Union County, Kentucky: commercial real estate data.
Union County, Kentucky has a population of 13,260 across 343 square miles, down 3.6 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.15 bn in 2024, 249 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 2 7(a) approvals worth $851,000.
108 sourced county values · tier FULL · 10 sections
Union County
How many people live in Union County
- Population13,260
- Households5,198
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$60,327
- Median age42.4
- Median gross rent$790 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$104,500
- Home value to household income1.7 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.7 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher13.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree4.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over9,478
- Population under 182,499
- Share under 1818.8 percent
- Population 65 and over2,631
- Share 65 and over19.8 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 648,130
- Civilian labor force5,795
- Unemployment rate2.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over53.9 percent
- Rank by population among Kentucky counties81st of 120
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents2271st
Union County is the 81st largest of 120 Kentucky counties by population. A median home costs 1.7 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 19.8 percent against 18.8 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 growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-3.61 percent
- Census 2020 base population13,671
- Births, 2024165
- Deaths, 2024198
- Natural change, 2024-33
- Net domestic migration, 202494
- Net international migration, 2024-1
- Total net migration, 202493
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-263
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2841st
The county has lost 3.61 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 people moving to Union County come from
- Tax returns filed by households arriving215
- People arriving, from those returns412
- Adjusted gross income arriving$8.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$38,893
- Largest single originUnion County Non-migrants (4,738 households)
- Largest single destination (4,738 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County Non-migrants | 4,738 | 10,009 | $315.6 m |
| Henderson County | 67 | 138 | $2.2 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 67 | 117 | $4.0 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 59 | 96 | $1.7 m |
| Other flows - Midwest | 38 | 66 | $1.1 m |
| Webster County | 22 | 61 | $499,000 |
| Other flows - South | 21 | 30 | $560,000 |
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 the Union County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.15 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.24 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 2024-7.9 percent
- GDP change over five years41.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among Kentucky counties44th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1730th
- GDP per resident$86,415
Output grew -7.9 percent in the latest year and 41.2 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
Who employs people in Union County
- Covered employment, annual average5,225
- Establishments reporting390
- Average annual pay$61,075
- Average weekly wage$1,175
- Sector 31-33, employment952
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$58,065
- Sector 44-45, employment539
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$30,161
- Sector 54, employment331
- Sector 54, average annual pay$73,707
- Sector 72, employment255
- Sector 72, average annual pay$17,537
- Sector 42, employment169
- Sector 23, employment152
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 31-33 | 952 | 18 | $58,065 |
| Sector 44-45 | 539 | 50 | $30,161 |
| Sector 54 | 331 | 21 | $73,707 |
| Sector 72 | 255 | 27 | $17,537 |
| Sector 42 | 169 | 24 | $83,792 |
| Sector 23 | 152 | 25 | $62,974 |
| Sector 52 | 106 | 18 | $79,861 |
| Sector 81 | 68 | 19 | $39,328 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 952 jobs, 18.2 percent of covered employment. Average pay per job exceeds median household income, which usually means single earner households and a wage base that can carry rent.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Union County
What businesses operate in Union County
- Establishments, all industries249
- Employment at those establishments3,980
- Annual payroll$228.0 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents18.8
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
What is being built in Union County
- Housing units authorised by permit, 20240
- Declared construction value permitted$0
- Single family units authorised0
- Multifamily units authorised0
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. In a small county this is common and is not by itself a sign of distress, but it does mean there is no recent residential pipeline to read demand from.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Union County
How much SBA lending happens in Union County
- 7(a) approvals recorded2
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$851,000
- Average 7(a) approval$425,500
- Median 7(a) approval$751,000
- 10th percentile approval$100,000
- 90th percentile approval$751,000
- Largest single approval$751,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)12
- Jobs per approval6.0
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active1
- Distinct industries receiving approvals1
- Median 7(a) term300 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer50.0 percent
- Loans on real estate terms1
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter1
- Franchise loans0
- Franchise share of approvals0.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countPharmacies and Drug Retailers (2)
- Most active lenderOld National Bank (2)
- 504 approvals recorded2
- 504 gross approval dollars$911,000
- Average 504 approval$455,500
- Median 504 approval$465,000
- Distinct CDCs active2
- 504 jobs per approval7.5
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved16.5
- Most active CDCPremier Capital Corporation (1)
- 7(a) share of SBA approvals50.0 percent
- Combined SBA approval dollars$1.8 m
The average approval of $425,500 sits close to the median of $751,000, so lending here is fairly evenly sized rather than driven by a few large deals. 50.0 percent of approvals run on real estate terms of 240 months or more, so this is a market where SBA credit is buying buildings, not just funding operations.
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
Do SBA loans in Union County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded0
- Paid in full0
- Charged off0
- Status: Exempt from disclosure2
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.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Union County
How big is Union County
- Land area343 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Kentucky counties51st of 120
- Width, east to west23.3 mi
- Height, north to south29.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary3
- Residents per square mile of land39
- Establishments per square mile0.73
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.
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 NFIP communities are listed for this county in the FEMA Community Status Book.
- 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.
- Population13,260
- Households5,198
- Average household size2.55
- Median household income$60,327
- Median age42.4
Common questions
Union County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Union County, Kentucky?
13,260, in 5,198 households, ranking 81st of 120 Kentucky counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Union County growing?
The population has fallen 3.61 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 165 births against 198 deaths, with net migration of 93. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Union County?
$60,327. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $104,500, which is 1.7 times income, and median gross rent is $790 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Union County?
249 establishments, employing 3,980 people with an annual payroll of $228.0 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 $61,075, or $1,175 a week, across 5,225 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?
2 7(a) approvals totalling $851,000 since FY2020, across 1 lenders, with a median approval of $751,000, plus 2 504 approvals worth $911,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
What is being built in Union County?
No residential units were authorised by permit in 2024. 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 4,738 households. Arriving households report an average income of $38,893 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.