Union County, Illinois Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Union County, Illinois, including popular demographics data like median age, number of households, household income, gender, employment and unemployment rates, occupations, religion, and more.

We are using the latest American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year survey data from the US Census Bureau, which is accurate up to 2021.

Table of Contents

Population

There is a lot of data that lets us see how many people live in Union County, Illinois. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Union County, Illinois. The estimated population of Union County, Illinois is 17,259 people, with a median age of 43.8.

We can look at the total population in Union County over the last 5 years to see how much it has changed.

Year Population Change 5-Year Change
2021
17,259
+2.56%
-0.05%
2020
16,829
 -0.82% -
2019
16,968
 -0.93% -
2018
17,127
 -0.81% -
2017
17,267
 - -

Population of Union County, Illinois by Race and Ethnicity

We can also look at how the population has changed over the last 5 years by each of the race/ethnicity types as defined by the US Census Bureau.

Race 2021 2017 Change
White
91.1%
91.4%
 -0.33%
Black/African American
1.3%
0.7%
 +85.71%
Native
0.3%
0%
 0.00%
Hispanic
5.4%
5%
 +8.00%
Asian
0.3%
0.2%
 +50.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
0%
0%
 0.00%
Two Or More Races
1.7%
2.2%
 -22.73%
Other
0%
0.4%
 -100.00%

This data can be very important for a number of reasons, including social and economic research, planning and development, and marketing to a multi-cultural population.

Note that the Native group includes both Native American and Alaskan Native people.

Population of Union County, Illinois by Age and Gender

The age and gender of a population is another interesting demographic statistic because it lets us track trends in the population over time. For example, we can see how the population has changed over the last 5 years by median age as a total, and also by male and female.

Year Total Male Female
2021 43.8 0% 42.2 -0.24% 45.2 -0.44%
2020 43.8 +0.23% 42.3 -1.17% 45.4 +1.34%
2019 43.7 0% 42.8 0% 44.8 +0.22%
2018 43.7 +0.46% 42.8 +1.18% 44.7 -0.22%
2017 43.5 - 42.3 - 44.8 -

The median age of Union County, Illinois gives you an idea of the age distribution, with half of the population being older than the median age and half being younger.

This can then be used to infer and compare against birth rates, parent ages, and more metrics to understand the population. For example, an increasing median age indicates an aging population, which can be a sign of a declining population in terms of birth rates and workforce participation.

Age 2021 2017
(Years) Male Female Male Female
0 to 9 1,105 -18.96% 981 -16.16% 898 831
10 to 19 1,024 +21.48% 906 +15.61% 1,260 1,046
20 to 29 1,002 -8.48% 977 -9.94% 919 883
30 to 39 1,027 +4.83% 1,008 -1.97% 1,073 987
40 to 49 997 +0.68% 972 +5.71% 1,000 1,021
50 to 59 1,362 -4.53% 1,282 -1.18% 1,299 1,265
60 to 69 1,138 -9.15% 1,172 -6.9% 1,033 1,091
70+ 1,057 +16.76% 1,257 +11.8% 1,242 1,411

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Union County, Illinois is $53,363.00.

In simple terms, the median income is the middle income of a group of people. Half of the people in the group make more than the median income, and half make less. The median income is a good indicator of the overall income of a group of people, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more.

Median Income by Age

We can also look at the median income by age to see how the median income varies by age, and how it compares to the overall median income for Union County.

  • Under 25
    $38,021.00
  • 25 to 44
    $67,266.00
  • 45 to 64
    $64,089.00
  • 65 and over
    $36,563.00

Average Household Income

Whenever we ask what is the average household income in Union County, we are actually talking about the mean household income.

This is calculated by adding up all the incomes of all the households in Union County, and then dividing that number by the total number of households. This is a good way to get a general idea of the average income of a group of people, but it can be skewed by a very high or very low incomes.

The average household income of Union County, Illinois is currently $68,909.00.

In terms of accurately summarizing income at a geographic level, the median income is a better metric than the average income because it isn't affected by a small number of very high or very low incomes.

If you had an area where the average income was greater than the median, it can mean that there is significant income inequality, with income being concentrated in a small number of wealthy households.

4.70% of households in Union County are classed as high income households (making $200,000+ per year).

Household Income Tiers

The US Census Bureau divides households into income tiers based on the median income for the area. This is a good way to compare the income of Union County against other areas.

  • Less than $24,999
    26.54%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    20.92%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    19.05%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    11.88%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    11.47%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    5.43%
  • $200,000 or more
    4.70%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Union County is $28,334.00.

Per capita income is the average income of a person in a given area. It is calculated by dividing the total income of Union County by the total population of Union County.

This is different from the average or mean income because it includes and accounts for all people in Union County, Illinois, including people like children, the elderly, unemployed people, retired people, and more.

Education Levels

We can also look at the education levels in Union County to see how many people have a high school degree, a bachelor's degree, or a graduate degree.

Educational attainment is a good indicator of the overall education level of a population, and can be used to compare against other metrics such as the average income, per capita income, and more to see how education levels affect income, unemployment rates, and more.

  • Master's degree or higher
    8.12%
  • Bachelor's degree
    27.11%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    16.52%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    46.62%
  • Less than high school diploma
    1.62%

Employment

Employment rates are all based around the total population in Union County that are over the age of 16.

The total population of Union County over the age of 16 is 14,084.

Of those people, a total of 52.50% are working or actively looking for work. This is called the labor force participation rate.

The participation rate is a useful market measure because it shows the relative amount of labor resources available to the economy.

The employment to total population rate in Union County is 48.80%.

Employment by Age

We can look at the employment rates by age to see how it compares to the overall employment rate.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
16 to 19 years 860 37.40% 9.00%
20 to 24 years 809 63.70% 4.50%
25 to 29 years 993 71.70% 6.20%
30 to 34 years 989 82.40% 12.80%
35 to 44 years 1,994 77.40% 10.90%
45 to 54 years 2,273 79.70% 3.50%
55 to 59 years 1,389 48.20% 4.90%
60 to 64 years 1,140 48.50% 7.60%
65 to 74 years 2,031 19.60% 2.00%
75 years and over 1,606 3.40% 0.00%

Employment by Race

Another very interesting employment statistic we can look at is the employment and unemployment rates by race in Union County. The table below shows the rates for each of the ethnicity groups types defined by the US Census Bureau.

Age Population Participation Unemployment Rate
White 13,228 52.30% 6.40%
Black or African American 178 59.00% 48.60%
American Indian and Alaska Native 45 26.70% 0.00%
Asian 50 62.00% 0.00%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 26 88.50% 0.00%
Other 20 40.00% 0.00%
Two or more races 537 55.70% 7.00%
Hispanic or Latino 634 48.60% 20.50%
Not Hispanic or Latino 12,978 52.40% 5.90%

Occupations

In this section we can look at the most common occupations in Union County as well as the gender breakdown and earnings of them.

The total population of civilian employees that are 16 years old or older in Union County is 6,880, with median earnings of $38,878.00.

Women in Union County, Illinois earning approximately 60.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 6,880 $38,878.00
Male 3,690 $47,997.00
Female 3,190 $29,193.00

Occupations by Category

In the table below, we can break down the population and earnings even further by occupation. The list of occupation categories below will show you how many people are employed in each category and the median earnings of each profession.

Occupation Employed Earnings
Management 539 $56,776.00
Business and Financial 155 $64,152.00
Computer and Mathematical 64 $58,750.00
Architecture and Engineering 43 $57,303.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 80 $111,051.00
Community and Social Service 111 $45,313.00
Legal 20 $19,773.00
Educational and Library 391 $33,558.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 35 $40,875.00
Healthcare Practitioners 655 $52,250.00
Healthcare Support 346 $24,022.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 98 $58,000.00
Law Enforcement 240 $56,667.00
Food Preparation and Serving 469 $6,813.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 418 $16,774.00
Personal Care and Service 135 $19,323.00
Sales 536 $29,579.00
Office and Administrative Support 578 $29,063.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 93 $10,781.00
Construction and Extraction 397 $67,292.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 262 $43,942.00
Production 477 $42,216.00
Transportation and Material Moving 511 $34,911.00

Occupations by Gender

The table below shows the same occupations from the list above, but we have split them by male and female to see how many male and females work in each occupation, the median earnings, and the male to female ratio of earnings.

That last metric is important because it can be used to look at the gender pay gap between men and women.

Occupation Male Female
Population Earnings Population Earnings
Management 262 $57,105.00 277 $52,390.00
Business and Financial 57 $64,777.00 98 $56,579.00
Computer and Mathematical 40 $75,833.00 24 $42,308.00
Architecture and Engineering 42 $57,368.00 1 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 80 $111,051.00 0 $0.00
Community and Social Service 77 $45,313.00 34 $51,250.00
Legal 18 $19,545.00 2 $0.00
Educational and Library 52 $44,500.00 339 $32,788.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 25 $42,125.00 10 $0.00
Healthcare Practitioners 171 $33,098.00 484 $53,239.00
Healthcare Support 43 $47,557.00 303 $22,917.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 70 $59,250.00 28 $22,500.00
Law Enforcement 221 $51,875.00 19 $97,625.00
Food Preparation and Serving 168 $7,750.00 301 $6,736.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 226 $21,552.00 192 $14,000.00
Personal Care and Service 27 $74,583.00 108 $19,063.00
Sales 315 $55,221.00 221 $28,117.00
Office and Administrative Support 131 $48,147.00 447 $26,583.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 82 $2,499.00 11 $0.00
Construction and Extraction 397 $67,292.00 0 $0.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 253 $44,279.00 9 $0.00
Production 357 $52,852.00 120 $27,315.00
Transportation and Material Moving 394 $51,786.00 117 $7,031.00

Households and Family Size

A household defined bu the US Census Bureau is a group of people who occupy a housing unit. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, group of rooms, or single room occupied as separate living quarters.

There are currently 6,702 households in Union County, with an average household size of 2.5 people.

A family is defined as a group of two or more people related by birth, marriage, or adoption who live together in the same household.

There are 4,176 families in Union County with an average family size of 3.14 people.

Households by Marital Status

The four categories of household by marital status are:

  • Married-couple family
  • Male householder with no spouse present
  • Female household with no spouse present
  • Nonfamily household

The table below shows the total number of households and families, with the average sizes of each.

Married Male Female Nonfamily
Total Households 3,180 461 535 2,526
Average Household Size 3.12 3.82 3.62 1.24
Total Families 3,180 461 535 0
Average Household Size 3.11 3.3 3.21 0

Poverty

Of the 4,176 families in Union County, 13.20% are considered to be below the poverty threshold.

The table below shows the latest poverty thresholds in Union County:

Household Size Poverty Threshold
1 Person $14,580.00
2 People $19,720.00
3 People $24,860.00
4 People $30,000.00
5 People $35,140.00
6 People $40,280.00
7 People $45,420.00
8 People $50,560.00

Housing

There are 7,860 housing units in Union County, Illinois.

The table below shows the split between occupied and vacant units:

Total Percentage
Occupied 6,702 85.27%
Vacant 1,158 14.73%

15.18% of the total 7,860 housing units in Union County are rental units. This is approximately 1,193 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 5,264 are occupied by the owner - or 66.97% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Union County is $651.00.

In the chart below, we can look at the number of rental properties in Union County that fall into a particular rent range. These can then be used to compare with other areas, or to see how they have changed over time.

  • No rent paid
    245
  • Less than $500
    382
  • $500 to $999
    674
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    128
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    9
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    0
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    0
  • $3,000 or more
    0

Property Value

The median value of a property in Union County is $109,500.00.

Just like with rental rates, we can look at the number of properties in Union County that fall into a particular value range.

  • Less than $50,000
    971
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    1,456
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    913
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    600
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    895
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    358
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    25
  • $1,000,000 or more
    46

Property Age

We can also look at the age of properties in Union County. The chart below shows the number of properties in Union County that fall into a particular age range.

  • 1939 or earlier
    1,259
  • 1940 to 1949
    523
  • 1950 to 1959
    578
  • 1960 to 1969
    753
  • 1970 to 1979
    1,677
  • 1980 to 1989
    847
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,011
  • 2000 to 2009
    899
  • 2010 to 2013
    313
  • 2014 or later
    0

Vehicles per Household

The number of vehicles available per household can be a good indicator of the level of affluence in an area. The chart below shows the number of households in Union County that have a particular number of vehicles available.

  • No vehicles available
    681
  • 1 vehicle available
    2,004
  • 2 vehicles available
    2,494
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    1,523

Commuting to Work

In this section, we can also look at how people in Union County get to work. The chart below shows the number of people in Union County that commute to work in a particular way.

24.6 minutes is the average travel time to work for people in Union County.

These commute times can be compared to other date like income and educational levels to see how they relate to each other and if there are any trends in the data that might suggest a correlation.

  • Less than 5 minutes
    351
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    732
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    1,059
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    959
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    646
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    182
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    1,304
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    120
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    191
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    695
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    190
  • 90 or more minutes
    108

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Union County, Illinois in this article! Hopefully you have found it very useful in your research of the area.

If you use any of the data found on this page, please consider linking back to USPopulation.org as the source and if you have any feedback or data requests, click here to contact us.

Places in Union County, Illinois

We have data for 24 places in Union County, Illinois. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.