Greene County is a county in Missouri, United States, at the heart of the Springfield metropolitan area in the Ozark Mountains, in the southwestern part of the state. It had a population of 298,915 at the 2020 census and covers 678 square miles (1,760 km2) centred near 37°16′N 93°20′W.
Springfield is the county seat and largest city; its postal code is 65806. The county contains 9 incorporated cities, towns and villages, 12 civil townships, and dozens of unincorporated communities. Greene County lies in the Central time zone.
Towns & Villages in Greene County
Greene County has 9 incorporated places — Springfield is the county seat, and the rest are smaller cities and villages ringing it — plus around 40 unincorporated communities and rural crossroads. CDP = census-designated place (unincorporated but tracked separately by the Census Bureau); Unincorp. = an unincorporated community with no separate census count.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | City · seat | Springfield | 169,176 | 65806 |
| Republic | City | — | — | 65738 |
| Willard | City | — | — | 65781 |
| Battlefield | City | — | — | — |
| Strafford | City | — | — | 65757 |
| Ash Grove | City | — | — | 65604 |
| Rogersville | Village | — | — | — |
| Fair Grove | Village | — | — | 65648 |
| Walnut Grove | Village | Walnut Grove | — | 65770 |
| Brookline | CDP | Brookline | — | 65619 |
| Galloway | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bois D’Arc | Unincorp. | — | — | 65612 |
| Pleasant Hope area (Nichols) | Unincorp. | — | — | 65725 |
| Alsup | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Avalon Park | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Bassville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cave Spring | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cody | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ebenezer | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elwood | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Expansion | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Fruitland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Glidewell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hackney | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Harold | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Haseltine | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Heady | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hickory Barren | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kissick | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Langston | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mascot | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mentor | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Mumford | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Nogo | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Oak Grove Heights | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Palmetto | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pearl | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pembina | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Phenix | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Plano | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Pleasant Valley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Ritter | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Riverpark | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Roseville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sacville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Sequiota | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Turners | Unincorp. | — | — | 65808 |
| Valley Water Mills | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wilsons Creek | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Yeakley | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Two entries from the old list were merged or dropped: a duplicate “Battlefield” row was removed, and the old “Nichols” entry is carried here as the settlement nearest Pleasant Hope, whose post office (65725) actually sits just across the Polk County line but serves rural northern Greene County addresses.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Springfield | — | Springfield |
| Brookline | — | Brookline |
| Walnut Grove | — | Walnut Grove |
| Cass | — | — |
| Clay | — | Ash Grove area |
| East Republic | — | Republic area |
| West Republic | — | Republic area |
| Murray | — | — |
| Pond Creek | — | — |
| Taylor | — | Strafford area |
| Washington | — | Rogersville area |
| Wilson | — | Willard area |
Missouri stopped publishing township-level census counts after township government was largely reduced to a boundary and record-keeping role; Greene County’s 12 townships remain on the books for elections and assessment but carry no independent population figures here.
ZIP Codes
- 65806, 65802, 65803, 65804, 65807, 65809, 65810 — Springfield
- 65801, 65805, 65808, 65814, 65817 — Springfield (PO box only)
- 65897 — Missouri State University
- 65898 — Bass Pro Shops (unique ZIP)
- 65738 — Republic
- 65781 — Willard
- 65757 — Strafford
- 65648 — Fair Grove
- 65604 — Ash Grove
- 65770 — Walnut Grove
- 65619 — Brookline
- 65612 — Bois D’Arc
- 65725 — Pleasant Hope (also serves rural northern Greene County)
Battlefield and Rogersville sit on shared postal routes with neighboring towns and have no ZIP code confirmed here; their residents use adjoining Springfield-area or Webster County codes depending on the address.
Geography
Greene County sits on the northern edge of the Springfield Plateau within the Ozarks, a landscape of rolling upland prairie cut by spring-fed streams and dotted with sinkholes and caves. Wilson’s Creek, the James River, and the Little Sac River drain the county; Fellows Lake and McDaniel Lake, both reservoirs, supply part of Springfield’s water. Of the county’s 678 square miles, 675 are land and 2.6 are water.
Greene County borders Polk County to the north, Dallas County to the northeast, Webster County to the east, Christian County to the south, Lawrence County to the southwest, and Dade County to the northwest.
Demographics
Greene County had 298,915 residents at the 2020 census, making it Missouri’s fourth most populous county. Springfield, the seat, accounts for the large majority of that total with 169,176 residents; Republic is the second-largest city. Springfield’s own median household income was reported at roughly $37,491 in 2016–2020 American Community Survey data, well below the Missouri median of $68,545 — the gap reflects the mix of students, renters, and lower-wage service jobs concentrated in the core city, while surrounding suburbs such as Republic and Battlefield tend to run closer to or above the state figure. Population density across the whole county is about 443 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Springfield anchors the county’s economy as the regional hub for southwest Missouri, with health care as the largest employer sector — CoxHealth and Mercy Springfield both operate major hospital campuses in the city. Missouri State University, the county’s largest public university, drives education and services employment. Retail and distribution are also significant: Bass Pro Shops, the outdoor-recreation retailer, is headquartered in Springfield and its flagship store is a regional tourist draw, and O’Reilly Auto Parts and Great Southern Bank both keep their headquarters in the city. Outside Springfield, Greene County’s smaller towns remain agricultural service centers for cattle and poultry operations typical of the Ozarks.
History
Greene County was organized on January 2, 1833, and named for American Revolutionary War Major General Nathanael Greene. The county was the site of the Battle of Wilson’s Creek on August 10, 1861, the first major Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River, in which Union General Nathaniel Lyon was killed — the first Union general to die in the war. The battlefield is preserved today as Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, a National Park Service site within the county.
Getting There
Interstate 44 crosses the county through Springfield, linking it to St. Louis to the northeast and Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the southwest. U.S. Route 65 runs north–south through the county and U.S. Route 60 runs east–west, both converging in Springfield.
- Republic — 12 miles southwest of Springfield
- Willard — 12 miles northwest of Springfield
- Ash Grove — 18 miles northwest of Springfield
- Fair Grove — 16 miles northeast of Springfield
Springfield-Branson National Airport (SGF), inside the county on Springfield’s northwest side, offers the nearest commercial air service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Greene County, Missouri?
It sits in the southwestern part of Missouri within the Ozark Mountains region, centred near 37°16′N 93°20′W, roughly 165 miles south of Kansas City and 215 miles southwest of St. Louis.
What is the population of Greene County?
298,915 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth most populous county in Missouri.
How big is Greene County?
678 square miles (1,760 km2) total, of which 675 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Greene County?
Springfield is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns are in Greene County?
Nine incorporated cities, towns and villages — Springfield, Republic, Willard, Battlefield, Strafford, Ash Grove, Rogersville, Fair Grove and Walnut Grove — plus dozens of unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Greene County?
Springfield uses 65801–65810, 65814 and 65817; the county’s smaller cities each have their own code, including 65738 (Republic), 65781 (Willard), 65757 (Strafford), 65648 (Fair Grove) and 65604 (Ash Grove).
What is Greene County known for?
It is home to the Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, the site of the first major Civil War battle west of the Mississippi, and to Bass Pro Shops’ flagship store and headquarters in Springfield.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Missouri.