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Place dossier plate
SheetMO-UNION-MO · Union, MO 12,560 pop · income 52nd pct
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Union
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Union on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Parker · lowest
38,607
Parker · lowest
38,607 median HH income
31.9% of the leader · rank #1
Foots Creek · near
71,755
Foots Creek · near
71,755 median HH income
59.3% of the leader · rank #2
Union · this city
71,760
Union · this city
71,760 median HH income
59.3% of the leader · rank #3
Williamstown · near
71,761
Williamstown · near
71,761 median HH income
59.3% of the leader · rank #4
East Peoria · near
71,763
East Peoria · near
71,763 median HH income
59.3% of the leader · rank #5
Arden-Arcade · near
71,767
Arden-Arcade · near
71,767 median HH income
59.4% of the leader · rank #6
Poquoson · highest
120,919
Poquoson · highest
120,919 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Union on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 12,560.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Union - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Union places in the 52nd percentile for household income and the 19th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
52nd
percentile, household income
43rd
percentile, home value
7th
percentile, median rent
19th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Union, MO
Union is a small town in Missouri, home to 12,560 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Union households earn a median of $71,760 annually, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.3%. Home values in Union run a median of $199,100, and the median resident age is 33.9 years. Educational attainment runs 25.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 61.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 141 residential building permits were authorized in Union (Building Boom), up 114% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: per-100,000 total crime stands at 2717.8 in FBI UCR data, near the national average (a voluntary reporting program, read this as reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 56.9°F with 45.0 inches of precipitation per year and 14.4 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Missouri run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Missouri at 90.8 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $972 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Missouri's average monthly utility costs around $219 (state average). FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 out of 100 (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Union's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from work and mobility to population change to housing and income to reported crime to schools and households to climate and hazard context to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Union, city-specific coverage includes matched public-school count, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, commute-mode shares, annual population history.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
1. Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Union?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 77.0%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +1,063 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +8.6% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 141 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
How far does income reach against housing in Union?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 7.3%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Which cities make useful reference points for Union?
Within Missouri, the closest population matches are Fulton (12,611 residents, $55,015 income); Eureka (12,371 residents, $108,947 income); Branson (12,760 residents, $54,961 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Parker, SC (12,564 residents); Poquoson, VA (12,556 residents); Windsor Locks, CT (12,555 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Union?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2717.8 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 19% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
2324.2
Violent rate
393.7
Total reported rate
2717.8
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 25.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
Matched public schools
1
Bachelor's degree+
25.6%
Poverty estimate
7.3%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 56.9°F, with 45.0 inches of precipitation and 14.4 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Missouri is 50.6 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
Mean temperature
56.9°F
Annual precipitation
45.0 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
50.6
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
Above median income · poverty 7.3% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
90.8 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Missouri average
C-
City profile score · Union, MO
52/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A-
90.8 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Household income C-
$71,760
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C-
7.3%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C-
25.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
394 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Union profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 83/100 (A-) · 90.8 index
Household income: 51/100 (C-) · $71,760
Poverty rate: 51/100 (C-) · 7.3%
Bachelor's+ share: 50/100 (C-) · 25.6%
Violent crime: 23/100 (F) · 394 /100k
Where Union sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Union's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Union highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Union, MO (this city): home $199,100, crime 2,718/100k
Poquoson, VA : home $403,000, crime 978/100k
Windsor Locks, CT : home $236,800, crime 1,087/100k
Artesia, NM : home $213,800, crime 2,650/100k
Levelland, TX : home $126,200, crime 1,368/100k
Mendota, CA : home $250,400, crime 1,359/100k
Fulton, MO : home $144,500, crime 1,295/100k
Eureka, MO : home $352,200, crime 995/100k
Branson, MO : home $237,900, crime 6,494/100k
West Plains, MO : home $158,700, crime 2,167/100k
Crestwood, MO : home $291,400, crime 1,586/100k
Neosho, MO : home $148,600, crime 2,415/100k
How does Union compare to other US cities?
Where Union sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income52% higher than other cities
Home value43% pricier than other cities
Median rent7% pricier than other cities
Safety19% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Missouri and the picture shifts: Union ranks #176 of 234 Missouri cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Union against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Missouri only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Missouri-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Union near the bottom of Missouri's cities
Among the 875 Missouri cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Union ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Union only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#202 of 842
76th percentile in Missouri
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 875
0th percentile in Missouri
Median Home Value
#173 of 833
79th percentile in Missouri
Poverty Rate
#537 of 875
39th percentile in Missouri
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#209 of 875
76th percentile in Missouri
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Missouri only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
52nd percentile nationally for median household income · 19th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Union's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Union's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Union's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$199,100Among the most affordablemore affordable than 57% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Union's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,442 of 15,516
More affordable than 65% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#626 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.8×, Union sits in the affordable band:
national rank #5,442 of 15,516 and #626 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$71,760Union, MO median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Union, MO median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Union, MO.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)25.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)7.3%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)61.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
12,560
Median Income
$71,760
Median Home Value
$199,100
Median Age
33.9
Poverty Rate
7.3%
Labor force participation
61.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
25.6%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2717.8
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
393.7
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
2324.2
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
56.9°F
Annual Precipitation
45.0"
Annual Snowfall
14.4"
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Union's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
12,382 residents
2021
12,501 residents
2022
12,756 residents
2023
13,001 residents
2024
13,208 residents
2025
13,445 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
141
housing units authorized
Single-Family
109
detached homes
Multifamily
32
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
11.2
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
66
66
0
$9.5M
2020
76
76
0
$8.1M
2021
138
138
0
$14.4M
2022
163
73
90
$17.2M
2023
102
94
8
$18.8M
2024
141
109
32
$31.4M
Permit volume increased 114% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
77.0%
Carpool
11.4%
Public Transit
0.6%
Walk
0.8%
Work from Home
9.0%
Other
1.2%
Based on 6,014 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Missouri statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $219
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Missouri at $219 (electricity about $105 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Missouri statewide averages, not a meter reading for Union. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Missouri's BEA cost-of-living index is 90.8 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Union is $972/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Missouri statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.6 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Missouri statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Union sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Union compares to similar-size Missouri cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.