Household incomes in Union City are higher than in 92% of U.S. towns
The two grades for Union City are A− for jobs and income and A for walkability. Poverty touches 7.2% of residents (California 12.0%). Transit is limited for a town this walkable: about 9.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident at the evening peak, against 37.5 in San Francisco.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Union City at work: what stands out
The four measures behind Union City’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Union City is better than 81% of U.S. towns, #160 of 847 in California. Household income holds Union City’s grade up ($133,715, U.S. $80,734); unemployment pulls it down (5.3%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Union City could be anywhere from B+ to A.
65% of the jobs in Union City pay over $3,333 a month
24,249 jobs are based in Union City.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Union City, 2013 → 2023: 19,156 → 24,249. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Union City’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How many people are in Union City by day
On a workday 31,287 residents head out to work, 2,794 work right here, and 21,455 people come in from elsewhere.
About 55,000 people are in Union City on a workday afternoon, 15% fewer than live here.
0.71 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
11% of working residents work in Fremont
Where Union City clocks in
11% of workers
8% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Commuting from Union City: about 32 minutes a trip
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.2 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Union City workers work from home, vs 17% across California. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 27,922 commuters (the 19% who work from home are left out). Across California: 79% drive alone, 3% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Close to home or a long way: work trips from Union City
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
In Union City, walking beats the bus
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Union City is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns, #162 of 847 in California. Both inputs place Union City near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 34,297 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service (shown, not graded). 92% of residents live within a ¾-mile walk of a bus or train stop, 32% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 9.7 trips an hour stop near the typical resident, more than in 93% of the 9,825 U.S. towns with transit data.
Transit at the evening rush trips an hour stopping within ¼ mile of the typical resident, EPA 2020
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 5.9% of Union City households have no vehicle (California 7.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 5% of Union City’s commuters take a bus or train.
How Union City ranks: 192nd of 661 U.S. towns of 46,000 to 88,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Lakeville MN | 79,270 | $139K | 2.9% | 2.0% | 11% | A+ |
| 3 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 28 | Cupertino CA | 58,333 | $235K | 4.1% | 4.0% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 34 | South San Francisco CA | 64,941 | $137K | 6.7% | 2.8% | 12% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 41 | Dublin CA | 71,602 | $214K | 4.5% | 3.8% | 6% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 190 | Pleasant Township IN | 68,110 | $84K | 7.8% | 2.6% | 17% | A− |
| 191 | Lake Forest CA | 86,333 | $135K | 8.5% | 4.9% | 8% | A− |
| 192 | Union City CA | 65,282 | $134K | 7.2% | 5.3% | 8% | A− |
| 193 | Palatine IL | 65,842 | $98K | 8.2% | 4.1% | 8% | A− |
| 194 | Union Township NJ | 63,675 | $119K | 6.7% | 5.9% | 7% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 661 | Pahrump NV | 47,347 | $62K | 13.7% | 8.5% | 28% | D |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Union City, the top three, the last and three more from California.
Bordering towns draw 17% of Union City’s workers
The biggest share goes to Fremont (11%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Union City workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union City | – | A− | A | 32 min | $133,715 |
| Fremont | 11% | A | A+ | 30 min | $181,506 |
| Hayward | 6% | B+ | A | 32 min | $113,318 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Union City’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Union City: questions
What is the median household income in Union City?
$133,715 (±$8,054) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $99,122 across California and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Union City?
7.2%, against 12.0% across California and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Union City?
32 minutes each way on average, against 29 across California and 26 nationally. 19% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Union City work?
8% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Fremont (11%, 9 mi), San Jose (8%, 24 mi), San Francisco (7%, 25 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Union City walkable?
Union City is more walkable than 93% of U.S. towns (Walkability A): an EPA walkability index of 13.4 out of 20, and 6% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Union City without a car?
5% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 32% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Union City, from the people who make the trip.
More of Union City
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.