Greene County, Missouri

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 678 square miles (1,760 km²), of which 675 square miles (1,750 km²) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km²) (0.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

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 356 people per square mile (138/km²). There were 104,517 housing units at an average density of 155 per square mile (60/km²). 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 are 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:

Local

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

State

Greene County is divided into eight legislative districts in the Missouri House of Representatives; seven of which are held by Republicans and one Democratic seat.

Greene County is also divided into two districts in the Missouri Senate, both of which represented by Republicans.

Federal

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.

Political culture

Like most counties situated in Southwest Missouri, Greene County is a Republican stronghold in presidential elections. George W. Bush carried Greene County in 2000 and 2004 by almost two-to-one margins, and like many other counties throughout Southwest Missouri, Greene County favored John McCain over Barack Obama in 2008. In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump carried Greene County by a margin of 61% to 33%. The last Democratic presidential nominee to win Greene County was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. In 2004, Missourians voted on a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union between a man and a woman—it passed Greene County with 72.04 percent of the vote. The initiative passed the state with 71 percent of support from voters as 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 like 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.

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.

Public schools

Private schools

Alternative/other schools

Colleges and universities

Airports