Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Union is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C overall, 535th of 745 graded towns in New York, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is health: residents are healthier than 64% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $62K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $150K, 2.3 years of the Binghamton metro’s $65K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 16 places on the National Register. 29% of working residents work locally in Union, against 10% in New York’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include US Post Office-Endicott and US Post Office-Johnson City. Union is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns.
Where Union beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,037 in 1820, a low of 2,037 in 1820, 56,161 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1855 and 2 maps from 1901 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New York), ordered by how far Union is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Union.
Union gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
19 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is IBM Glen, at 187 acres.
| Union | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 2.5% | 5.2% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.4 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brixius Creek Sports Facility | 0.9 mi | 27 |
| 2. Struble Sports Facility | 0.8 mi | 65 |
| 3. Round Top Picnic Area | 0.6 mi | 23 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jennie F Snapp Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 772 | C |
| Union-Endicott High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,078 | A |
| Maine-Endwell Senior High SchoolTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 720 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NY on state tests and graduation
The Binghamton weather station, 6 miles away, records that 87 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Union has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Union is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,338 U.S. towns with household incomes like Union’s, it is healthier than 88%, so its B isn’t only a matter of income.
82% of adults had a checkup this year in Union. Union beats the New York average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 34% of adults feel lonely in Union.
| Union | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 81% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 32% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| What stands out | Union | NY |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 6.5% | 7.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 8% | 6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Union has about as many jobs (20,333) as working residents, but only 6,215 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 17.7 minutes, against 32.6 across New York.
About one in 3 of Union’s working residents works in town. Union’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Union fell to 20,333 in 2023, 3,462 fewer than in 2013.
| Union | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $62,000 | $82,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the New York average. Union has lost 3.9% of its people since 2020, down to 53,972 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 33% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 40% across New York.
| Union | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Median age | 41.4 years | 43 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 33% | 32% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across New York, 51.2% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.2, men 39.5.
| Union | NY | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10% | 11% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 9.5% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 14.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.2% | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.2% | 13.3% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.4% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 7.6% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 12% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27% | 24.3% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.7% | 14.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.5% | 8.8% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.9% | 22.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14% | 17.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
495 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 66 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 495 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Union.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2.3 years of the Binghamton metro’s $65K median household income, the typical home costs less against local pay than in 81% of New York towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
59% of Union households own their home.
| Union | New York towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 75% | 73% |
| Median rent | $936 a month | $1,103 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Union. Close and well known come first.
7 mi Stadium & arenaBroome County Veterans Memorial Arena
32 mi Stadium & arenaSchoellkopf Field
32 mi MuseumHerbert F. Johnson Museum of Art80K visitors a year27 mi Ski areaGreek Peak Mountain Resort43 runs · 828 ft vertical32 mi AttractionSagan Planet Walk8 mi Zoo & aquariumBinghamton Zoo at Ross ParkBroome County Veterans Memorial Arena: Bmoore2009 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Schoellkopf Field: Alex Sergeev, (www.asergeev.com) Originally uploaded by en:User:Cornell010, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art: Dmadeo, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Union
About 6 of every 100 Union residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New York.
16 places in Union on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New York, United States
Union is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 56,346. The name derives from the town having served as a rendezvous for the Sullivan Expedition. The town is in the south-central part of the county, west of Binghamton. The communities of Union form the western suburbs of Binghamton. Two communities, the villages of Johnson City and Endicott, along with Binghamton, make up the "Triple Cities."
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
9 towns share a border with Union.
| Town | NY rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union | #535 | C | C+ | — | C | B |
| Vestal | #362 | B− | C− | C+ | A− | A− |
| Johnson City | #718 | D | C | D | C− | B− |
| Dickinson | #452 | C+ | B | — | C | C+ |
| Maine | #578 | C | B− | — | B | B |
| Binghamton | #739 | D− | C+ | D | D | C |
| Owego | #379 | B− | C+ | — | B | B+ |
| Endwell | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Union, Dickinson, Maine and Owego report no FBI crime data of their own. Endwell isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Union with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Union grades C overall, better than 32% of U.S. towns and #535 of 745 in New York. It grades B for health and C for schools.
The typical home is worth about $150,000, 71% below the New York typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
