In Union County, New Jersey, rent on a two-bedroom takes about one in four dollars of the typical household's income
In Union County, 26.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 89% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 56% of U.S. counties.
What drives Union County's score
In Union County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 84.3. Late payments on loans come next, at 55.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Union County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Union County does better than most counties on two measures: people with a disability (9.1%, 2020 to 2024) and median household income ($101,023, 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 84.3 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent23.3% · 2020 to 202479th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income26.5% · fiscal year 202789th percentile
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- 55.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind6.2% · August 202561st percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind6.3% · August 202565th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score37.6% · second quarter of 202639th percentile
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- 54.7 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year4.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202679th percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working17.5% · 2020 to 202430th percentile
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- 49.9 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector19.6% · August 202537th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people158.9 · 202562nd percentile
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- 26.9 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line9.7% · 202419th percentile
- Children below the poverty line12.2% · 202423rd percentile
- People with a disability9.1% · 2020 to 20242nd percentile
- People without health insurance13.0% · 2020 to 202483rd percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$101,023 · 20245th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Union County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Union County, 15.1% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Union County
New Jersey
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Union County had its largest rise, from 11.7% in 2004 to 14.7% in 2009.
In Union County, benefit checks' share of income has more than doubled since 1969, reaching 13.5% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in about five times as much as benefit checks
In Union County, New Jersey, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 13.5%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Union County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 5.0% in 2011 to 6.5% in 2012.
The share of households in Union County getting SNAP food aid doubled from 2009 to 2024, reaching 8.8%
High on the chart: 9.2% in 2016. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Union County, New Jersey.
How Union County has changed
Union County's population had its largest rise, from 532,434 in 2009 to 556,237 in 2014.
Union County's population rose 10% from 1969 to 2024, reaching its highest on the chart
High on the chart: 594,160 in 2024. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Union County, New Jersey.
The number of jobs located in Union County had its largest rise in the last span, from 210,648 in 2020 to 231,428 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Union County fell 5% from 1990 to 2025, with its low point on the chart in 2020
Low on the chart: 210,648 in 2020. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Union County, New Jersey.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 5.4% | 2025 5.5% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 6.7% | 2024 9.7% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $39,766 | 2024 $101,023 |
The table uses 5.5% for 2025; the score uses 4.8% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Union County's history
1989
A thunderstorm in November 1989 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 575,345, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2021
A flash flood in September 2021 killed four people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A thunderstorm in July 2025 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2025
A flash flood in July 2025 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1965
30 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Union County, 8 of them for flooding. FEMA
Union County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Union County, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Union County ranks 3rd of the five; Essex County is highest, at 16.3%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, NJ | 82 | 13.4% | 16.3% |
| Union County, NJ | 56 | 9.7% | 13.5% |
| Middlesex County, NJ | 38 | 8.3% | 14.3% |
| Somerset County, NJ | 18 | 5.8% | 8.7% |
| Morris County, NJ | 7 | 4.7% | 9.4% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Union County the poorest county in New Jersey?
No, Union County's poverty rate was 9.7% in 2024, 10th highest of 21 in New Jersey (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Hudson County, at 14.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Union County ranks 8th of 21 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Union County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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NEIGHBORHOODS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE fka NHS of Staten Island
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Urban League of Union County
HUD-approved housing counselor
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Legal Services of New Jersey
Legal aid
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New Jersey county bar lawyer referral services (NJSBA list)
Lawyer referral
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Union County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.