Union County, New Jersey Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Union County, NJ Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageLess healthy than 70% of counties in New Jersey
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B
Income Around average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Union County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 578,268 | 9,334,304 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 5489.9 | 1071.4 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.63% | 0.59% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.4 | 40.2 | 37.3 |
| Households | 202,868 | 3,503,323 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Union County grew by 10.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 578,268 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Union County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.4% of residents. That is 0.6 points above New Jersey as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 116,777 20.2% on par
- Millennials 29–44 129,376 22.4% +0.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 126,865 21.9% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 85,999 14.9% -2.0 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 New Jersey, 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 50.7% of the people living in Union County and men 49.3%.
- Women 50.7% New Jersey 50.9%
- Men 49.3% New Jersey 49.1%
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 B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Union County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $104,008 | $103,817 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.96% | 4.37% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.5% | 6.3% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Union County is about the same as in New Jersey.
Housing
| Metric | Union County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $435,289 | $352,792 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,730 | $1,719 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 57.4% | 63.8% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Union County is about 21.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,730 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Union County spend about 52 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 217 hours, about 9.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Union County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.1 | 26.2 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 52.2 | 52.4 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 217 | 218 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,736 | $6,764 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 14.3% | 16.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 20,907 | 14,317 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,536 | 2,109 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
New Jersey:
Cape May County (18.1 min), Cumberland County (21.2 min), Atlantic County (21.6 min).
Slowest:
Hudson County (32.7 min), Sussex County (32.6 min), Hunterdon County (31.0 min).
The average commute time in Union County is about the same as in New Jersey.
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 B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Union County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.9% | 39.6% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.82 | 2.61 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
New Jersey:
Somerset County (0.4), Morris County (0.4), Hunterdon County (0.4).
Lowest:
Cumberland County (0.2), Salem County (0.2), Passaic County (0.3).
Health
Union County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Union County | New Jersey Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.2 | 79.4 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.4% | 12.9% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 13.5% | 14.2% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
New Jersey:
Morris County (0.8), Hunterdon County (0.8), Somerset County (0.8).
Lowest:
Cumberland County (0.8), Salem County (0.8), Passaic County (0.8).
Union County, NJ Compared With Nearby Counties
Union County, NJ is the 4th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 578,268 residents against a local median of 717,070. There is no headline here. Every measure below sits within 15% of the median across the nearest counties, which makes Union County, NJ an unremarkable member of its own neighbourhood rather than an outlier in it.
The largest of those small differences is commute, 14% below the local median at 26.1 min against 30.3 min. Union County, NJ has the 2nd lowest commute of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union County, NJ | 578,268 | $104,008 #3/6 | $435,289 #3/6 | 26.1 min #2/6 |
| Essex County, NJ | 861,155 | $81,239 | $295,435 | 30.3 min |
| Richmond County, NY | 494,794 | $98,311 | $552,254 | 35.5 min |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 870,701 | $112,064 | $279,129 | 26.6 min |
| Hudson County, NJ | 717,070 | $92,989 | $432,092 | 32.7 min |
| Morris County, NJ | 514,287 | $137,937 | $539,796 | 25.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Union County, New Jersey.
How big is Union County, New Jersey by population?
About 578,268 people live in Union County, New Jersey, in 202,868 households of 2.8 people on average. The median age is 37.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Union County, New Jersey mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Union County, New Jersey has 5,490 people per square mile, a density typical of a city. That is about 64 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Union County, New Jersey?
The median home costs 4.2 times the median household income ($435,289 against $104,008), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,730 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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