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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Union County

New Jersey · 575,345 residents · 103 sq mi
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The short version

With 575,345 people, Union County is a county in New Jersey. 30% of people here were born outside the United States. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $378,700. Owners hold 56% of the housing stock. Households take in $82,644 a year at the median, 25% more than the country as a whole. 37% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $66,278
Mid-age
median age 38.7
US median: 38.8
More educated
37% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 36%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
575,345
+10%since 2000
from 522,541 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
38.7
+6%since 2000
from 36.6 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
103 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
485K511K537K562K588K19902000201020202024Union County
2024579K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.9%(33,661)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.4%(36,812)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 147%(40,041)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.7%(38,801)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.2%(35,413)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.8%(73,519)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4413.9%(79,963)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413.9%(79,764)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.1%(75,226)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 748.3%(47,653)
US avg: 10%
75 to 844.1%(23,663)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.9%(10,829)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$82,644
−1%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $55,339 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$42,606
+58%since 2000
from $26,992 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
54.5%
+10.1 ptssince 2009
from 44.4% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
8.8%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 8.4% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Finance & insurance10.2%
US avg: 5.5%
Information10%
US avg: 11.1%
Professional, scientific, technical9.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Retail trade8.9%
US avg: 10%
Other services8.3%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration6.6%
US avg: 4.7%
Wholesale trade6.2%
US avg: 6.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.4%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food2.4%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.1%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$378,700
+36%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $185,200 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,335
+18%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $752 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
56.4%
−5.1 ptssince 2000
from 61.6% in 2000
43.6% rent
Persons per household
2.86 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.81 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
4.6
−23%since 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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic36.7%(211,245)
Black19.5%(112,261)
Hispanic / Latino34%(195,519)
Asian5.6%(31,963)
Other3.7%(21,274)
Segregation Score
54
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
South American10.3%(57,442)
Central American6.3%(35,044)
Puerto Rican5.4%(29,853)
Colombian4.1%(22,610)
Dominican3.7%(20,677)
Ecuadorian3.2%(17,513)
Salvadoran3%(16,379)
Cuban2.1%(11,932)
Mexican1.9%(10,754)
Peruvian1.9%(10,343)
Guatemalan1.4%(7,900)
Honduran1%(5,318)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Spaniard0.6%(3,119)
Costa Rican0.5%(2,985)
Uruguayan0.5%(2,600)
Argentine0.3%(1,555)
Nicaraguan0.3%(1,390)
Venezuelan0.2%(1,117)
Panamanian0.2%(1,066)
Chilean0.2%(1,011)
Bolivian0.1%(336)
Paraguayan0%(169)
Asian origin
Asian Indian1.9%(10,524)
Filipino1.4%(7,594)
Chinese1.2%(6,536)
Korean0.3%(1,532)
Vietnamese0.2%(978)
Pakistani0.1%(577)
Japanese0.1%(514)
Taiwanese0%(77)
Nepalese0%(71)
Cambodian0%(38)
+ 4 more asian origin groups with data
Burmese0%(37)
Thai0%(35)
Laotian0%(8)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(36)
Samoan0%(27)
Fijian0%(9)
Ancestry
Italian9.8%(54,295)
Irish7.8%(43,141)
German5.4%(29,719)
American4.6%(25,445)
Polish4.5%(24,720)
West Indian4.1%(22,736)
Portuguese3.5%(19,251)
English2.6%(14,363)
Haitian2.5%(13,982)
Subsaharan African1.8%(10,116)
Russian1.4%(7,873)
Brazilian1%(5,635)
+ 50 more ancestry groups with data
Greek0.8%(4,599)
Jamaican0.8%(4,591)
Nigerian0.7%(3,763)
Ukrainian0.7%(3,707)
Hungarian0.6%(3,323)
French0.6%(3,194)
Scottish0.5%(2,897)
Slovak0.5%(2,553)
Dutch0.4%(2,349)
Egyptian0.3%(1,894)
Norwegian0.3%(1,522)
Swedish0.3%(1,496)
Lithuanian0.3%(1,490)
Guyanese0.3%(1,442)
Austrian0.2%(1,383)
British0.2%(1,335)
Scotch-Irish0.2%(1,257)
Ghanaian0.2%(1,173)
Barbadian0.2%(884)
Welsh0.2%(881)
Czech0.2%(873)
Romanian0.1%(716)
Croatian0.1%(571)
Swiss0.1%(559)
Canadian0.1%(557)
Syrian0.1%(552)
Lebanese0.1%(507)
Danish0.1%(484)
Iranian0.1%(458)
Australian0.1%(386)
Turkish0.1%(359)
Armenian0.1%(320)
Finnish0.1%(299)
Jordanian0.1%(280)
Serbian0%(272)
Israeli0%(233)
Latvian0%(213)
Arab0%(207)
Moroccan0%(192)
Iraqi0%(173)
Macedonian0%(150)
Belgian0%(94)
Bulgarian0%(87)
Slovene0%(84)
Kenyan0%(81)
Ethiopian0%(62)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
37.1%
+8.6 ptssince 2000
from 28.5% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
87.1%
+7.9 ptssince 2000
from 79.3% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
14.8%
+3.9 ptssince 2000
from 10.9% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
31.3 min
+53%since 2000
from 20.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
68.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 68.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
10.7%
−1.2 ptssince 2009
from 11.9% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.8%
−3.9 ptssince 2011
from 9.6% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
68.4%
−0.3 ptssince 2011
from 68.7% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
77.6%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
38.8%
+4.0 ptssince 2009
from 34.8% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
51.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
30.1%
+2.7 ptssince 2009
from 27.5% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
11.2%
−4.9 ptssince 2013
from 16.1% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
91.7%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
90.7%
US average: 86.2%
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

Uninsured
11.2%
−4.9 ptssince 2013
from 16.1% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
59.3%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
10.8%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
15.0%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
18.3%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
0.9%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
67.6%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
30.5%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)14.3%(2,017)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)11.9%(1,687)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era34.4%(4,853)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War11.8%(1,660)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II6.4%(908)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 14,124 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

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Pop 636,906
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Head to head

Compare Union County to nearby counties

UNION COUNTY VS
Essex County
Income$80,789−2%
Home value$524,100+38%
Population896,379+49%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
UNION COUNTY VS
Richmond County
Income$98,333+19%
Home value$675,500+78%
Population501,290−17%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
UNION COUNTY VS
Hudson County
Income$91,795+11%
Home value$539,700+43%
Population735,033+22%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
UNION COUNTY VS
Middlesex County
Income$111,549+35%
Home value$462,900+22%
Population883,335+47%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Union County, New Jersey?

Union County, New Jersey has about 575,345 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Union County, New Jersey earns about $82,644 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 $378,700, and the typical rent is about $1,335 a month.

How educated are people in Union County, New Jersey?

About 37.1% 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 8.8% 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 81,526 residents, a change of about 17 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 →