Greene County is located in the southwest part of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. 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 The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

or Saint Louis metropolitan areas. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

and most-populous city is Springfield. The county was organized in 1833 and is named after

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

General

Nathanael Greene Major general (United States), Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was an American military officer and planter who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War. He emerge ...

. 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 United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, 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

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.26%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.66% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.67% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. Approximately 1.84% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $25,770. About 7.60% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 13.60% of those under age 18 and 7.50% of those age 65 or over. There are 190,417 registered voters in Greene County.

2020 Census

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 Sheriffs 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 Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

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 Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

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 Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

. 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 Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist ...

. Despite Greene County's longstanding tradition of supporting socially conservative platforms, voters in the county have a penchant for advancing

populist Populism is a contested concept used to refer to a variety of political stances that emphasize the idea of the " common people" and often position this group in opposition to a perceived elite. It is frequently associated with anti-establis ...

causes, such as increasing the

minimum wage A minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that employers can legally pay their employees—the price floor below which employees may not sell their labor. List of countries by minimum wage, Most countries had introduced minimum wage legislation b ...

. 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 St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

, 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 Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon (born February 13, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the List of governors of Missouri, 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic P ...

. In 2000, Bob Holden's victory in the county provided the margin that allowed him to defeat

Jim Talent James Matthes Talent (born October 18, 1956) is an American politician who was a U.S. Senator from Missouri from 2002 to 2007. He is a Republican and resided in the St. Louis area while serving in elected office. After serving for eight years ...

statewide.

Local

The Republican Party predominantly controls politics at the local level in Greene County.

State

Gubernatorial

Missouri House of Representatives

Greene County is divided into eight legislative districts in the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

; six of which are held by Republicans and two Democratic seats. *District 130 �
Bishop Davidson
(R- Springfield). The district includes the northern part the city of Springfield and rural area of north-central Greene County. *District 131 �
Bill Owen
(R- Springfield). The district includes the northern part the city of Springfield and rural area of north-central Greene County. *District 132 �
Crystal Quade
(D- Springfield). The district is based entirely in the city of Springfield. *District 133 �
Curtis Trent
(R- Springfield). The district includes Battlefield and a part of the city of Springfield. *District 134 �
Alex Riley
(R- Springfield). The district includes part of the city of Springfield. *District 135 �
Betsy Fogle
(D- Springfield). The district exists entirely within the city of Springfield. *District 136 �
Craig Fishel
(R- Springfield). The district includes parts of the city of Springfield and some rural area southeast of the city. *District 137 �
John 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 The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...

, both of which represented by Republicans: District 20, representing large parts of Greene and Christian County, and District 30, representing mostly 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 The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

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 The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

(D-

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

) received more votes, a total of 18,322, in Greene County than any other candidate from either party.

Education

School districts include: * 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-II 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, Missouri, 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 A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...

**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 **Weaver Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Watkins Elementary School - (PK-05) - Springfield **Truman Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Sunshine Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Sherwood Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Sequiota Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Rountree Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Robberson Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Portland Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Pleasant View Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Pittman Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Pershing Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **McGregor Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **McBride Elementary School - (K-04) - Springfield **Mark Twain Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Walt Disney Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Jeffries Elementary School - (PK-05) - Springfield **Horace Mann Elementary School - (PK-05) - Springfield **Holland Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Hickory Hills Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Gray Elementary School - (K-04) - Springfield **Fremont Elementary School - (PK-05) - Springfield **Field Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Delaware Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **David Harrison Elementary School - (K-04) - Springfield **Cowden Elementary School - (PK-05) - Springfield **Campbell Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Boyd Elementary School - (PK-05) - Springfield **Bowerman Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Bissett Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Bingham Elementary School - (K-05) - Springfield **Wilson's Creek 5-6 Intermediate Center - (05-06) -

Battlefield A battlefield, battleground, or field of battle is the location of a present or historic battle involving ground warfare. It is commonly understood to be limited to the point of contact between opposing forces, though battles may involve troop ...

**Study Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Reed Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Pleasant View Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Pipkin Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Pershing Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Jarrett Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Hickory Hills Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Cherokee Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Carver Middle School - (06-08) - Springfield **Parkview High School - (09-12) - Springfield **Kickapoo High School - (09-12) - Springfield **Hillcrest High School - (09-12) - Springfield **Glendale High School - (09-12) - Springfield **Central High School - (09-12) - Springfield *Strafford R-VI School District - Strafford **Strafford Early Childhood Center - (PK-K) **Strafford Elementary School - (01-04) **Strafford Middle School - (05-08) **Strafford High School - (09-12) *Walnut Grove R-V School District - Walnut Grove ** Walnut Grove Preschool (PK) **Walnut Grove Elementary School - (K-06) **Walnut Grove High School - (07-12) *Willard R-II School District - Willard **Willard North Elementary School - (PK-04) - Willard **Willard East Elementary School - (K-04) - Willard **Willard South Elementary School - (PK-04) - Springfield **Willard Central Elementary School - (K-04) - Springfield **Willard Intermediate School - (05-06) - Willard **Willard Middle School - (07-08) - Willard **Willard High School - (09-12) - Willard

Private schools

*Christian Schools of Springfield - (PK-12) - Springfield -

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

*Grace Classical Academy - (PK-12) - Springfield - Nondenominational Christianity *Greenwood Laboratory School - (K-12) - Springfield - Nonsectarian *Immaculate Conception School - (PK-8) - Springfield -

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

*New Covenant Academy - (PK-12) - Springfield - Nondenominatonal Christianity *Springfield Catholic High School - (09-12) - Springfield -

*Springfield Lutheran School - (PS-8) - Springfield - Lutheran MO Synod *St. Agnes Cathedral School - (PK-8) - Springfield -

*St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School - (PK-5) - Springfield -

*The Summit Preparatory School of Southwest Missouri - (PK-12) - Springfield - Nonsectarian

Alternative/other schools

*Bailey Educational Center - (09-12) - Springfield - Alternative/Other School *Community Learning Center - (06-12) - Springfield - Alternative/Other School *Datema House - (05-12) - Springfield - Alternative/Other School *Excel School - (06-12) - Springfield - Alternative/Other School *Graff Career Center - (09-12) - Springfield - Vocational/Technical School *Greene County Special Education Cooperative - (K-12) - Republic - Special Education *Greene Valley - Springfield - Special Education *Phelps Gifted Center - (01-12) - Springfield - Alternative/Other School/Gifted Education *Wilson Creek Group Home - (06-12) - Springfield - Alternative/Other School

Colleges and universities

Missouri State University Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest u ...

- Springfield - Formerly known as Southwest Missouri State University - A public, four-year university. *

Evangel University Evangel University is a private Christian university and seminary in Springfield, Missouri, United States. It is affiliated with the Assemblies of God Christian denomination, which is also headquartered in Springfield. The campus sits on that ...

- Springfield - A private, four-year Pentecostal liberal arts university. * Drury University - Springfield - A private, four-year liberal arts university. * Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible College) - Springfield - A private, conservative Bible college owned by the Baptist Bible Fellowship International. *

Ozarks Technical Community College Ozarks Technical Community College (OTC) is a public community college in Springfield, Missouri. It was established by Springfield and thirteen surrounding public school districts on April 3, 1990. It has six locations in southern Missouri. St ...

- Springfield - A public, two-year community college. *Ozarks Technical Community College - Republic - A public, two-year community college. * Everest College - Springfield - A public, four-year for-profit Corinthian college. * Columbia College Springfield Campus - Springfield - A private, four-year college. * Bryan University Springfield Campus - Springfield - A private, four-year university. * Cox College - Springfield - A private, four-year non-profit nursing college. *

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

Springfield Clinical Campus - Springfield - A public, four-year university.

Public libraries

* Springfield-Greene County Library

Transportation

Major highways

* ** * * * * * * * * *

Transit

* City Utilities of Springfield * Springfield Transit Services *

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. is an American operator of Intercity bus service, intercity bus services. Greyhound operates the largest intercity bus network in the United States, and also operates charter and Amtrak Thruway services, as well as interci ...

Jefferson Lines Jefferson Lines (JL or JLI) is a regional intercity bus company operating in 14 states in the Midwest and the West of the United States. History The company is operated by Jefferson Partners L.P., located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jefferson P ...

Airports

* Springfield-Branson National Airport * Springfield Downtown Airport

Communities

Cities and towns

* Ash Grove *

* Fair Grove, Missouri, Fair Grove *

* Rogersville * Springfield (county seat) * Strafford * Walnut Grove * Willard

Unincorporated communities

* Avalon Park * Bois D'Arc * Cave Spring * Cody * Ebenezer * Elwood * Glidewell * Hackney * Harold * Haseltine * Hickory Barren * Logan *

Mentor Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

* Mumford * Oak Grove Heights * Palmetto *

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...

* Phenix * Plano *

Turners Turners (, ) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber (1798–1872), were the leading sponsors of gymnastics as ...

Notable people

References

External links

Greene County government's websiteInformation about Springfield, MOGreene County message board

from

Division of Special Collections, Archives, and Rare Books
Downtown Springfield
{{coord, 37.26, -93.34, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-MO_source:UScensus1990 Missouri counties Springfield metropolitan area, Missouri 1833 establishments in Missouri Populated places established in 1833