Union County, Illinois: commercial real estate data.
Union County, Illinois has a population of 16,997 across 413 square miles, down 2.7 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $532.8 m in 2024, 352 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 4 7(a) approvals worth $1.5 m.
111 sourced county values · tier FULL · 12 sections · underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency
Union County
How many people live in Union County
- Population16,997
- Households6,868
- Average household size2.47
- Median household income$55,728
- Median age44.3
- Median gross rent$648 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$131,700
- Home value to household income2.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income14.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher20.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over12,204
- Population under 183,617
- Share under 1821.3 percent
- Population 65 and over3,899
- Share 65 and over22.9 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 649,481
- Civilian labor force7,061
- Unemployment rate3.9 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over52.8 percent
- Rank by population among Illinois counties61st of 102
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2036th
Union County is the 61st largest of 102 Illinois counties by population. A median home costs 2.4 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 22.9 percent against 21.3 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single storey product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Union County
Is Union County's population growing?
- Population change since the 2020 census base-2.69 percent
- Census 2020 base population17,353
- Births, 2024139
- Deaths, 2024228
- Natural change, 2024-89
- Net domestic migration, 202449
- Net international migration, 202462
- Total net migration, 2024111
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-154
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2676th
The county has lost 2.69 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration alone is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Union County
Where are people moving to Union County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving275
- People arriving, from those returns498
- Adjusted gross income arriving$12.8 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$46,593
- Largest single originUnion County Non-migrants (6,109 households)
- Largest single destination (6,109 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County Non-migrants | 6,109 | 12,401 | $388.7 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 94 | 182 | $4.9 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 86 | 149 | $3.6 m |
| Jackson County | 64 | 113 | $2.5 m |
| Other flows - South | 48 | 98 | $3.0 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 46 | 84 | $1.9 m |
| Williamson County | 31 | 54 | $1.8 m |
The largest single source of arrivals is Union County Non-migrants, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Union County
What is the Union County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$532.8 m
- County GDP, 2023$514.1 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.6 percent
- GDP change over five years23.1 percent
- Rank by GDP among Illinois counties84th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents2368th
- GDP per resident$31,345
Output grew 3.6 percent in the latest year and 23.1 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Union County
Largest employers in Union County
- Covered employment, annual average5,377
- Establishments reporting329
- Average annual pay$45,223
- Average weekly wage$870
- Sector 44-45, employment642
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,475
- Sector 72, employment506
- Sector 72, average annual pay$20,953
- Sector 31-33, employment269
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$48,338
- Sector 52, employment113
- Sector 52, average annual pay$53,722
- Sector 81, employment96
- Sector 54, employment95
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 44-45 | 642 | 44 | $33,475 |
| Sector 72 | 506 | 38 | $20,953 |
| Sector 31-33 | 269 | 14 | $48,338 |
| Sector 52 | 113 | 17 | $53,722 |
| Sector 81 | 96 | 22 | $37,741 |
| Sector 54 | 95 | 22 | $50,989 |
| Sector 23 | 84 | 32 | $51,439 |
| Sector 42 | 60 | 9 | $47,031 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 642 jobs, 11.9 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job sits below median household income, so households here typically need more than one earner.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Union County
How many businesses are in Union County?
- Establishments, all industries352
- Employment at those establishments3,489
- Annual payroll$128.5 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents20.7
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Union County
Building permits in Union County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 202413
- Declared construction value permitted$2.0 m
- Single family units authorised13
- Multifamily units authorised0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$157,692
- Units authorised per 1,000 households1.9
Multifamily is 0.0 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Union County
SBA loans in Union County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded4
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$376,375
- Median 7(a) approval$480,000
- 10th percentile approval$98,600
- 90th percentile approval$620,900
- Largest single approval$620,900
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)25
- Jobs per approval6.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active4
- Distinct industries receiving approvals4
- Median 7(a) term180 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer25.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter2
- Franchise loans1
- Franchise share of approvals25.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countChild Care Services (1)
- Most active lenderMidland States Bank (1)
The average approval of $376,375 sits close to the median of $480,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. Only 25.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Union County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Union County
Do SBA loans in Union County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Cancelled1
- Status: Exempt from disclosure3
Too few loans have reached a final outcome to publish a charge off rate. only 0 resolved loans, too few to publish a rate. A rate computed on a handful of loans is noise, so none is shown.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Union County
SBA lending by place in Union County
- Places in the county with recorded lending3
- ANNA, approvals2
- ALTO PASS, approvals1
- Granite City, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| ANNA | 2 | $1,100,900 |
| ALTO PASS | 1 | $98,600 |
| Granite City | 1 | $306,000 |
ANNA accounts for 2 approvals against 1 in ALTO PASS. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Union County
How large is Union County?
- Land area413 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Illinois counties71st of 102
- Width, east to west26.4 mi
- Height, north to south18.7 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land41
- Establishments per square mile0.85
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Union County
Flood risk in Union County
- Communities in the NFIP Community Status Book6
- Of those, participating in the NFIP5
- NFIP participation rate83.3 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Union County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The EPA places Union County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 83.3 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved.
FEMA OpenFEMA, NFIP Community Status Book, Community Status Book, as retrieved. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Every item below could be filled with a plausible figure. None of them is. On a page a lender may read, a number that cannot be traced is worse than an absence, so the absences are named.
- No 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- Flood zone record counts are not held. The flood coverage export has not landed, so no count is shown rather than an estimated one.
- Traffic counts resolve in the platform, not in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here.
- Zoning is in build. Parcel level zoning is not published on this page.
Feasibility studies
When a Union County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Union County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population16,997
- Households6,868
- Average household size2.47
- Median household income$55,728
- Median age44.3
Common questions
Union County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Union County, Illinois?
16,997, in 6,868 households, ranking 61st of 102 Illinois counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Union County's population growing?
The population has fallen 2.69 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 139 births against 228 deaths, with net migration of 111. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Union County?
$55,728. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $131,700, which is 2.4 times income, and median gross rent is $648 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Union County?
352 establishments, employing 3,489 people with an annual payroll of $128.5 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is the average wage in Union County?
Average annual pay is $45,223, or $870 a week, across 5,377 covered jobs. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Union County?
4 7(a) approvals totalling $1.5 m since FY2020, across 4 lenders, with a median approval of $480,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Union County?
13 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $2.0 m. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Union County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Union County come from?
The largest single origin is Union County Non-migrants, with 6,109 households. Arriving households report an average income of $46,593 against null for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Union County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Union County?
Not yet. The zoning layer is in build. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame with confirm locally attached.
Union County
Cities and places in Union.
6 Census places lie wholly or partly in Union County. 6 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked. The rest are named here and not linked, because the American Community Survey and the SBA record between them do not carry enough about them to write an honest page. A place existing is itself worth knowing, so nothing in the county is left out.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA approvals | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anna | city | 4,196 | 2 | Wholly in this county |
| Jonesboro | city | 1,870 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Cobden | village | 1,170 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Dongola | village | 553 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Alto Pass | village | 343 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Mill Creek | village | 37 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 26 SBA approvals in Union County are recorded against borrower cities that match no Census place, the largest being Granite City. Those are postal cities and unincorporated areas rather than incorporated places, so no page claims them, and their lending is counted in this county's totals above rather than under any city.