Union County, Kentucky Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Union County, KY Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 76% of counties in Kentucky
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Union County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 13,258 | 4,533,530 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 36.5 | 112.2 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.57% | 0.33% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.5 | 37.5 | 37.3 |
| Households | 5,197 | 1,813,524 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Union County declined by 12.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 13,258 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Union County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.6% of residents. That is 3.2 points above Kentucky as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,258 24.6% +3.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,432 18.3% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,720 20.5% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,519 19.0% +1.2 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Kentucky, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.3% of the people living in Union County and men 50.7%.
- Women 49.3% Kentucky 50.5%
- Men 50.7% Kentucky 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Union County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Union County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Union County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $60,386 | $64,312 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.77% | 4.62% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.7% | 4.8% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Union County is about 6% lower than in Kentucky.
Housing
| Metric | Union County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $36,764 | $118,017 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $789 | $967 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.2% | 68.3% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Union County is about 3.9 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $789 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Union County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 169 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Union County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.2 | 20.8 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.5 | 41.6 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 169 | 173 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,230 | $5,369 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.4% | 10.2% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,137 | 6,995 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 384 | 832 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Kentucky:
Calloway County (13.9 min), Owsley County (15.0 min), Taylor County (15.3 min).
Slowest:
Owen County (37.7 min), Spencer County (33.3 min), Bracken County (33.2 min).
The average commute time in Union County is 20 minutes, shorter than the 21 minutes in Kentucky.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Union County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Union County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 9.2% | 24.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.40 | 2.43 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Kentucky:
Fayette County (0.4), Oldham County (0.4), Campbell County (0.3).
Lowest:
Leslie County (0.1), Lee County (0.1), Elliott County (0.1).
Health
Union County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Union County | Kentucky Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.8 | 75.0 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 22.2% | 23.2% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.6% | 26.0% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Kentucky:
Oldham County (0.8), Boone County (0.8), Scott County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clay County (0.7), Bell County (0.7), McCreary County (0.7).
Union County, KY Compared With Nearby Counties
How Union County, KY compares with the 1 counties closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, KY | 13,258 | $60,386 #2/2 | $36,764 #2/2 | 20.2 min #1/2 |
| Posey County, IN | 25,116 | $80,859 | $38,071 | 22.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Union County, Kentucky.
What is the population of Union County, Kentucky?
About 13,258 people live in Union County, Kentucky, in 5,197 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 40.5, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
How densely populated is Union County, Kentucky?
Averaged over its land area, Union County, Kentucky has 37 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 42% of the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Union County, Kentucky?
The median home costs 0.6 times the median household income ($36,764 against $60,386), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $789 a month takes about 16% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Union County, Kentucky?
Unemployment in Union County, Kentucky is only 2.7%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Union County, Kentucky?
9.2% of adults in Union County, Kentucky hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 11), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →