Union County, Illinois

6 cities & places have their primary county here.

Population: 16,972
Median household income: $56,420
Median home value: $131,700

Union County is a county in Illinois with a population of 16,972. 6 cities and places have their primary county here. The median household income of $56,420 is below the Illinois median ($81,702).

Between 2019 and 2023, Union County's population held roughly steady from 16,968 to 16,972, while its median household income rose 11.4% from $50,625 to $56,420.

The median resident is 44.3 years old. The largest age group is 5 to 17, 16.0% of residents.

Demographics

ACS 2019–2023

Population: 16,972
Median age: 44.3 yrs
Median household income: $56,420
Median home value: $131,700
Median gross rent: $658
Housing units: 7,861
Homeownership rate: 76.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 20.9%
Unemployment rate: 5.2%

Trends

ACS 5-year · 2019–2023

Population

16,96816,972

Median household income

$50,625$56,420

Median home value

$109,900$131,700

Median gross rent

$612$658

Year	Population	Median household income	Median home value	Median gross rent
2019	16,968	$50,625	$109,900	$612
2020	16,829	$51,655	$110,500	$639
2021	17,259	$53,363	$109,500	$651
2022	17,122	$54,090	$129,300	$710
2023	16,972	$56,420	$131,700	$658

Each year is a US Census Bureau ACS 5-year estimate ending that year.

Age distribution

Under 55.4%

5 to 1716.0%

18 to 246.5%

25 to 3410.9%

35 to 4411.8%

45 to 5413.0%

55 to 6414.2%

65 to 7412.4%

75 and over9.7%

	Count	Share
Under 5	920	5.4%
5 to 17	2,723	16.0%
18 to 24	1,111	6.5%
25 to 34	1,854	10.9%
35 to 44	2,006	11.8%
45 to 54	2,205	13.0%
55 to 64	2,402	14.2%
65 to 74	2,110	12.4%
75 and over	1,641	9.7%

Race & ethnicity

	Count	Share
White (non-Hispanic)	15,297	90.1%
Black or African American	132	0.8%
American Indian & Alaska Native	17	0.1%
Asian	75	0.4%
Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander	12	0.1%
Some other race	1	0.0%
Two or more races	556	3.3%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	882	5.2%

Educational attainment (age 25+)

No high school diploma13.0%

High school graduate34.9%

Some college or associate's31.3%

Bachelor's degree14.1%

Graduate or professional degree6.8%

	Count	Share
No high school diploma	1,584	13.0%
High school graduate	4,261	34.9%
Some college or associate's	3,820	31.3%
Bachelor's degree	1,721	14.1%
Graduate or professional degree	832	6.8%

Commute to work

Mean travel time to work: 26 min

Drove alone84.1%

Carpooled7.2%

Public transit0.0%

Walked1.1%

Bicycle0.0%

Worked from home5.6%

Other means2.0%

How workers get to work

	Count	Share
Drove alone	5,614	84.1%
Carpooled	480	7.2%
Public transit	0	0.0%
Walked	76	1.1%
Bicycle	2	0.0%
Worked from home	376	5.6%
Other means	131	2.0%

Travel time

	Count	Share
Under 15 min	2,059	32.7%
15 to 29 min	1,428	22.7%
30 to 44 min	1,769	28.1%
45 to 59 min	668	10.6%
60+ min	379	6.0%

Households

Average household size: 2.34
Poverty rate: 19.4% (3,204 of 16,558)

	Count	Share
Family households	4,265	61.7%
Nonfamily households	2,649	38.3%

Housing

Median year structure built: 1975

Occupancy

	Count	Share
Occupied	6,914	88.0%
Vacant	947	12.0%

Tenure (of occupied units)

	Count	Share
Owner-occupied	5,312	76.8%
Renter-occupied	1,602	23.2%

1-unit, detached76.1%

1-unit, attached0.9%

2 to 4 units4.6%

5 to 19 units1.8%

20 or more units3.0%

Mobile home & other13.6%

Units in structure

	Count	Share
1-unit, detached	5,983	76.1%
1-unit, attached	73	0.9%
2 to 4 units	361	4.6%
5 to 19 units	140	1.8%
20 or more units	235	3.0%
Mobile home & other	1,069	13.6%

Geography

County GEOID: 17181
State: Illinois
Land area: 413 sq mi
Water area: 8.7 sq mi
Center point: 37.4857, -89.2446

Cities & places

Compare with nearby counties

Other counties in Illinois

101