Union County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Union County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 20,141. It is the 67th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 3 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Union County is 42.4 years. This is 9% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Union County is $61,858. This is 8% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 21% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 13.9%. This is 1% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 4.1%. This is 14% lower than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $186,300. Housing costs are 27% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.0x. 80.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 20% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Union County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 94.6% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 2.2%. The Black or African American population (0.5%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population (2.2%) is well below the state average of 7.1%. The Asian population (0.0%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

14.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 52% lower than the state rate of 30.4%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 83.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Union County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Tennessee and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.