Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Union City earns a D−, ranked 158th of 175 in Tennessee, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. Its police reported 50 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. In its favor, homes are within reach, about $174K for a typical one, or 3.2 years of the Union City area’s $55K median household income. 42% of working residents work locally in Union City, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 8%. On hazard risk, just 9 of Tennessee’s 292 towns do worse. Union City has 14 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Confederate Monument (Additional Documentation) and Deering Building.
Where Union City beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 1,879 in 1880, 11,170 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1954 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Union City is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 draws workers from Martin and beyond and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Tennessee (mostly earthquakes).
17% of Union City adults have diabetes. Union City beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 29% of Union City adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Union City | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Union City | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 22.1% | 16.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.7% | 14.6% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.9% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Union City school district. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Union City High School, with 416 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Union City Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 793 | B− |
| Union City High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 416 | B− |
| Union City Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 438 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
9,250 jobs are based in Union City, 2.2 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 16.5 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
24% of residents live below the poverty line in Union City. Since 2013, Union City has added 3,052 jobs, to 9,250 in 2023. The average trip to work in Union City is 17 minutes.
| Union City | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 24% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 419 to 277 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Union City’s violent crime rate is 4.6 per 1,000 residents. Union City reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 90% report less. Union City’s property crime rate is 21 per 1,000 residents.
| Union City | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 21 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
4.6 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Graham Park, 135 acres with 1.6 miles of trail.
| Union City | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Graham Park | 1.6 mi | 135 |
| 2. Library Park | 0.3 mi | 2 |
| 3. Veterans Park | 0.1 mi | 31 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Typical home values rose 7.8% in the year to September 2026.
| Union City | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $739 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of Tennessee towns, with expected losses of about $842 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1984, 50 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Union City. Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 4 have a higher FEMA risk score than Union City.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Union City has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Union City
About 4 of every 100 Union City residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
Where Union City’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
14 places in Union City on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Union City.
City in Tennessee, United States
Union City is a city in and the county seat of Obion County, Tennessee, United States. 11,170 people were living in the town as of the 2020 census. It is the principal urban settlement of the surrounding micropolitan area, which includes Obion County and Fulton County, Kentucky. Union City is home to Discovery Park of America which is a museum with many exhibits pertaining to local history, as well as state, national, and world history, science, technology, and art.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Union City grades D− overall, better than 4% of U.S. towns and #158 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D− for health, D for safety and C for schools. Health 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 B+.
14 notable people were born here, including Koko B. Ware and Andrieus A. Jones.
