Union County, New Jersey
Union County | |
|---|---|
Downtown Westfield in July 2005 | |
Location within the U.S. state of New Jersey | |
New Jersey's location within the U.S. | |
| Coordinates: 40°39′N 74°17′W / 40.65°N 74.29°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | New Jersey |
| Founded | 1857 |
| Named after | Union threatened by slavery dispute |
| Seat | Elizabeth |
| Largest city | Elizabeth (population and area) |
| Government | |
| • Commission Chair | Sergio Granados (D, term ends December 31, 2025) |
| Area | |
• Total | 105.41 sq mi (273.0 km2) |
| • Land | 102.77 sq mi (266.2 km2) |
| • Water | 2.64 sq mi (6.8 km2) 2.5% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 575,345 |
• Estimate (2024) | 594,160 |
| • Density | 5,500/sq mi (2,100/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| Congressional districts | 7th, 8th, 10th, 12th |
| Website | www |
Union County is a county in the northern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the county was the state's seventh-most-populous county with a population of 575,345, its highest decennial count ever and an increase of 38,846 (+7.2%) from the 2010 census count of 536,499. Its county seat is Elizabeth, which is also the most populous municipality in the county, with a 2020 census population of 137,298, and the largest by area, covering 13.46 square miles (34.9 km2). The county serves as a transition point between the Central Jersey and North Jersey regions of the state.
In 2015, the county had a per capita personal income of $60,089, the seventh-highest in New Jersey and ranked 152nd of 3,113 counties in the United States. The Bureau of Economic Analysis ranked the county as having the 119th-highest per capita income of all 3,113 counties in the United States (and the eighth-highest in New Jersey) in 2009. A study by Forbes.com determined that Union County residents pay the second-highest property taxes of all U.S. counties, based on 2007 data.
With a population density of 4,955 inhabitants per square mile (1,913/km2) in 2000, Union County was the 15th-most densely populated county in the United States as of the 2010 Census, and third-densest in New Jersey, behind Hudson County (ranked 6th nationwide at 9,754 per square mile) and Essex County (ranked 11th at 6,126).