Union Parish, Louisiana Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Union Parish, LA 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 average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Union Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,797 | 4,610,276 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 23.0 | 88.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.95% | -0.10% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.9 | 35.9 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,499 | 1,803,262 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Union Parish declined by 8.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,797 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Union Parish is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 20.9% of residents. That is 3.7 points above Louisiana as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,091 19.7% -1.8 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,678 17.7% -4.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,335 20.8% +1.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,340 20.9% +3.7 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 Louisiana, 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 51.2% of the people living in Union Parish and men 48.8%.
- Women 51.2% Louisiana 51.1%
- Men 48.8% Louisiana 48.9%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Union Parish
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Union Parish has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Union Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $42,659 | $60,934 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 1.79% | 3.69% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.1% | 6.2% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Union Parish is about 30% lower than in Louisiana.
Housing
| Metric | Union Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $85,426 | $170,446 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $777 | $1,063 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.8% | 67.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Union Parish is about 9.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $777 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Union Parish spend about 55 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 231 hours, about 9.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Union Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 27.7 | 21.3 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 55.4 | 42.5 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 231 | 177 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $7,157 | $5,493 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 3.8% | 8.1% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,941 | 8,275 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 327 | 1,164 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Louisiana:
East Carroll Parish (11.4 min), Madison Parish (13.1 min), St. Mary Parish (15.5 min).
Slowest:
West Feliciana Parish (32.8 min), East Feliciana Parish (32.8 min), St. Helena Parish (32.4 min).
The average commute time in Union Parish is 28 minutes, longer than the 21 minutes in Louisiana.
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 Parish has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Union Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.7% | 24.0% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.38 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Louisiana:
Orleans Parish (0.3), East Baton Rouge Parish (0.3), St. Tammany Parish (0.3).
Lowest:
East Carroll Parish (0.1), Assumption Parish (0.2), Evangeline Parish (0.2).
Health
Union Parish has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Union Parish | Louisiana Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.7 | 75.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 21.0% | 22.3% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 22.4% | 23.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Louisiana:
St. Tammany Parish (0.8), Ascension Parish (0.8), Vernon Parish (0.8).
Lowest:
East Carroll Parish (0.7), Madison Parish (0.7), Tensas Parish (0.7).
Union Parish, LA Compared With Nearby Counties
Union Parish, LA is the smallest of the 5 counties compared here, 20,797 residents against a local median of 43,035. Union Parish, LA's commute, at 27.7 min, runs 59% above the 17.4 min typical of the counties around it. That is the weaker end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $85,426 against a local median of $164,533, 48% below it. The counties themselves sit within 4.4 min of each other on commute, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Union Parish, LA, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Union Parish, LA has the 5th lowest commute of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Parish, LA | 20,797 | $42,659 #3/5 | $85,426 #4/5 | 27.7 min #5/5 |
| Lincoln Parish, LA | 48,172 | $39,471 | $520,100 | 15.7 min |
| Union County, AR | 37,897 | $54,805 | $24,462 | 16.9 min |
| Ouachita Parish, LA | 158,478 | $55,024 | $169,257 | 18.0 min |
| Morehouse Parish, LA | 24,551 | $39,643 | $159,809 | 20.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Union Parish, Louisiana.
How many people live in Union Parish, Louisiana?
About 20,797 people live in Union Parish, Louisiana, in 8,499 households of 2.4 people on average. The median age is 42.9, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
How densely populated is Union Parish, Louisiana?
Averaged over its land area, Union Parish, Louisiana has 23 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 27% of the U.S. average of 86.
Is Union Parish, Louisiana an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 2.0 times the median household income ($85,426 against $42,659), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $777 a month takes about 22% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Union Parish, Louisiana have a college degree?
15.7% of adults in Union Parish, Louisiana hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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