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COUNTY · 2010 ACS

Union County

New Jersey · 536,499 residents · 103 sq mi
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With 536,499 people, Union County is a county in New Jersey. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $397,200. The foreign-born share is 29%. Households take in $66,791 a year at the median, 27% more than the country as a whole. Median rent is $1,084 a month. Poverty is uncommon here, at 9.1% of people here.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $52,703
Mid-age
median age 38.0
US median: 37.2
More educated
31% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Less affordable
home values up 69%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
536,499
+3%since 2000
from 522,541 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
38.0
+4%since 2000
from 36.6 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
103 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
485K511K537K562K588K19902000201020202024Union County
2024579K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 56.7%(35,783)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 96.7%(36,057)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 146.8%(36,532)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 196.8%(36,244)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 246.1%(32,521)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3412.9%(69,279)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4414.6%(78,418)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5415.5%(83,409)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6411.3%(60,495)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 746.3%(33,845)
US avg: 7%
75 to 844.2%(22,665)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over2.1%(11,251)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$66,791
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $55,339 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$34,096
+26%since 2000
from $26,992 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
44.7%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 44.4% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
9.1%
+0.7 ptssince 2000
from 8.4% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.481
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade11.3%
US avg: 10.9%
Information10.1%
US avg: 11.5%
Other services9.2%
US avg: 7%
Finance & insurance7.9%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical7.3%
US avg: 4.2%
Public administration7.2%
US avg: 4.9%
Wholesale trade6.3%
US avg: 7.2%
Transportation & warehousing4%
US avg: 3.1%
Arts, entertainment, food3.1%
US avg: 2.4%
Education & health services0.5%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0%
US avg: 1.4%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$397,200
+69%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $185,200 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,084
+14%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $752 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
60.0%
−1.6 ptssince 2000
from 61.6% in 2000
40.0% rent
Vacancy rate
7.0%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 6.6% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.84 people
+1%since 2009
from 2.81 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
44.1%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 43.4% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
50.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
5.9
Unchangedsince 2009
from 6.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic54.2%(283,345)
Black20.1%(104,926)
Hispanic / Latino19.7%(103,011)
Asian3.8%(19,789)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic45.4%(243,312)
Black20.8%(111,705)
Hispanic / Latino27.3%(146,704)
Asian4.6%(24,496)
Other1.9%(10,033)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
South American8.4%(44,644)
Central American5.4%(28,492)
Puerto Rican4.8%(25,490)
Colombian2.9%(15,318)
Salvadoran2.4%(12,469)
Ecuadorian2.1%(11,246)
Mexican2.1%(11,222)
Dominican2.1%(11,176)
Peruvian2%(10,559)
Cuban1.9%(9,881)
Guatemalan1.1%(5,675)
Honduran0.9%(4,996)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Uruguayan0.8%(4,276)
Costa Rican0.7%(3,962)
Spaniard0.3%(1,523)
Argentine0.3%(1,367)
Chilean0.1%(763)
Nicaraguan0.1%(585)
Panamanian0.1%(583)
Bolivian0.1%(490)
Venezuelan0.1%(412)
Ancestry
Italian12.1%(63,907)
Irish9.8%(52,101)
German7.4%(39,320)
Polish5.9%(31,186)
West Indian3.9%(20,424)
Portuguese3.3%(17,630)
American3.3%(17,621)
English3.3%(17,443)
Haitian2.4%(12,799)
Russian2%(10,485)
Ukrainian1%(5,151)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
French0.9%(4,806)
Brazilian0.9%(4,779)
Jamaican0.9%(4,762)
Scottish0.8%(4,427)
Hungarian0.7%(3,919)
Greek0.6%(3,394)
Scotch-Irish0.6%(3,310)
Slovak0.6%(3,067)
Arab0.5%(2,857)
Lithuanian0.5%(2,704)
Nigerian0.5%(2,687)
Dutch0.5%(2,483)
Swedish0.4%(2,040)
Austrian0.4%(1,988)
Czech0.3%(1,713)
Norwegian0.3%(1,662)
British0.3%(1,416)
Guyanese0.3%(1,332)
Welsh0.2%(1,212)
Egyptian0.2%(1,200)
French Canadian0.2%(1,018)
Romanian0.2%(936)
Swiss0.1%(697)
Danish0.1%(647)
Lebanese0.1%(551)
Canadian0.1%(543)
Ghanaian0.1%(500)
Armenian0.1%(412)
Croatian0.1%(399)
Israeli0.1%(360)
Barbadian0.1%(319)
Belgian0.1%(278)
Turkish0%(247)
Finnish0%(246)
Syrian0%(238)
Kenyan0%(237)
Serbian0%(140)
Australian0%(122)
Latvian0%(110)
Iranian0%(61)
Moroccan0%(58)
Iraqi0%(30)
Ethiopian0%(29)
Slovene0%(22)
Somali0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
31.2%
+2.7 ptssince 2000
from 28.5% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
84.3%
+5.0 ptssince 2000
from 79.3% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
11.9%
+1.0 ptssince 2000
from 10.9% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
27.6 min
+35%since 2000
from 20.5 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
67.2%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 68.3% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
9.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.8% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
9.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 9.8% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
2.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
3.5%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 3.5% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.3%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
11.6%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 11.9% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
12.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 13.1% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
34.8%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 34.8% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
51.5%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
28.8%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 27.5% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
5.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 6.0% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married38.8%(88,635)
Married51.9%(118,722)
Widowed2.4%(5,467)
Divorced6.9%(15,767)
Women 15+
Never married35.7%(85,004)
Married47.2%(112,509)
Widowed7.4%(17,594)
Divorced9.7%(23,216)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
13.0%
−3.1 ptssince 2013
from 16.1% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
57.0%
−2.3 ptssince 2020
from 59.3% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
9.8%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 10.8% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
15.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2020
from 15.0% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
18.9%
+0.6 ptssince 2020
from 18.3% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
0.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 0.9% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
64.4%
−3.2 ptssince 2020
from 67.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
31.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 30.5% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)16.7%(1,884)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)13.7%(1,546)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era36.8%(4,139)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War5.7%(644)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II4.3%(484)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 11,260 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Union County

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Pop 611,708
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Pop 525,757
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Pop 673,820
Johnson County
Pop 636,906
Places similar to Union County
Head to head

Compare Union County to nearby counties

UNION COUNTY VS
Essex County
Income$80,789+21%
Home value$524,100+32%
Population896,379+49%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
UNION COUNTY VS
Richmond County
Income$98,333+47%
Home value$675,500+70%
Population501,290−17%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
UNION COUNTY VS
Hudson County
Income$91,795+37%
Home value$539,700+36%
Population735,033+22%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
UNION COUNTY VS
Middlesex County
Income$111,549+67%
Home value$462,900+17%
Population883,335+47%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Union County, New Jersey?

Union County, New Jersey has about 536,499 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Union County, New Jersey?

The typical household in Union County, New Jersey earns about $66,791 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Union County, New Jersey expensive?

In Union County, New Jersey, the median home is worth about $397,200, and the typical rent is about $1,084 a month.

How educated are people in Union County, New Jersey?

About 31.2% of adults age 25 and over in Union County, New Jersey hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Union County, New Jersey?

About 9.1% of people in Union County, New Jersey live below the federal poverty line.

Has Union County, New Jersey grown since 1990?

Yes, Union County, New Jersey has grown since 1990. The population has added about 42,680 residents, a change of about 9 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →