Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Union Township grades A− overall, 152nd among New Jersey's 466 graded towns. It has 8 miles of trail and 39% conserved land. Residents are healthier than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $138K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $417K for a typical one and 4.2 times the New York metro’s $99K median household income. 39% of the land in Union Township is conserved, above both the New Jersey town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Clinton Wildlife Management Area, at 1,921 acres with 3.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Union Township is more walkable than 72% of U.S. towns.
Where Union Township beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,217 in 1860, a low of 834 in 1920, 6,507 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 2005 and 5 maps from 1890 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Jersey), ordered by how far Union Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Union Township. Close and well known come first.
Big draw40 mi MuseumLynnewood Hall
30 mi GardenDrew University
30 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
27 mi Stadium & arenaSHI Stadium
24 mi LakeLake Musconetcong
19 mi Park & preserveDuke FarmsLynnewood Hall: Shuvaev, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Drew University: CUBJONES83 (talk), Public domain · Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · SHI Stadium: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Musconetcong: Zeete, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Duke Farms: Ekem, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Union Township, 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 Township.
Union Township keeps more of its land conserved than most of New Jersey and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in New Jersey; it also has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Within New Jersey it is healthier than 59% of the 468 graded towns: New Jersey sets a high bar. Its widest gap with New Jersey is no health insurance: 6.7% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 11.3% statewide.
18% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Union Township, where New Jersey’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 23%. 32% of Union Township adults sleep under 7 hours. Union Township beats the New Jersey average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Union Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 28% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Union Township | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.7% | 11.3% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 14.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Union Township School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 259 | A+ |
| Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for WomenLargest public high schoolGrades 11–12 | Grades 11–12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NJ on state tests and graduation
Its 5,145 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 94% of New Jersey towns.
7.7 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clinton Wildlife Management Area | 3.1 mi | 1,921 |
| 2. Spruce Run Recreation Area | 2.6 mi | 412 |
| 3. Union Furnace Preserve | 0.8 mi | 163 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 2,549 working residents takes 38.4 minutes, against 30.5 across New Jersey.
Most working residents leave Union Township for work: only 4% work in town. The average trip to work in Union Township is 38 minutes. The top destinations are New York (5%), Raritan Township (4%) and Clinton Township (4%).
| Union Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 38 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $138,000 | $113,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 6.1% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.6% | 6.3% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
441 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 41 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 441 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Union Township.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Union Township has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 85°, January nights drop to 20° and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (40% statewide). 47% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Union Township. Union Township has grown 2.1% since 2020, to 6,649 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Union Township | New Jersey towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 45% | 29% |
| Median age | 44.8 years | 42 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 19% | 21% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.4 points. Across New Jersey, 50.8% of residents are women.
| Union Township | NJ | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.2% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.8% | 8.4% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.2% | 12.9% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 13.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 18.5% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.5% | 13.5% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.3% | 10% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 7.2% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.6% | 9.3% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.1% | 25.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.4% | 15% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.7% | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 32.7% | 26.1% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.6% | 17.6% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
3 within 15 miles of the center of Union Township
About 3 of every 100 Union Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Jersey.
5,908 counted in 2010 and 6,507 in 2020; an estimated 6,649 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
6 places in Union Township on the National Register of Historic Places.
Township in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, US
Union Township is a township in Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The southwest half of the township lies on what is known as the Hunterdon Plateau, the northwest corner consists of the Musconetcong Ridge and the northeast section is part of the lower-lying Newark Basin around Spruce Run Reservoir. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 6,507, its highest ever decennial count and an increase of 599 (+10.1%) from the 2010 census count of 5,908, which in turn reflected a decline of 252 (−4.1%) from the 6,160 counted in the 2000 census. Union was incorporated as a township by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on February 17, 1853, from portions o…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Union Township.
| Town | NJ rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | #152 | A− | C− | — | B+ | A |
| Alexandria Township | #331 | C+ | C | — | B− | A |
| Clinton Township | #81 | A | D | A | B+ | A+ |
| Franklin Township | #65 | A | D | A | B+ | A |
| Lebanon Township | #141 | A− | C | A | B | A |
| Clinton | #161 | A− | D | — | B+ | A+ |
| Bethlehem Township | #207 | B+ | C− | — | B | A |
Union Township, Alexandria Township, Clinton and Bethlehem Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Union Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Union Township grades A− overall, better than 81% of U.S. towns and #152 of 466 in New Jersey. It grades A for health and B+ 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−.
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