Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,450, platted in 1849.
Union City gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $139K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the county’s $61K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 510th of 585 in Indiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $39K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Union City, above both the Indiana town median (10%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 79 of Indiana’s 1,098 towns do better. The biggest park or preserve is Harter Park, at 72 acres.
Where Union City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Union City Passenger Depot| Widest gap | Union City | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 33.9% | 15.4% |
Where Union City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Indiana), ordered by how far Union City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,439 in 1870, 3,454 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 4 maps from 1916 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Union City, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Union City.
Union City sends many workers across the state line to Greenville, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Against the 2,198 U.S. towns with household incomes like Union City’s, it is less healthy than 78%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
30% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Union City. Among 589 Indiana towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Union City. 20% of adults report frequent mental distress in Union City.
| Union City | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 21% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 17% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 12% |
| What stands out | Union City | IN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 33.9% | 15.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.9% | 8.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.4% | 14.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 2.3 years of the county’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $139K) costs less against local pay than in 79% of Indiana towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living. Home values rose 48% in five years, to about $139K, against 29% across Indiana.
The median rent in Union City is $595 a month. Typical home values rose 12% in the year to September 2026. 67% of Union City households own their home.
| Union City | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $595 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 76% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
31% of working residents cross a state line to work, Greenville among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Union City for work: only 17% work in town. Only 5 of the 593 Indiana towns we compare have a lower median household income than Union City. Jobs based in Union City fell to 936 in 2023, 67 fewer than in 2013.
| Union City | Indiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,000 | $71,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 11% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Union City has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 19° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Union City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harter Park | — | 72 |
| 2. Artisan Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Union City. Close and well known come first.
29 mi State parkGrand Lake St. Marys State Park
15 mi MuseumFort Recovery
18 mi MuseumLevi Coffin House
24 mi MuseumShrine of the Holy Relics
30 mi GardenMinnetrista
26 mi MuseumRichmond Art MuseumGrand Lake St. Marys State Park: Bruin, CC BY 2.0 · Fort Recovery: Nyttend, Public domain · Levi Coffin House: Nyttend, Public domain · Shrine of the Holy Relics: Rfgagel, Public domain · Minnetrista: XWHJ2004, CC BY 2.0 · Richmond Art Museum: William Merritt Chase, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Union City; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Union City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Indiana.
6 places in Union City on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Union City.
City in Indiana, United States
Union City is a city in Wayne Township, Randolph County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 3,454. Union City was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, a forerunner of the Pennsylvania Railroad that connected Pittsburgh to Chicago and St. Louis. The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway (also known as the "Big Four", a predecessor of the New York Central) had the east–west route connecting Indianapolis, Anderson and Muncie, Indiana with Sidney, Bellefontaine and Columbus, Ohio. It is believed by some area residents that the town got its nickname "The Hub City" because the two railroads intersected nea…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Union City grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #510 of 585 in Indiana. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
5 notable people were born here, including Earle Raymond Hedrick and Donald R. Atkinson.
