034 Puget Sound scenes, 1873
Union’s story
168 years in pictures
The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1873 and 3 maps from 1943 on.
- 1858Union is founded
UnionWA
Twanoh State Park · Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
457
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$512K
+0.2% in a year
Median age
71.7
years
Jobs based here
100
A commuter town
Is Union a good place to live?
Union’s age of the median resident is 71.7 years, above both the Washington town median (38.5 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Union has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Union stand out
Where Union beats most towns.
Small town
457 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Union: who provides what
Union is unincorporated, so Mason County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerPUD No 1 of Mason CountyEIAHIFLD · EIA
WaterHood Canal water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMason CountyMason County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Washington you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (received 8 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMason County AuditorMason County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Apr 2024
ZIP code9859298592 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Union.
Who lives here
73% of residents are 65 or older
Among adults 25 and older in Union, 38% hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
71.7median age · WA 38.3
UnionWashingtonUnited States
Ages · share of residents
49%
Education · adults 25 and older
No diploma0%
High school45%
Some college13%
Associate’s5%
Bachelor’s21%
Graduate16%
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 37% and 63% women
The Census survey reached too few of Union’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±13.3 points. Across Washington, 49.6% of residents are women.
| Union | WA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.7% | 11.5% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 0% | 9.9% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0.4% | 8.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 0% | 15.2% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 0.2% | 14.3% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 0.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 20.8% | 12% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 49% | 10.1% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 23.6% | 6.5% | 7% |
| No diploma | 0% | 7.7% | 10.4% |
| High school | 44.5% | 21.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 13.3% | 21% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.7% | 10% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.2% | 24% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.3% | 15.6% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 500, single groups can be off by several points
Natural hazards
The biggest natural risk in Union is earthquakes, at a very high overall level
Of the losses FEMA expects in Union, 53% come from earthquakes and 32% from inland flooding. On expected storm and flood damage, Union sits above 83% of U.S. communities. Households locally have drawn federal disaster aid in 2 declared disasters, most recently in 2007.
83risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesInland floodingCoastal flooding
2
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commute
Union has 0.4 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Between 2013 and 2023, jobs in Union rose by 75, to 100. The top destinations are Shelton (12%), Seattle (10%) and Olympia (6%). Half of commuters travel less than 27 miles. 2.1% of Union working residents work locally.
2%work in town
Where working residents work
In Union2%
Shelton12%
Seattle10%
Olympia6%
Tacoma6%
27 mi
median commute distance
100
jobs based in Union
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
4″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–46°
Spring40–60°
Summer52–75°
Fall43–61°
Nov 15
typical first frost
Mar 24
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Housing
Zillow puts the typical Union home at about $512K
The share of households in Union who own their home: 92%.
$512KZillow home value
Typical home value
Union$512K
Washington$588K
+0.2%
value change, 1 year
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Health
A smaller share of adults in Union binge drink than in the typical Washington or U.S. town
Two figures for adults in Union: 29% sleep under 7 hours, 39% have high blood pressure. Among 286 Washington towns, just 7 have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Union. Nearly one in ten adults smoke cigarettes locally. On the CDC’s 31 measures, Union is ahead of Washington on 12 and behind on 8.
| Union | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 31% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
31 measures vs. Washington
12 better11 too close to call8 worse
| What stands out | Union | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.2% | 9.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.9% | 10.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.6% | 7.9% |
Mason General Hospital & Family of Clinics
8.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Outdoors
Protected land: 0.1% of Union
Walkers can cover 0.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Only 10 of the 273 Washington towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Union. Its density of trails is 0.3 miles per square mile.
0.1%conserved
| Union | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
0.1%
conserved · 1 of 1,032 acres
0.5 mi
of trails · 0.3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Union County Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Union
16pages on Union
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Union; the nearest are
The Evergreen State CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Olympia19.7 mi$9,264 in-state tuitionClatsop Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Astoria, OR87.5 mi$5,110 in-state tuition
About 12 of every 100 Union residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Washington.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Union for work
Where Union’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
100jobs based in Union
2%of working residents work in town
27 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Union
CDP in Washington, United States
Union or Union City is a small census-designated place in Mason County, Washington, United States. The community lies along the southern shore of the Great Bend of the Hood Canal, near the mouth of the Skokomish River, which flows from the nearby Olympic Mountains. As of the 2020 census, Union had a population of 683. The ZIP Code for Union is 98592. State Route 106 is the main route through Union, leading to Belfair farther north, and Potlatch and US Highway 101 to the south.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.6 sq mi
- Elevation
- 148 ft
- ZIP code
- 98592
- Area code
- 360
Questions about Union
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Union, WA a good place to live?
Union has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.