Work means Eau Claire for about half of Union’s working residents
Household incomes here are higher than in 73% of U.S. towns. The two grades for Union are A for jobs and income and C for walkability. Commuters spend 17 minutes getting to work on average, next to 22 for Wisconsin and 26 for the U.S.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What sets Union apart on work
Union fills up on a workday
Union has 5,332 jobs, 4.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 6,600 people are in town, more than double the 2,600 who live here. Day and night ↓
More than half of Union works in Eau Claire
658 working residents, 50%, have their main job in Eau Claire, 5.2 miles away across the town line. That’s 6 times as many as work in Union itself. The commute map ↓
Most Union residents work close to home
65% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Commutes from Union are quick
The average trip to work takes 17 minutes, against 22 across Wisconsin. That’s about 38 hours a year less on the road than the typical Wisconsin worker. Time on the road ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
40% of the jobs in Union are in trade, transport and utilities, against 21% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Why Union gets the Jobs & income grade it does
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Union is better than 88% of U.S. towns, #123 of 362 in Wisconsin. Unemployment is its strongest input (1.8%, U.S. 5.2%); job access by car ranks lowest, though still above most U.S. towns (ahead of 67% of U.S. towns). It also does well on household income and the poverty rate and job access by car.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Union could be anywhere from B+ to A+.
Who leaves Union for work, and who comes in
On a workday 1,191 residents head out to work, 114 work right here, and 5,218 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,600 people are in Union on a workday afternoon, 158% more than live here.
4.1 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Where the people who work in Union live
Where Union clocks in
4% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Near or far: the trip to work from Union
About 16% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Union’s commute takes about 17 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 5.4 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Union workers work from home, vs 13% across Wisconsin. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,250 commuters (the 14% who work from home are left out). Across Wisconsin: 86% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
The 5,332 jobs based in Union
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Union, 2013 → 2023: 4,695 → 5,332. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Union’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Union, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Union is more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns, #259 of 362 in Wisconsin. Both inputs place Union near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,447 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 1.3% of Union households have no vehicle (Wisconsin 6.4%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Union’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,800 to 3,500, Union ranks 467th of 5,083 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 36 | North Prairie WI | 2,193 | $153K | 2.8% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 85 | Sun Prairie WI | 2,291 | $127K | 2.0% | 1.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 86 | Verona WI | 2,092 | $150K | 2.6% | 2.0% | <1% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 465 | Heidelberg Township PA | 3,086 | $113K | 5.7% | 2.1% | 3% | A |
| 466 | Farmington WI | 2,027 | $115K | 5.5% | 0.9% | 2% | A |
| 467 | Union WI | 2,556 | $95K | 5.4% | 1.8% | 9% | A |
| 468 | Canaan Township OH | 2,709 | $80K | 5.9% | 1.2% | 3% | A |
| 469 | Oakwood Hills IL | 2,046 | $110K | 2.9% | 4.4% | <1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 5,083 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Union, the top three, the last and three more from Wisconsin.
50% of Union works in a town next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Union workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union | – | A | C | 17 min | $95,217 |
| Eau Claire | 50% | B− | A− | 17 min | $67,395 |
| Brunswick | under 1% | A− | C | 23 min | $92,426 |
| Spring Brook | under 1% | B | D | 27 min | $95,563 |
| Wheaton | under 1% | A− | B− | 19 min | $103,053 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Eau Claire. Darker towns draw more of Union’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Union: questions
What is the median household income in Union?
$95,217 (±$9,252) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,485 across Wisconsin and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Union?
5.4%, against 10.6% across Wisconsin and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Union?
17 minutes each way on average, against 22 across Wisconsin and 26 nationally. 14% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Union work?
9% work in town.
Is Union walkable?
Union is more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Union without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 1% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Union, from the people who make the trip.
More of Union
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.