Gov. William Liberty Hall (Livingston House) · Photo: Dmadeo · CC BY-SA 4.0Households in Union Township have higher incomes than those in 88% of U.S. towns
Poverty touches 6.7% of residents (New Jersey 9.7%). Union Township grades A− for jobs and income and A+ for walkability. For a town this walkable, transit is thin: about 9.6 trips an hour at the evening peak near the typical resident, next to 43.7 in Jersey City.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Union Township apart
Union Township trades workers with the towns around it
Union Township has about as many jobs (29,092) as working residents (29,352), but they are mostly different people: 27,250 residents leave for work each day while 26,990 people come in. Only 7% of the jobs in Union Township are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Union Township draws workers from far and wide
The 29,092 jobs in Union Township are filled from a wide area. Union Township’s own residents hold 7% and the ten next-biggest home towns 28%; the other 65% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The figures behind Union Township’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Union Township is better than 81% of U.S. towns, #230 of 468 in New Jersey. Job access by car holds Union Township’s grade up (among the top U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down (5.9%, U.S. 5.2%). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Union Township could be anywhere from B+ to A.
Who works in Union Township, and who works elsewhere
On a workday 27,250 residents head out to work, 2,102 work right here, and 26,990 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.99 per resident).
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 Newark
Where Union Township clocks in
11% of workers
10% of workers
5% 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.
What the 29,092 jobs in Union Township are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Union Township, 2013 → 2023: 28,521 → 29,092. 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.
Getting to work from Union Township takes about 30 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Union Township workers work from home, vs 17% across New Jersey. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 28,993 commuters (the 12% who work from home are left out). Across New Jersey: 75% drive alone, 10% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Where in the region Union Township works
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.
Walkable streets, thin transit: Union Township
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Union Township is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns, #88 of 468 in New Jersey. Both inputs place Union Township 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 33,035 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, 41% within a quarter mile. At the weekday evening rush, about 9.6 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). 5.6% of Union Township households have no vehicle (New Jersey 11.1%, U.S. 8.4%). 10% of Union Township’s commuters take a bus or train.
For jobs and income, Union Township is 208th of 687 U.S. towns of 45,000 to 86,000
| # | 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+ |
| … | |||||||
| 30 | Bridgewater Township NJ | 46,455 | $173K | 4.1% | 3.7% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 55 | Wayne Township NJ | 54,819 | $153K | 3.4% | 4.9% | 11% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 57 | Mount Laurel Township NJ | 47,738 | $119K | 4.1% | 3.9% | 13% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 206 | Union City CA | 65,282 | $134K | 7.2% | 5.3% | 8% | A− |
| 207 | Palatine IL | 65,842 | $98K | 8.2% | 4.1% | 8% | A− |
| 208 | Union Township NJ | 63,675 | $119K | 6.7% | 5.9% | 7% | A− |
| 209 | Palm Beach Gardens FL | 63,883 | $107K | 7.2% | 3.9% | 17% | A− |
| 210 | East Lansing MI | 49,355 | $46K | 33.0% | 6.6% | 18% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 687 | 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 Township, the top three, the last and three more from New Jersey.
The towns around Union Township
The biggest share goes to Elizabeth (5%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Union Township workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union Township | – | A− | A+ | 30 min | $119,464 |
| Hillside Township | under 2% | B | A+ | 30 min | $99,528 |
| Springfield Township | under 2% | A | A | 28 min | $155,906 |
| Kenilworth | under 2% | A− | A | 25 min | $118,611 |
| Millburn Township | under 2% | A+ | A+ | 42 min | $250,000+ |
| Elizabeth | 5% | C+ | A+ | 27 min | $66,555 |
| Maplewood Township | under 2% | A | A+ | 39 min | $173,500 |
| Irvington Township | under 2% | C | A+ | 35 min | $61,609 |
Same-state neighbors only. 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.
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 Township: questions
What is the median household income in Union Township?
$119,464 (±$7,123) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $103,556 across New Jersey and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Union Township?
6.7%, against 9.7% across New Jersey and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Union Township?
30 minutes each way on average, against 31 across New Jersey and 26 nationally. 12% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Union Township work?
7% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Newark (11%, 5 mi), New York City (10%, 18 mi), Elizabeth (5%, 4 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Union Township walkable?
Union Township is more walkable than 98% of U.S. towns (Walkability A+): an EPA walkability index of 14.1 out of 20, and 12% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Union Township without a car?
10% of commuters take transit and 6% of households have no car. 41% of residents live within a quarter mile of a stop.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Union Township, from the people who make the trip.
More of Union Township
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.