• county
  • FIPS 19175
  • Largest town: Creston

Union County, Iowa

Union County had 11,955 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 423.7 square miles of land. It ranks 63rd of 99 in Iowa by population and 91st by land area.

Population
11,955
#63 of 99 in Iowa · #2,287 in US
Area
423.7 sq mi
#91 of 99 in Iowa · #2,390 in US
Density
28 / sq mi
#46 of 99 in Iowa · #1,980 in US
Median household income
$59,066
#95 of 99 in Iowa · #1,926 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Union County within Iowa. Pin: Des Moines.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Union County

Union County population, land area and income

Union County had 11,955 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 423.7 square miles of land. It ranks 63rd of 99 in Iowa by population and 91st by land area. That works out to 28.2 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Iowa has 15,008 residents; Union County is somewhat smaller.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $59,066 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

11,955

3144th1st

2287th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

424 sq mi

3144th1st

2390th of 3,144 (US)

Density

28.2 / sq mi

3144th1st

1980th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$59,066

3143rd1st

1926th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Iowa (99)

Population

11,955

99th1st

63rd of 99 (IA)

Land area

424 sq mi

99th1st

91st of 99 (IA)

Density

28.2 / sq mi

99th1st

46th of 99 (IA)

Median household income

$59,066

99th1st

95th of 99 (IA)

How Union County's population changed since 2020

Union County lost 173 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.4%. That ranks 69th of 99 in Iowa for growth. The median Iowa county changed by -0.6%, and the state as a whole by +1.6%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Union County recorded 492 births and 735 deaths, a natural change of -243. Net international migration added +165 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to -106. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 243 people.

12.1k202012.0k202111.9k202211.9k202312.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
492
Deaths
735
Net international migration
+165
Net domestic migration
-106
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+42

Where Union County is

The Census internal point of Union County is at 41.028600, -94.245100. It sits in UTM zone 15N. The map shades Iowa's 99 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Union County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Monroe County: -2.9%Worth County: -1.7%Buena Vista County: +0.0%Jasper County: +0.8%Van Buren County: -0.0%Hardin County: -2.2%Ida County: -3.1%Marshall County: +0.8%Fayette County: -1.5%Ringgold County: -0.8%Wapello County: +1.0%Webster County: -0.2%Adams County: -2.8%Buchanan County: +0.6%Cerro Gordo County: -1.2%Lucas County: +1.6%Emmet County: -1.9%Floyd County: -3.8%Crawford County: -0.7%Linn County: +0.6%Montgomery County: -2.6%Polk County: +4.7%Cherokee County: +0.0%Bremer County: +1.3%Grundy County: +0.5%Adair County: -0.8%Cedar County: -1.4%Story County: +3.9%Mahaska County: -0.6%Davis County: +0.9%Clay County: +0.8%Johnson County: +4.6%Greene County: -1.0%Palo Alto County: -2.0%Benton County: +1.0%Cass County: -0.7%Wright County: -1.5%Audubon County: -2.1%Henry County: -5.3%Boone County: +0.1%Appanoose County: -1.4%Washington County: +0.4%Chickasaw County: -2.2%Poweshiek County: -0.9%Osceola County: -2.6%Wayne County: +1.8%Mitchell County: +0.4%Jefferson County: +0.5%Union County: -1.4%Butler County: -1.2%Hancock County: -1.3%Marion County: +1.9%Delaware County: +0.9%Humboldt County: +0.2%Sioux County: +1.8%Des Moines County: -1.1%O'Brien County: +0.8%Clayton County: -0.6%Black Hawk County: +1.0%Winnebago County: -2.6%Harrison County: +0.4%Decatur County: -1.0%Pocahontas County: -0.9%Lyon County: +3.8%Iowa County: -1.4%Franklin County: +0.3%Dickinson County: +2.2%Madison County: +3.2%Allamakee County: +0.8%Jones County: +2.2%Carroll County: -1.6%Kossuth County: -2.6%Hamilton County: -1.0%Howard County: -1.4%Page County: -1.1%Guthrie County: +1.5%Tama County: -1.8%Monona County: -3.6%Clarke County: -2.1%Lee County: -3.4%Mills County: +2.1%Sac County: -2.7%Scott County: +0.6%Keokuk County: -1.6%Jackson County: -0.3%Warren County: +7.1%Calhoun County: -1.9%Shelby County: +0.8%Fremont County: -1.1%Dubuque County: -0.1%Louisa County: -1.8%Taylor County: -0.6%Woodbury County: +1.2%Clinton County: -0.9%Winneshiek County: -1.6%Pottawattamie County: -0.1%Plymouth County: +0.5%Muscatine County: -2.4%Dallas County: +14.7%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < -1.9%
  2. < -1.0%
  3. < +0.0%
  4. < +0.9%
  5. ≥ +0.9%
no data

Orange pin: Union County internal point. Dark pin: Des Moines.

Internal point

Decimal
41.028600, -94.245100
DMS
41°01'42.96"N 94°14'42.36"W
UTM
15N 395329.3E 4542678.6N
Geohash
9zkcrmhbf
Plus code
86H72QH3+CX

Towns in Union County

One incorporated place of 1,000+ people has residents in Union County, 7,421 people together, or 62% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Union County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Creston with 7,421.

  1. 01Creston7,421
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Union County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Union County. The most populous is Madison County, IA, with 17,161 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Des Moines and the nearest big city

Des Moines is 51.2 miles NE of Union County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Des Moines, IA (population 213,096), 50.0 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Indianola, IA (population 16,297), 42.2 miles away.

Union County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Union County is 19175: state code 19 for Iowa plus county code 175. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $59,066.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Union County, Iowa?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 11,955. That is down 173 people (1.4%) from the July 2020 estimate of 12,128.

What is the FIPS code of Union County?

19175. The first two digits (19) are Iowa; the last three (175) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Union County?

Creston, with 7,421 residents inside Union County in 2024.

Which counties border Union County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Madison County, IA; Clarke County, IA; Decatur County, IA; Adair County, IA; Taylor County, IA; Ringgold County, IA; Adams County, IA.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.