Demographics of Union County, Iowa

Union County, Iowa had 11,829 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: −301 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the American Community Survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Union County, in four figures

11,829
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate.; −2.5%
Change since July 2020: −301 people.; 40.5 ±0.7
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $57,772 ±$5,799
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. Each year's change is births less deaths, net moves from abroad and net moves from elsewhere in the country, with the Bureau's small residual. The 2020 row's components run 3 months, from the April census to July 1.

Union County, Iowa's population shrank 2.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Union County, Iowa's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

U.S. Census Bureau — Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change

About this chart

The figures

Union County, Iowa's population shrank 2.5% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Union County, Iowa's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	12,130	100.0	100.0
2021	12,049	99.3	100.2
2022	11,898	98.1	100.7
2023	11,883	98.0	101.6
2024	11,924	98.3	102.5
2025	11,829	97.5	103.1

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Population of Union County, Iowa on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change	Births less deaths	From abroad	From elsewhere in the country
2020	12,130	−12	−1	0	−11
2021	12,049	−81	−60	+13	−42
2022	11,898	−151	−87	+61	−127
2023	11,883	−15	−39	+21	+5
2024	11,924	+41	−48	+24	+67
2025	11,829	−95	−59	+20	−56

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 40.5 ±0.7: for men 39.4 ±1.1 and for women 41.8 ±1.3. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Union County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Under 5	639 ±32	5.3% ±0.3	5.9% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	2,058 ±157	17.2% ±1.3	17.0% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	1,106 ±154	9.2% ±1.3	10.0% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	2,792 ±189	23.3% ±1.6	25.1% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	2,908 ±190	24.2% ±1.6	23.9% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	2,490 ±230	20.8% ±1.9	18.1% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $57,772 ±$5,799, and income per person $31,697 ±$1,886, in 2024 dollars. The median is $75,059 ±$418 in Iowa and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Union County by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	Iowa	United States
Under $25,000	886 ±194	17.3% ±3.8	13.9% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	1,325 ±215	25.9% ±4.1	18.5% ±0.3	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	1,001 ±181	19.6% ±3.5	17.5% ±0.3	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	779 ±148	15.2% ±2.8	14.0% ±0.3	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	673 ±135	13.2% ±2.6	18.7% ±0.3	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	320 ±84	6.3% ±1.6	8.8% ±0.2	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	132 ±58	2.6% ±1.1	8.6% ±0.2	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Union County by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	Iowa	United States
All ages	1,448 ±318	12.4% ±2.7	11.1% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	373 ±120	14.0% ±4.4	12.9% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	701 ±165	12.4% ±2.9	11.4% ±0.3	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	374 ±146	11.1% ±4.3	8.8% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Union County, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Union County	Iowa	United States
Housing units	5,785 ±35	1,437,699 ±523	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	88.4% ±3.0	91.5% ±0.3	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	11.6% ±3.1	8.5% ±0.3	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	72.1% ±2.8	71.7% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	27.9% ±3.9	28.3% ±0.3	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$122,000 ±$7,392	$208,000 ±$1,141	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$721 ±$66	$972 ±$6	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1962 ±4	1972 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Union County by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Hispanic or Latino	460 ±0	3.8% ±<0.1	7.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	11,018 ±60	91.9% ±0.5	82.3% ±0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	22 to 164	0.2% to 1.4%	3.8% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	33 to 179	0.3% to 1.5%	2.5% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 3	0% to < 0.1%	0.2% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 16	0% to 0.1%	0.2% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	1 to 43	< 0.1% to 0.4%	0.3% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	293 ±88	2.4% ±0.7	3.5% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Union County by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	Iowa	United States
Born in the state	8,858 ±291	73.9% ±2.4	69.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	2,894 ±296	24.1% ±2.5	23.8% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	2 to 40	< 0.1% to 0.3%	0.7% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	220 ±107	1.8% ±0.9	5.9% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	0 to 84	0% to 0.7%	2.6% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	79 to 277	0.7% to 2.3%	3.3% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Union County among the counties of Iowa

63rd of 99 by population, July 2025. Every one is listed on the Iowa page.

Counties of Iowa near Union County in population, July 2025
County	July 2025	Change since 2020
Cass County	12,960	−1.2%
Wright County	12,801	−0.9%
Grundy County	12,361	+0.2%
Lyon County	12,354	+3.6%
Appanoose County	12,077	−1.7%
Union County	11,829	−2.5%
Shelby County	11,689	−0.2%
Chickasaw County	11,663	−2.8%
Cherokee County	11,369	−2.4%
Guthrie County	10,782	+1.6%
Mitchell County	10,650	+0.6%

Elsewhere on the site

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — counties and Puerto Rico municipios, with components of change — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Data retrieved September 25, 2026