Union County, Iowa: commercial real estate data.
Union County, Iowa had an estimated 11,955 residents on July 1, 2024, down 1.5 percent since the 2020 census base of 12,138, across 424 square miles. County output reached $964.9 m in 2024, 305 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 6 7(a) approvals worth $1.7 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Union County
How many people live in Union County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,993
- Households5,116
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$57,772
- Median age40.5
- Median gross rent$721 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$122,000
- Home value to household income2.1 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher23.4 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree6.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over8,190
- Population under 182,697
- Share under 1822.5 percent
- Population 65 and over2,490
- Share 65 and over20.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 646,806
- Civilian labor force5,655
- Unemployment rate4.0 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.8 percent
- Rank by population among Iowa counties63rd of 99
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included2352nd of 3,222
Union County is the 63rd largest of 99 Iowa counties by population. A median home costs 2.1 times median household income, which is affordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.5 percent against 20.8 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Union County
Is Union County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202411,955
- Census 2020 base population12,138
- Population change since the 2020 census base-1.51 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 202442
- Births, 2024119
- Deaths, 2024174
- Natural change, 2024-55
- Net domestic migration, 202465
- Net international migration, 202435
- Total net migration, 2024100
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-96
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2362nd of 3,144
The county has lost 1.51 percent of its population since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration 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 arriving276
- People arriving, from those returns486
- Tax returns filed by households leaving282
- Net household movement-6
- Adjusted gross income arriving$12.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-658,000
- Average income of an arriving household$44,757
- Average income of a leaving household$46,138
- Largest single originPolk County (33 households)
- Largest single destinationPolk County (44 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 33 | 59 | $1.7 m |
| Ringgold County | 27 | 49 | $1.0 m |
| Adams County | 24 | 43 | $1.2 m |
| Adair County | 23 | 48 | $1.2 m |
Households arriving report $1,381 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Polk County, 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$964.9 m
- County GDP, 2023$930.8 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.7 percent
- GDP change over five years35.0 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Iowa areas BEA publishes55th of 99
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes1873rd of 3,127
- GDP per resident$80,452
Output grew 3.7 percent in the latest year and 35.0 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
Employment by industry in Union County
- Covered employment, annual average5,910
- Establishments reporting459
- Average annual pay$50,030
- Average weekly wage$962
- Manufacturing, employment1,082
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$55,328
- Retail trade, employment746
- Retail trade, average annual pay$31,070
- Health care and social assistance, employment538
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$37,246
- Accommodation and food services, employment369
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$16,705
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment327
- Construction, employment288
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 1,082 | 19 | $55,328 |
| Retail trade | 746 | 55 | $31,070 |
| Health care and social assistance | 538 | 57 | $37,246 |
| Accommodation and food services | 369 | 26 | $16,705 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 327 | 18 | $36,172 |
| Construction | 288 | 42 | $72,760 |
| Wholesale trade | 187 | 25 | $67,091 |
| Finance and insurance | 138 | 26 | $68,432 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,082 jobs, 18.3 percent of covered employment.
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 industries305
- Employment at those establishments4,687
- Annual payroll$200.7 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents25.4
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Union County
Building permits in Union County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20242
- Declared construction value permitted$480,650
- Single family units authorized2
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$240,325
- Units authorized per 1,000 households0.4
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Union County
SBA loans in Union County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded6
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$1.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$289,483
- Median 7(a) approval$151,000
- Largest single approval$922,400
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)53
- Jobs per approval8.8
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active4
- Distinct industries receiving approvals5
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer16.7 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter4
- Franchise loans2
- Franchise share of approvals33.3 percent
- Most active lenderNorthwest Bank (3)
- 504 approvals recorded3
- 504 gross approval dollars$2.6 m
- Average 504 approval$863,333
- Median 504 approval$633,000
- Distinct CDCs active1
- 504 jobs per approval14.3
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.6
- Most active CDCIowa Business Growth Company (3)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$4.3 m
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 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 recorded2
- Paid in full2
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure3
- Status: Paid in full2
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed1
Only 2 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
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
- Borrower cities with recorded lending2
- Creston, approvals5
- Afton, approvals1
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Creston | 5 | $1,536,900 |
| Afton | 1 | $200,000 |
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 area424 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Iowa counties91st of 99
- Width, east to west23.8 mi
- Height, north to south18 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land28
- Establishments per square mile0.72
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
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Union County, unincorporated areasNot participating, community 190910
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book5
- Of those, participating in the NFIP4
- NFIP participation rate80.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Union County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Union County (community 190910), does not participate in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Union County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 80.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
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.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202411,993
- Households5,116
- Average household size2.34
- Median household income$57,772
- Median age40.5
Common questions
Union County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Union County, Iowa?
The Census Bureau estimates 11,955 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 11,993, in 5,116 households, ranking 63rd of 99 Iowa 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 1.51 percent since the 2020 census base of 12,138, to 11,955 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 119 births against 174 deaths, with net migration of 100. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Union County?
$57,772. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $122,000, which is 2.1 times income, and median gross rent is $721 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Union County?
305 establishments, employing 4,687 people with an annual payroll of $200.7 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Union County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 1,082 jobs, 18.3 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 5,910 jobs at an average annual pay of $50,030, or $962 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Union County?
6 7(a) approvals totaling $1.7 m since FY2020, across 4 lenders, with a median approval of $151,000, plus 3 504 approvals worth $2.6 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
How many building permits were issued in Union County?
2 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $480,650. 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 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 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 Polk County, with 33 households. Arriving households report an average income of $44,757 against $46,138 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?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Union County
Cities and places in Union.
8 Census places lie wholly or partly in Union County. All 8 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creston | city | 7,435 | 5 | Wholly in this county |
| Afton | city | 817 | 1 | Wholly in this county |
| Lorimor | city | 319 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Shannon City | city | 115 | None recorded | 60.0 percent here, 40.0 percent Ringgold County |
| Cromwell | city | 103 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Arispe | city | 78 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Thayer | city | 45 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Kent | CDP | 0 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
Nearby