xx1.49%2.25%6.28%Hispanic or Latino (any race)1,2551,7754,4348,20714,3920.68%0.85%1.84%2.98%4.81%Total185,302207,949240,391275,174298,915 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%
2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 240,391 people, 97,859 households, and 61,846 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 104,517 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.54% White, 2.26% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Approximately 1.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 97,859 households, out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.00% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.80% were non-families. 29.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.30% under the age of 18, 13.80% from 18 to 24, 28.60% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,185, and the median income for a family was $56,047. Males had a median income of $30,672 versus $21,987 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,770. About 7.60% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over.
There were 190,417 registered voters in Greene County.
Emergency services Republic and Springfield have city fire departments. Additionally, the county is served by the following fire districts:
Ash Grove Battlefield Billings Bois D'arc Brookline Ebenezer Fair Grove Logan-Rogersville Strafford Walnut Grove West Republic Willard
Law enforcement is provided by the Greene County Sheriff's Office. The current sheriff is Jim C. Arnott.
Government and politics Political culture Like most counties situated in Southwest Missouri, Greene County has long been a Republican stronghold. In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump carried Greene County by a margin of 60% to 33%. It is exceptionally Republican for an urban and suburban county.
The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Greene County was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
In 2004, state residents voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman. This passed Greene County with 72.04 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters; Missouri became the first state to ban same-sex marriage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to fund and legalize embryonic stem cell research in the state—it narrowly failed in Greene County with 51.62 percent voting against the measure. The initiative narrowly passed the state with 51 percent of support from voters as Missouri became one of the first states in the nation to approve embryonic stem cell research.
Despite Greene County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing populist causes, such as increasing the minimum wage. In 2006, Missourians voted on a proposition (Proposition B) to increase the minimum wage in the state to $6.50 an hour—it passed Greene County with 74.41 percent of the vote. The proposition strongly passed every single county in Missouri, with 78.99 percent voting in favor as the minimum wage was increased to $6.50 an hour in the state. During the same election, voters in five other states also strongly approved increases in the minimum wage. In 2020, Greene County was one of only eight counties in Missouri and the only one outside St. Louis, Kansas City, and Columbia to vote yes on Amendment 2 to expand Medicaid. Its voters recognized they could be helped by such expansion; the measure passed Greene County with 52.3 percent of the vote and statewide with 53.3 percent.
Republicans hold all county-level elected offices. However, the county has been known to support Democrats in statewide races. Mel Carnahan carried the county in both of his runs for governor, as did Jay Nixon. In 2000, Bob Holden's victory in the county provided the margin that allowed him to defeat Jim Talent statewide.
Local The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Greene County.
State Gubernatorial + Past gubernatorial election results Year Republican Democratic Third parties202458.96% 84,41839.07% 55,9381.97% 2,833202059.72% 84,58237.79% 53,5192.49% 3,523201656.77% 73,60137.76% 51,2013.72% 4,841201247.62% 59,66049.46% 61,9702.92% 3,659200842.84% 57,56554.45% 73,1642.71% 3,641200461.45% 76,64537.25% 46,4701.30% 1,621200053.57% 54,77044.61% 45,6121.82% 1,861199651.63% 49,99145.08% 43,6463.29% 3,189
Missouri House of Representatives Greene County is divided into eight legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives; six of which are held by Republicans and two Democratic seats. District 130 — Bishop DavidsonBishop Davidson (R-Springfield). The district includes the northern part of the city of Springfield and the rural area of north-central Greene County.
District 131 — Bill OwenBill Owen (R-Springfield). The district includes the northern part of the city of Springfield and the rural area of north-central Greene County.
District 132 — Crystal QuadeCrystal Quade (D-Springfield). The district is based entirely in the city of Springfield.
District 133 — Curtis TrentCurtis Trent (R-Springfield). The district includes Battlefield and part of the city of Springfield.
District 134 — Alex RileyAlex Riley (R-Springfield). The district includes part of the city of Springfield.
District 135 — Betsy FogleBetsy Fogle (D-Springfield). The district exists entirely within the city of Springfield.
District 136 — Craig FishelCraig Fishel (R-Springfield). The district includes parts of the city of Springfield and some rural areas southeast of the city.
District 137 — John BlackJohn Black (R-Marshfield). The district includes the communities of Fair Grove, Rogersville, and Strafford, as well as a large portion of Webster County.
Missouri Senate Greene County is divided into two districts in the Missouri Senate, both represented by Republicans: District 20, representing large parts of Greene and Christian County; and District 30, mostly representing the city of Springfield.
Federal US Senate
US House of Representatives All of Greene County is included in Missouri's 7th Congressional District and is currently represented by Billy Long (R-Springfield) in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Presidential
Missouri presidential preference primary (2008)
Voters in Greene County from both political parties supported candidates who finished in second place in the state at large and nationally. During the 2008 presidential primary, U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-New York) received more votes, a total of 18,322, in Greene County than any other candidate from either party.
Education School districts include: - Text list
Ash Grove R-IV School District Fair Grove R-X School District Logan-Rogersville R-VIII School District Marion C. Early R-V School District Nixa School District Pleasant Hope R-VI School District Republic R-III School District Springfield R-XII School District Strafford R-VI School District Walnut Grove R-V School District Willard R-2 School District
Public schools Ash Grove R-IV School District - Ash Grove Ash Grove Elementary School (PK-06) Bois D'Arc Elementary School (K-06) - Bois D'Arc Ash Grove High School (07-12) Fair Grove R-X School District] - Fair Grove Fair Grove Elementary School (K-04) Fair Grove Middle School (05-08) Fair Grove High School (09-12) Logan-Rogersville R-VIII School District - Rogersville Logan-Rogersville Primary School (PK-01) Logan-Rogersville Elementary School (02-03) Logan-Rogersville Upper Elementary School (04-06) Logan-Rogersville Middle School (07-08) Logan-Rogersville High School (09-12) Republic R-III School District - Republic Republic Kindergarten School (K) Republic Elementary School I (01-02) Republic Elementary School II (03-04) Republic Elementary School III (05-06) Republic Middle School (07-08) Republic High School (09-12) Springfield R-XII School District - Springfield Shady Dell Early Childhood Center (PK) - Springfield York Elementary School (PK-05) - Springfield Williams Elementary School (K-05) - Springfield Wilder Elementary School (K-05) - Springfield Westport Elementary School (K-05) - Springfield Weller Elementary School (PK-05) - Springfield