Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Union City gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $164K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the Erie metro’s $63K median household income. It grades B overall, ranked 550th of 1032 in Pennsylvania. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $44K, and 24% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, it reports less crime per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. 24% of residents live below the poverty line in Union City, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (7.6%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Union City has 1 place on the National Register. The biggest park or preserve is American Legion Little League Fields, at 22 acres.
Where Union City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
3,320 counted in 2010 and 2,927 in 2020; an estimated 2,823 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 3.4% since 2020, after 11.8% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Union City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,500 in 1870, a peak of 3,911 in 1950, 2,927 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1895 and 4 maps from 1929 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Union City, 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 City.
Union City gets more snow than nearly all U.S. towns, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and is safe by national standards but not by Pennsylvania’s.
Against the 3,677 U.S. towns with household incomes like Union City’s, it is less healthy than 64%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
25% of Union City adults smoke cigarettes. Union City beats the Pennsylvania average on 0 of 26 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 34% of Union City adults get no exercise outside work.
| Union City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 24% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Union City | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 9.2% | 5.8% |
| More smokers | 24.5% | 15.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.6% | 7.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by Union City Area SD. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Union City HS, with 304 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union City El SchLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 421 | B− |
| Union City HSLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 304 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within PA on state tests and graduation
At 2.6 years of the Erie metro’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $165K) costs less against local pay than in 78% of Pennsylvania towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living. Values fell 2.8% in the past year while the Pennsylvania typical home rose 2.2%.
58% of households own their home in Union City. The typical Union City home is worth about $165,000, 43% below the Pennsylvania typical home. Union City’s median rent is $731 a month.
| Union City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 78% | 73% |
| Median rent | $731 a month | $1,116 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 8.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 62% of Pennsylvania’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2024, 0 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Union City is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Union City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 6.8 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
The average commute for its 1,121 working residents takes 19.6 minutes, against 26.3 across Pennsylvania.
Jobs based in Union City fell to 823 in 2023, 119 fewer than in 2013. Most working residents leave Union City for work: only 15% work in town. The top destinations are Erie (20%), Corry (8%) and Millcreek Township (7%).
| Union City | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 6.3% | 8% |
| Work from home | 8% | 12% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Union City Filtration Plant weather station records that 114 inches of snow fall in a normal winter, more than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Union City has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80° and January nights drop to 17°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. American Legion Little League Fields | — | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Union City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Union City. Close and well known come first.
8 mi LandmarkFort Le Boeuf
29 mi LakeChautauqua Lake
23 mi State parkPresque Isle State Park
30 mi Theme parkConneaut Lake Park22 mi Theme parkWaldameer Park16 mi Theme parkSplash LagoonFort Le Boeuf: Charles M. Stotz ?, Public domain · Chautauqua Lake: Banderas, Public domain · Presque Isle State Park: Ruhrfisch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Conneaut Lake Park: daveynin from United States, CC BY 2.0
None within 15 miles of Union City; the nearest are
About 1 of every 100 Union City residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Where Union City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Union City.
Borough in Pennsylvania, US
Union City is a borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Erie. In the twentieth century, there were three large chair factories, planing and grist mills, a powdered milk plant, and several furniture factories. The population was 2,934 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Union City grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #550 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades D for health, A− for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
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 A.
3 notable people were born here, including Daisy Bacon and Lynn St. John.
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