State of the Economy: Greene County

The population of Greene County followed the trend set by most counties in western Pennsylvania, having decreased between 2010 and 2018. Data from the US Census Bureau indicates that the population decreased by about 6 percent from 38,686 residents in 2010 to 36,506 residents in 2018, the most recent year for which data is available. This trend is expected to continue and will be reported in the 2020 census.

Compared to Pennsylvania overall, Greene County has a slightly older population, with the mean age at 42 years even, just above the state average of 40.7. Families in Greene County earn less than the typical family in the Commonwealth. In 2018, the median household income for Fayette County was $50,972 compared to $56,951 for the Commonwealth. Approximately 15 percent of individuals in Greene County fall below the poverty line.

In December 2019, 5.9 percent of the population of Greene County was unemployed compared to the unemployment rate of 4.5 percent at the state level. However, wages in the oil and gas sector were higher, as in most counties engaged in oil and gas development. In 2018, there were 513 employees engaged in oil and natural gas support activities in Greene County. The average earnings for those workers in 2018 was $66,398. Wages in that sector increased by only 3 percent from 2016 to 2018.