Union County, Oregon: commercial real estate data.
Union County, Oregon has a population of 26,144 across 2,037 square miles, down 0.5 percent since the 2020 census base. County output reached $1.34 bn in 2024, 740 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 42 7(a) approvals worth $5.5 m.
112 sourced county values · tier FULL · 11 sections
Union County
How many people live in Union County
- Population26,144
- Households10,900
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$65,661
- Median age40.0
- Median gross rent$982 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$294,600
- Home value to household income4.5 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income17.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher26.1 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree8.9 percent
- Adults 25 and over17,593
- Population under 185,591
- Share under 1821.4 percent
- Population 65 and over5,584
- Share 65 and over21.4 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6414,969
- Civilian labor force12,490
- Unemployment rate5.7 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over60.8 percent
- Rank by population among Oregon counties24th of 36
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents1609th
Union County is the 24th largest of 36 Oregon counties by population. A median home costs 4.5 times median household income, which is an affordable ownership market by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 21.4 percent against 21.4 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 growing
- Population change since the 2020 census base-0.52 percent
- Census 2020 base population26,195
- Births, 2024261
- Deaths, 2024379
- Natural change, 2024-118
- Net domestic migration, 202494
- Net international migration, 202444
- Total net migration, 2024138
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024164
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents2025th
The county has lost 0.52 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 arriving626
- People arriving, from those returns1,105
- Adjusted gross income arriving$33.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$0
- Average income of an arriving household$53,353
- Largest single originUnion County Non-migrants (9,495 households)
- Largest single destination (9,495 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union County Non-migrants | 9,495 | 19,439 | $662.5 m |
| Other flows - Different State | 273 | 494 | $14.6 m |
| Other flows - West | 198 | 356 | $11.3 m |
| Other flows - Same State | 150 | 248 | $8.1 m |
| Umatilla County | 63 | 99 | $2.8 m |
| Other flows - South | 48 | 93 | $1.9 m |
| Baker County | 42 | 85 | $1.3 m |
| Multnomah County | 29 | 44 | $2.6 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 the Union County economy runs on
- County GDP, 2024$1.34 bn
- County GDP, 2023$1.32 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20241.7 percent
- GDP change over five years28.7 percent
- Rank by GDP among Oregon counties26th
- Rank by GDP among US county-equivalents1607th
- GDP per resident$51,241
Output grew 1.7 percent in the latest year and 28.7 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 average10,486
- Establishments reporting1,047
- Average annual pay$52,345
- Average weekly wage$1,007
- Sector 62, employment1,820
- Sector 62, average annual pay$61,367
- Sector 44-45, employment1,427
- Sector 44-45, average annual pay$33,896
- Sector 31-33, employment1,220
- Sector 31-33, average annual pay$60,378
- Sector 72, employment922
- Sector 72, average annual pay$22,872
- Sector 23, employment595
- Sector 11, employment393
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sector 62 | 1,820 | 162 | $61,367 |
| Sector 44-45 | 1,427 | 98 | $33,896 |
| Sector 31-33 | 1,220 | 33 | $60,378 |
| Sector 72 | 922 | 77 | $22,872 |
| Sector 23 | 595 | 117 | $60,088 |
| Sector 11 | 393 | 85 | $51,348 |
| Sector 54 | 329 | 69 | $58,886 |
| Sector 81 | 310 | 94 | $33,641 |
The largest sector is the biggest private employer group at 1,820 jobs, 17.4 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
What businesses operate in Union County
- Establishments, all industries740
- Employment at those establishments7,702
- Annual payroll$396.8 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents28.3
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, 202438
- Declared construction value permitted$13.7 m
- Single family units authorised36
- Multifamily units authorised2
- Multifamily share of units5.3 percent
- Average declared value per unit$361,469
- Units authorised per 1,000 households3.5
Multifamily is 5.3 percent of units authorised, so the pipeline is predominantly for sale product.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Union County
How much SBA lending happens in Union County
- 7(a) approvals recorded42
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$5.5 m
- Average 7(a) approval$131,105
- Median 7(a) approval$50,000
- 10th percentile approval$24,000
- 90th percentile approval$350,000
- Largest single approval$1,386,200
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)114
- Jobs per approval2.7
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active8
- Distinct industries receiving approvals28
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer4.8 percent
- Loans on real estate terms2
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter40
- Franchise loans3
- Franchise share of approvals7.1 percent
- Leading industry by approval countAll Other Specialty Trade Contractors (5)
- Most active lenderU.S. Bank, National Association (17)
The average approval of $131,105 sits well above the median of $50,000, so a small number of large deals is pulling the mean up. The median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here actually gets. Only 4.8 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
Do SBA loans in Union County get paid back
- Loans with a final outcome recorded12
- Paid in full12
- Charged off0
- Charge off rate on resolved loans0.0 percent
- Status: Paid in full12
- Status: Cancelled6
- Status: Exempt from disclosure22
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed2
Of the 12 loans that have reached a final outcome, 0.0 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Union County
Which parts of Union County get the lending
- Places in the county with recorded lending6
- LA GRANDE, approvals31
- ELGIN, approvals3
- UNION, approvals3
- Island City, approvals2
- NORTH POWDER, approvals2
- COVE, approvals1
| Place | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| LA GRANDE | 31 | $4,821,400 |
| ELGIN | 3 | $95,000 |
| UNION | 3 | $135,000 |
| Island City | 2 | $315,000 |
| NORTH POWDER | 2 | $90,000 |
| COVE | 1 | $50,000 |
LA GRANDE accounts for 31 approvals against 3 in ELGIN. 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 big is Union County
- Land area2,037 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Oregon counties16th of 36
- Width, east to west69.6 mi
- Height, north to south62.3 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary4
- Residents per square mile of land13
- Establishments per square mile0.36
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 504 approvals recorded in this county in the FOIA release covering FY2010 onward.
- 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.
- Population26,144
- Households10,900
- Average household size2.40
- Median household income$65,661
- Median age40.0
Common questions
Union County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Union County, Oregon?
26,144, in 10,900 households, ranking 24th of 36 Oregon counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Union County growing?
The population has fallen 0.52 percent since the 2020 census base. In 2024 there were 261 births against 379 deaths, with net migration of 138. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Union County?
$65,661. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $294,600, which is 4.5 times income, and median gross rent is $982 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are there in Union County?
740 establishments, employing 7,702 people with an annual payroll of $396.8 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 $52,345, or $1,007 a week, across 10,486 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?
42 7(a) approvals totalling $5.5 m since FY2020, across 8 lenders, with a median approval of $50,000. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Union County get paid back?
Of the 12 loans that have reached a final outcome, 12 were paid in full and 0 charged off, a charge off rate of 0.0 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
What is being built in Union County?
38 housing units were authorised by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $13.7 m. Multifamily was 5.3 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 9,495 households. Arriving households report an average income of $53,353 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.