The Impact of Numbers
It is sometimes asserted, in so many words, that because of the enormous number of churches in Greene County, these churches must have (or should have) a heavy socioeconomic impact. Whether or not this line of reasoning is fundamentally sound to begin with, the assertion is doomed if (in fact) Greene County doesn't have an enormous number of churches.
Using informational tools readily available at or through The Library (we'll be glad to show you where and how) it's readily clear that, given our population size, the number of churches in Greene County is only somewhat larger than the national average. By Yellow Page count, Greene County has 376 churches or one church for every 710 persons of all ages (including, of course, all those with no church affiliation). Based on the US average, we would expect to have 317 churches.
Of the six randomly chosen Greene Counties in other states, however, only one had slightly fewer churches per population than Greene County, MO. The other five had significantly more churches per population. If the population of each of these counties was equal to ours, here's how many churches they would have:
Greene County, AL - 1,395 churches (one church per 191 people)
Greene County, NC - 658 churches (one church per 405 people)
Greene County, PA - 556 churches (one church per 480 people)
Greene County, VA - 416 churches (one church per 642 people)
Greene County, NY - 403 churches (one church per 662 people)
Greene County, MO - 376 churches (one church per 710 people)
Greene County, OH - 362 churches (one church per 736 people)
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