Union County, New Jersey
Population 579,290 · Elizabeth, Plainfield, Linden
- Overall cost of living: +12.6% vs the US average, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Colleges within 30 mi: 182, higher than 99% of US counties.
- Street intersections: 116 per sq mi, higher than 98% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈+12.6% | higher than 99% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $529,200 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Median rent | $1,730 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $133/mo | lower than 88% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $15,396/yr | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 1.89% | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 6.625% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5.52% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $10,001 | the highest in the US |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $103,202 | higher than 96% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 5.5% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +1.3% | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 364.5 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈197 days | lower than 70% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 87°F | lower than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 24°F | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 26 in | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 28 days | lower than 56% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 111 days | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 3.6% of weeks | lower than 78% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈63.3°F | higher than 50% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 49.1 in | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $120/yr | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $102/yr | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $5.1/yr | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $8.8/yr | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $1.8/yr | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0/yr | the lowest in the US |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 10.1 µg/m³ | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 11.5 mi | lower than 92% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈506.6 ft | higher than 56% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 86.3% | lower than 74% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 38.9% | higher than 90% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 15.8% | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 182 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.6:1 | lower than 68% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 83.3% | lower than 80% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 8.54 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.13 | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 3.2 | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 63/100k | higher than 70% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 76 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.8★ | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 81.1 yrs | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 12.6% | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 273/100k | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 89/100k | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 23.9/100k | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 99.6% | higher than 98% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 23 min | lower than 95% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 23 min | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 30 min | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 93.3% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 9.1% | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 14.2% | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 24 min | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 116 per sq mi | higher than 98% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 3.6 per 1k | higher than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 14.7 per 1k | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Population | 579,290 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Median age | 39.1 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -9.4 per 1k/yr | lower than 92% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 61.2% Dem | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 37% Rep | lower than 95% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.8% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % White | 35.4% | lower than 94% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 35.2% | higher than 94% of US counties |
| % Black | 19.1% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| % Asian | 5.6% | higher than 95% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 3.4% | lower than 52% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 1.2% | higher than 97% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 757 parks | higher than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 18.6 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.2 | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 83 min | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.6% | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 3 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 215 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 539 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 3,321 km | higher than 98% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 56 km | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 1,914 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 2,096 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 1,150 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Museums within 30 mi | 204 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 74 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 283 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 12 | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 12 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 502 | higher than 99% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 174 km | higher than 91% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data