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Jobs & commute in Union Township

Most of Union Township commutes out: there are 0.2 jobs for every working resident

5% of workers have no commute at all, next to 13% for Missouri as a whole. Union Township has 33 jobs, and 140 of its residents work somewhere. Only 1% work in Union Township itself; outside it, Bethany draws the most (21%, 12 miles).

Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made

Day and night

Who leaves Union Township for work, and who comes in

On a workday 138 residents head out to work, 2 work right here, and 31 people come in from elsewhere.

138live here, work elsewhere
2live and work here
31work here, live elsewhere
Night and day
At night390
Workday280
390live here− 140head out to work+ 31come in to work= 280on a workday

About 280 people are in Union Township on a workday afternoon, 28% fewer than live here.

Job hub or commuter town?
0.24jobs per workerCommuter townJob hub

Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.

The commute map

The towns that employ Union Township’s residents

Lamoni: 3 residents work here (2%)Osceola: 3 residents work here (2%)BlythedaleGilman City: 6 residents work here (4%)EaglevilleMount MoriahRidgeway: 6 residents work here (4%)CainsvilleStanberryAlbany: 5 residents work here (4%)Bethany: 29 residents work here (21%)Trenton: 7 residents work here (5%)St. Joseph: 9 residents work here (6%)Kansas City: 6 residents work here (4%)Columbia: 4 residents work here (3%)Union TownshipAdams TownshipWashington TownshipMarion TownshipJefferson TownshipHamilton TownshipBethanySt. JosephTrentonGilman CityRidgewayKansas CityUnion Township
1
Bethany11.8 mi away
21%29
2
St. Joseph62.4 mi away
6%9
3
Trenton33.9 mi away
5%7
4
Gilman City23 mi away
4%6
5
Ridgeway6.9 mi away
4%6
6
Kansas City94.7 mi away
4%6
7
Albany20.2 mi away
4%5
8
Columbia137.6 mi away
3%4
9
Lamoni, IA13.8 mi away
2%3
10
Osceola, IA43.3 mi away
2%3
Everywhere elseother towns and states
44%62
The top trips

Where Union Township clocks in

Lines 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.

The jobs

What Union Township’s employers do

Jobs based in Union TownshipJobs Union Township residents hold

What kind of work

Goods: factories, building, farms18%20%
Trade, transport & utilities36%22%
Services: health, schools, offices45%58%

What it pays

$1,250 a month or less15%20%
$1,251–$3,333 a month36%43%
Over $3,333 a month48%37%

Who does it

29 or younger12%24%
30 to 5439%48%
55 and older48%28%
−59%

Jobs based in Union Township, 2013 → 2023: 80 → 33. 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 Township’s own residents hold wherever they work.

Time on the road

The daily trip from Union Township: about 27 minutes

A year of commuting
208 hours

Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.7 full days in the car, bus or train.

Average commute minutes, one way

Union Township27 min
Missouri24 min
U.S.26 min
Working from home
5%

of Union Township workers work from home, vs 13% across Missouri. Their commute is the hallway.

About 1 in 10
How Union Township gets to work
94%Drive alone
3%Carpool
1%Walk
2%Other

Share of the 190 commuters (the 5% who work from home are left out). Across Missouri: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.

From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.

How far

Union Township’s commute, mile by mile

10 mi25 mi50 mi80 miBethany: 21% · 11.8 miSt. Joseph: 6% · 62.4 miTrenton: 5% · 33.9 miGilman City: 4% · 23 miRidgeway: 4% · 6.9 miKansas City: 4% · 94.7 miAlbany: 4% · 20.2 miColumbia: 3% · 137.6 miLamoni: 2% · 13.8 miOsceola: 2% · 43.3 miBethany 21%St. Joseph 6%Trenton 5%Gilman City 4%Ridgeway 4%Union Township
Union TownshipTop destinations (size = commuters)
14%Under 10 mi20 residents
32%10–24 mi45 residents
14%25–50 mi19 residents
40%Over 50 mi56 residents

About 40% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.

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.

Next door

How Union Township compares with the towns next door

10%+5–9%2–4%1%Under 1%

Average commute minutes, one way

Marion Township15 min
Union Township27 min
Hamilton Township31 min
Jefferson Township32 min

Jobs & commute next door

TownUnion Township workers thereJobs & incomeWalkabilityCommuteHousehold income
Union Township–——27 min$57,625
Washington Townshipunder 3%————
Jefferson Townshipunder 3%——32 min—
Marion Townshipunder 3%——15 min—
Hamilton Townshipunder 3%——31 min—

Same-state neighbors only. Washington Township, Jefferson Township, Marion Township and Hamilton Township: fewer than 1,000 residents, not graded. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.

Darker towns draw more of Union Township’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.

How to read these numbers

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.

How these figures and grades are made →

Jobs and commuting in Union Township: questions

What is the median household income in Union Township?

$57,625 (±$17,527) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $70,702 across Missouri and $80,734 nationally.

What is the poverty rate in Union Township?

4.5%, against 12.6% across Missouri and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).

How long is the commute from Union Township?

27 minutes each way on average, against 24 across Missouri and 26 nationally. 5% of workers work from home.

Where do people who live in Union Township work?

1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bethany (21%, 12 mi), St. Joseph (6%, 62 mi), Trenton (5%, 34 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).

Can you get around Union Township without a car?

0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.

Commuter talk

Getting to work from Union Township, from the people who make the trip.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors
Beyond the commute

More of Union Township

Union Township home →

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.