Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Union grades A− overall, 25th of 138 graded towns in Kentucky. The median household earns $137K. Its schools outperform 92% of the state's and residents are healthier than 84% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $471K, 5.8 years of the Cincinnati metro’s $81K median household income. 59% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Union, above both the Kentucky town median (26%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Union has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Big Bone Lick Archeological District and Big Bone Lick State Park. Among 119 Kentucky towns, just 2 have a higher typical home value than Union.
Where Union beats most towns.
5,379 counted in 2010 and 7,416 in 2020; an estimated 7,937 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.9% since 2020, after 37.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Kentucky), ordered by how far Union is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 100 in 1920, 7,416 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Union. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Theme parkArk Encounter
13 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
Big draw35 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
14 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
11 mi MuseumCreation Museum1.2M visitors a year
15 mi Stadium & arenaNippert StadiumArk Encounter: OlinEJ, CC0 · Paycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Creation Museum: Creashin at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Union, 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.
Union sends many workers across the state line to Cincinnati, has less food insecurity than most of Kentucky and has household incomes well above the Kentucky norm.
The median property tax bill is $3,768, against $1,544 across Kentucky, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Union’s median rent is $1,657 a month. The typical Union home is worth about $471,000, up 3.8% in a year, about twice the Kentucky typical home. 83% of households own their home in Union.
| Union | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,657 a month | $930 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 59% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Boone County school district. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Larry A. Ryle High School, with 2,077 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gray Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,006 | A+ |
| Larry A. Ryle High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,077 | A |
| Shirley Mann Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 710 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within KY on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Kentucky is food insecurity: 7.8% of its 5,209 adults worry about having enough food, against 15.5% statewide. Against the 3,872 U.S. towns with household incomes like Union’s, it is less healthy than 53%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
11% of Union adults report frequent physical distress. Union beats the Kentucky average on 19 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 18% of Union adults get no exercise outside work.
| Union | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 27% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 23% | 19% |
| What stands out | Union | KY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.8% | 15.5% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 5% | 8.8% |
| More binge drinkers | 17.9% | 14.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
25% of working residents cross a state line to work, Cincinnati among the top destinations. Jobs based here grew from 775 in 2013 to 1,273.
Most working residents leave Union for work: only 2% work in town. Since 2013, Union has added 498 jobs, to 1,273 in 2023. The average trip to work in Union is 26 minutes.
| Union | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $137,000 | $59,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 16% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 15% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Union has chilly winters and warm summers. Only 4 of the 142 Kentucky towns we compare have a lower July high than Union.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Union.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Union | Kentucky towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Union Park | — | 14 |
| 2. Harmony Park | 0.2 mi | 3 |
| 3. Hempsteade HOA Park (Private) | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
8 within 15 miles of the center of Union
About 8 of every 100 Union residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Kentucky.
Where Union’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Kentucky, United States
Union is a home-rule-class city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 7,416 as of the 2020 United States census. The area was rural until residential growth in the 1990s and 2000s. Union is located 17 miles (27 km) southwest of Cincinnati, Ohio.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Union.
Union reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Union with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Union grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #25 of 138 in Kentucky. It grades A− for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
