Union County, Oregon Population and Demographics

In this article, we'll explore the population statistics for Union County, Oregon, 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, Oregon. The most basic data is the total population, which is the total number of people living in Union County, Oregon. The estimated population of Union County, Oregon is 26,255 people, with a median age of 40.

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
26,255
 -0.93% +1.72%
2020
26,502
+0.63%
-
2019
26,337
+1.19%
-
2018
26,028
+0.84%
-
2017
25,810
 - -

Population of Union County, Oregon 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
88%
89.3%
 -1.46%
Black/African American
0.8%
0.8%
 0.00%
Native
0.8%
0.8%
 0.00%
Hispanic
5.1%
4.6%
 +10.87%
Asian
1.1%
1%
 +10.00%
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
1.5%
1.2%
 +25.00%
Two Or More Races
2.6%
2.3%
 +13.04%
Other
0.2%
0%
 0.00%

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, Oregon 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 40 0% 38.9 +0.78% 40.8 -0.73%
2020 40 -0.5% 38.6 0% 41.1 -1.91%
2019 40.2 +1.52% 38.6 +1.05% 41.9 +1.7%
2018 39.6 -0.5% 38.2 -0.26% 41.2 +0.24%
2017 39.8 - 38.3 - 41.1 -

The median age of Union County, Oregon 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 1,499 +7.27% 1,508 +8.89% 1,609 1,645
10 to 19 1,890 -1.74% 1,653 -5.91% 1,849 1,556
20 to 29 1,763 -4% 1,762 +7.69% 1,693 1,901
30 to 39 1,484 +4.55% 1,416 -5.12% 1,545 1,337
40 to 49 1,342 +14.41% 1,386 +7.65% 1,536 1,493
50 to 59 1,638 -20.2% 1,786 -21.59% 1,327 1,429
60 to 69 1,653 +5.54% 1,769 +3.06% 1,745 1,823
70+ 1,469 +15.75% 1,792 +14.39% 1,708 2,059

Median Household Income

The latest median household income of Union County, Oregon is $55,227.00.

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
    $38,289.00
  • 25 to 44
    $68,056.00
  • 45 to 64
    $63,026.00
  • 65 and over
    $45,340.00

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, Oregon is currently $70,487.00.

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.

3.36% 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
    20.82%
  • $25,000 to $49,999
    24.41%
  • $50,000 to $74,999
    19.70%
  • $75,000 to $99,999
    14.06%
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    13.18%
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    4.46%
  • $200,000 or more
    3.36%

Per Capita Income

The per capita income in Union County is $28,596.00.

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, Oregon, 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
    8.51%
  • Bachelor's degree
    28.19%
  • Some college or associate's degree
    14.95%
  • High school diploma or equivalent
    45.73%
  • Less than high school diploma
    2.62%

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 21,093.

Of those people, a total of 57.80% 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 54.00%.

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 1,497 48.50% 16.60%
20 to 24 years 2,101 83.60% 10.80%
25 to 29 years 1,493 79.20% 8.00%
30 to 34 years 1,523 78.10% 7.60%
35 to 44 years 3,124 82.50% 2.10%
45 to 54 years 2,538 77.50% 3.90%
55 to 59 years 1,482 65.20% 1.10%
60 to 64 years 1,910 45.40% 11.80%
65 to 74 years 3,116 27.00% 4.40%
75 years and over 2,309 5.20% 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 19,324 57.20% 6.70%
Black or African American 180 63.30% 7.90%
American Indian and Alaska Native 245 64.10% 8.10%
Asian 240 78.30% 0.50%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 282 82.30% 1.70%
Other 190 53.70% 2.00%
Two or more races 632 55.20% 2.00%
Hispanic or Latino 926 56.60% 6.60%
Not Hispanic or Latino 18,804 57.20% 6.70%

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 11,387, with median earnings of $33,713.00.

Women in Union County, Oregon earning approximately 62.80% of the men's earnings.

Population Earnings
Total 11,387 $33,713.00
Male 5,960 $40,871.00
Female 5,427 $25,663.00

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 993 $47,276.00
Business and Financial 227 $42,092.00
Computer and Mathematical 145 $72,371.00
Architecture and Engineering 157 $69,948.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 213 $68,867.00
Community and Social Service 287 $48,255.00
Legal 71 $35,469.00
Educational and Library 619 $39,792.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 155 $10,139.00
Healthcare Practitioners 591 $67,750.00
Healthcare Support 637 $24,663.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 220 $23,000.00
Law Enforcement 107 $74,479.00
Food Preparation and Serving 699 $12,096.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 558 $20,156.00
Personal Care and Service 430 $13,276.00
Sales 1,114 $27,368.00
Office and Administrative Support 1,086 $30,244.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 305 $37,566.00
Construction and Extraction 525 $33,807.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 434 $50,786.00
Production 846 $35,000.00
Transportation and Material Moving 610 $51,367.00

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 582 $54,324.00 411 $38,906.00
Business and Financial 118 $52,667.00 109 $41,319.00
Computer and Mathematical 96 $78,750.00 49 $0.00
Architecture and Engineering 133 $70,938.00 24 $0.00
Life, Physical, and Social Science 129 $69,492.00 84 $65,278.00
Community and Social Service 101 $47,663.00 186 $48,800.00
Legal 19 $21,875.00 52 $36,667.00
Educational and Library 195 $51,750.00 424 $28,750.00
Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media 49 $6,477.00 106 $14,583.00
Healthcare Practitioners 119 $106,964.00 472 $55,000.00
Healthcare Support 117 $26,146.00 520 $24,008.00
Firefighters and Protective Service 175 $38,510.00 45 $0.00
Law Enforcement 82 $74,375.00 25 $0.00
Food Preparation and Serving 286 $12,105.00 413 $12,092.00
Building and Grounds Cleaning 289 $22,440.00 269 $16,058.00
Personal Care and Service 97 $7,377.00 333 $13,807.00
Sales 523 $41,184.00 591 $17,083.00
Office and Administrative Support 218 $41,420.00 868 $28,726.00
Farming, Fishing, and Forestry 273 $37,961.00 32 $11,136.00
Construction and Extraction 480 $38,182.00 45 $19,063.00
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 414 $51,500.00 20 $0.00
Production 724 $35,493.00 122 $25,833.00
Transportation and Material Moving 557 $51,817.00 53 $10,114.00

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 10,536 households in Union County, with an average household size of 2.42 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 6,826 families in Union County with an average family size of 2.91 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 5,187 492 1,147 3,710
Average Household Size 3.03 2.95 3.04 1.32
Total Families 5,187 492 1,147 0
Average Household Size 2.99 2.47 2.78 0

Poverty

Of the 6,826 families in Union County, 7.60% 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 11,641 housing units in Union County, Oregon.

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

Total Percentage
Occupied 10,536 90.51%
Vacant 1,105 9.49%

27.58% of the total 11,641 housing units in Union County are rental units. This is approximately 3,211 properties.

For owner-occupied housing units, a total of 7,088 are occupied by the owner - or 60.89% of the total.

Rental Rates

The median rent for a property in Union County is $888.00.

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
    237
  • Less than $500
    388
  • $500 to $999
    1,644
  • $1,000 to $1,499
    822
  • $1,500 to $1,999
    224
  • $2,000 to $2,499
    72
  • $2,500 to $2,999
    10
  • $3,000 or more
    51

Property Value

The median value of a property in Union County is $206,200.00.

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
    552
  • $50,000 to $99,999
    601
  • $100,000 to $149,999
    976
  • $150,000 to $199,999
    1,308
  • $200,000 to $299,999
    1,686
  • $300,000 to $499,999
    1,528
  • $500,000 to $999,999
    337
  • $1,000,000 or more
    100

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
    2,906
  • 1940 to 1949
    515
  • 1950 to 1959
    760
  • 1960 to 1969
    923
  • 1970 to 1979
    2,273
  • 1980 to 1989
    1,363
  • 1990 to 1999
    1,456
  • 2000 to 2009
    816
  • 2010 to 2013
    629
  • 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
    718
  • 1 vehicle available
    2,536
  • 2 vehicles available
    3,924
  • 3 or more vehicles available
    3,358

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.

17.4 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
    1,098
  • 5 to 9 minutes
    2,384
  • 10 to 14 minutes
    2,598
  • 15 to 19 minutes
    1,131
  • 20 to 24 minutes
    1,069
  • 25 to 29 minutes
    441
  • 30 to 34 minutes
    699
  • 35 to 39 minutes
    124
  • 40 to 44 minutes
    92
  • 45 to 59 minutes
    206
  • 60 to 89 minutes
    237
  • 90 or more minutes
    273

Summary

We've covered a LOT of demographic and population data for Union County, Oregon 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, Oregon

We have data for 13 places in Union County, Oregon. Click on a place below to see more information about the demographics of that place.