Abel E. Eaton House · National Register of Historic Places
Union’s story
163 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1894.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1863Union is settled
UnionOR
Photo: A.Davey from Portland, Oregon, EE UU · CC BY 2.0
Population
2,118
2025 Census estimate · −1.7% since 2020
Typical home
$303K
+5% in a year
Household income
$65K
median
Median age
39.5
years
Jobs based here
211
A commuter town
Is Union a good place to live?
Union’s best subject grades are an A for walkability and an A− for civic life and history; its weakest is a C− for health. On cost of living, just 8 of Oregon’s 228 towns do better. On history, just 13 of Oregon’s 228 towns do better. Union has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Union stand out
Where Union beats most towns.
WalkabilityA
More walkable than 87% of U.S. towns
4% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
Community nonprofits per 1,000 residents
Union7.4
Typical U.S. town3.7
Typical OR town5.2
Civic lifeA−
42% more nonprofits per person
than the typical Oregon town
Charities, civic groups and human services; churches not counted.
Abel E. Eaton HouseHistoryA−
Settled in 1863
4 places on the National Register
A history going back 163 years.
A commuter town
92% of working residents leave Union for work
Where Union’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
211jobs based in Union
8%of working residents work in town
14 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Union grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Oregon), ordered by how far Union is from typical.
WalkabilityEPA walkability 12.1 of 20; 5.6% of households have no carAOpen →HealthGrande Ronde Hospital 13.9 miles awayC−Open →Cost of livingB+Open →Jobs & income$65K median household incomeCOpen →SchoolsCOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 37% of U.S. communities; avalanches tops the listBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trails; 0% conserved landC+Open →History1 notable person born hereA−Open →Civic life7.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 39.5; 12% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Union: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Union, and how to reach them.
PowerOregon Trail El Cons Coop11.0¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Union water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers98% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpUnion Recycling CenterIn townOpenStreetMap
Register to voteOnlineIn Oregon you can register online until 21 days before Election Day, in person until 21 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 21 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereUnion County Clerk, Elections OfficeUnion County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP code9788397883 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Oct 2, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Union.
HousingCost of living grade B+
Homes in Union are worth about $303K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Union home is worth about $303,000, up 5% in a year, 39% below the Oregon typical home. At $891 a month, Union’s median rent is against $1,414 a month in Oregon’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
$303KZillow home value
| Union | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $891 a month | $1,414 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 65% | 73% |
Typical home value
Union$303K
Oregon$493K
+5%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
SchoolsC
On state tests, Union’s schools trail 68% of Oregon districts
Its public schools are run by Union SD 5. Its two schools are below.
32%of OR districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 212 | C+ |
| Union High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 166 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within OR on state tests and graduation
HealthC−
Residents of Union are less healthy than 76% of U.S. towns
Union beats the Oregon average on 1 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Union, where Oregon’s towns sit at 15% and U.S. towns at 14%. 40% of adults have high blood pressure in Union.
24%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
| Union | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 15% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 33% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 11% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 36% |
26 measures vs. Oregon
1 better14 too close to call11 worse
| What stands out | Union | OR |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.5% | 71.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.8% | 12.5% |
Grande Ronde Hospital
13.9 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade C
Most of Union’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Union for work: only 8% work in town. 19% of Union residents live below the poverty line. Since 2013, Union has added 51 jobs, to 211 in 2023.
8%work in town
| Union | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 11% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $65,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Union8%
La Grande27%
Baker City5%
Portland4%
Island City3%
14 mi
median commute distance
211
jobs based in Union
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
A
Walkability grade: more walkable than 87% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
Union has four seasons and pleasant summers
Union has chilly winters and warm summers, with very little rain. The July high in Union is 87°F.
16″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter24–41°
Spring34–60°
Summer48–83°
Fall34–63°
Sep 26
typical first frost
May 11
typical last frost
+1.3°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B
Avalanches leads a low hazard risk in Union
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Union.
37risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland floodingCold waves
8
paid flood claims since 1984
1
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
OutdoorsC+
Union has set aside 0.4% of its land for conservation
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Union’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile. Among 141 Oregon towns, just 4 have a lower share of conserved land than Union.
0.4%conserved
| Union | Oregon towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 4.4% | 4.3% |
0.4%
conserved · 7 of 1,578 acres
0.2 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Union City Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Union
19pages on Union
The big questions
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Union
About 4 of every 100 Union residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Oregon.
Landmarks
4 places in Union on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Union
City in Oregon, United States
Union is a city in Union County, Oregon, United States, originally platted in 1864, and located 15 miles (24 km) southeast of La Grande. It is the namesake of Union County, which references the Union states, or Northern States, of the American Civil War. The population was 2,152 at the 2020 census. The city is known for the numerous historic Victorian homes that line its Main Street, some of which are registered on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also home to Oregon State University's Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, founded in 1888, which is contemporarily housed in the former Union train station.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1878
- Area
- 2.5 sq mi
- Elevation
- 2,792 ft
- ZIP code
- 97883
- Area code
- 541
Questions about Union
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Union, OR expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.