Union County, NJ
Housing, jobs, water, deposits and federal obligations for this county, each figure with the release it came from. Internal point 40.66, -74.31.
Assembled 2026-10-19. Read the brief.
- 96th pct · 94th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 65th pct · 8th of 21 New Jersey counties · median $579,852
- 33rd pct · 15th of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median $680,195
- 42nd pct · 1,753rd of 3,062 US counties · median +2.9%
- 25th pct · 16th of 21 New Jersey counties · median +3.1%
- 4th pct · 21st of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median +4.7%
- 94th pct · 76th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 60th pct · 9th of 21 New Jersey counties · median $2,291
- 14th pct · 19th of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median $2,825
- 95th pct · 143rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 65th pct · 8th of 21 New Jersey counties · median 188,702
- 38th pct · 14th of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median 283,785
- 97th pct · 68th of 3,221 US counties · median $1,039
- 75th pct · 6th of 21 New Jersey counties · median $1,446
- 71st pct · 7th of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median $1,632
- 83rd pct · 503rd of 3,063 US counties · median 4.2
- 60th pct · 9th of 21 New Jersey counties · median 6.1
- 23rd pct · 17th of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median 8.4
Typical home value divided by the average annual wage of one covered job.
A percentile here is a min-max scaling of average rank: the smallest published value in the cohort is 0 and the largest is 100, and tied values share the average of the ranks they span. It is not the share of entities below the value, so 0 means smallest, not none below. Entities that did not publish the metric are outside the cohort entirely and are counted in neither the rank nor its denominator.
Home values #
Typical home $627,890 (Sep 2026), +2.3% over one year, +27.8% over five
- 96th pct · 94th of 3,063 US counties · median $230,451
- 65th pct · 8th of 21 New Jersey counties · median $579,852
- 33rd pct · 15th of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median $680,195
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Union County, NJ | $627,890 · +2.3% 1-yr |
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), typical value of homes in the 35th to 65th percentile, smoothed and seasonally adjusted; a model estimate of value, not a sale price. Data through Zillow Research.
Rents #
Typical rent $2,529/mo (Sep 2026), +3.0% over one year; price-to-rent 20.7
- 94th pct · 76th of 1,358 US counties · median $1,506
- 60th pct · 9th of 21 New Jersey counties · median $2,291
- 14th pct · 19th of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median $2,825
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Union County, NJ | $2,529/mo · +3.0% 1-yr |
Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), smoothed, all homes and multifamily; price-to-rent = typical home / (typical rent × 12).
What the typical home costs to carry #
Principal and interest of $3,478 a month on $627,890 at 7.40%, against an average weekly wage worth $8,168 a month: 42.6% of one job’s pay.
- payment = P·r / (1 − (1+r)^−n), P = $627,890 × 80% = $502,312, r = 7.40%/12 (Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED, 2026-10-15), n = 360 → $3,478/mo principal and interest
- wage share = payment / (avg weekly wage $1,885 × 52 / 12 = $8,168) = 43% of one average job's pay (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all covered jobs)
- years of wages = $627,890 / ($1,885 × 52) = 6.4
- price-to-rent = $627,890 / ($2,529 × 12) = 20.7
The wage is one covered job’s average, not a household’s income, so this is the share of a single paycheque and not a mortgage underwriting ratio.
Estimate. Principal and interest on the typical home with 20% down over 30 years at this week's Freddie Mac average rate; compared with the average weekly wage of all jobs covered by unemployment insurance in the area (BLS QCEW), which is pay per job, not household income.
Jobs & wages #
234,131 jobs at 17,262 employers (2026 Q1); +1.5% jobs and +6.4% average weekly wage over the year
- 95th pct · 143rd of 3,221 US counties · median 8,232
- 65th pct · 8th of 21 New Jersey counties · median 188,702
- 38th pct · 14th of 22 counties in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro · median 283,785
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Union County, NJ | 234,131 jobs · $1,885/wk · +1.5% YoY |
| NAICS sector | Jobs | Avg weekly wage | Location quotient | Jobs over the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 36,579 | $1,281 | 1.04 | +1.6% |
| Retail trade | 24,343 | $838 | 1.07 | -1.5% |
| Manufacturing | 22,309 | $3,399 | 1.18 | -0.1% |
| Accommodation and food services | 15,485 | $607 | 0.74 | +0.3% |
| Administrative and waste services | 15,213 | $1,122 | 1.14 | -2.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 14,775 | $2,030 | 1.50 | -0.1% |
| Professional and technical services | 14,016 | $3,851 | 0.87 | -6.6% |
| Wholesale trade | 13,350 | $2,090 | 1.49 | +1.3% |
| Other services | 10,533 | $893 | 1.51 | +1.5% |
| Finance and insurance | 5,203 | $4,758 | 0.55 | +2.5% |
| Real estate and rental | 3,410 | $1,443 | 0.95 | +0.0% |
| Management of companies | 3,321 | $6,370 | 0.85 | +60.3% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, all ownerships, total covered employment in the quarter's third month; over-the-year changes as published. Suppressed cells stay blank.
Drought #
No drought class at this point (USDM covers the United States only)
Sites found: 5, searched within 0 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 0 km away are not.
US Drought Monitor current week; the highest class of any polygon containing the point.
Reservoirs #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, searched within 150 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 150 km away are not.
Σ(capacity × percent full) / Σ capacity over TWDB reservoirs within 150 km. Texas only; elsewhere USGS reservoir elevation/storage is listed without a capacity to normalise by.
Stream gauges #
Surface water layer not loaded
Sites found: 0, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
USGS latest readings screened against EPA freshwater criteria (DO ≥ 5 mg/L, pH 6.5–9, conductance, turbidity, temperature); NWS flood categories where a NWPS gauge is co-located.
Groundwater #
No USGS monitoring wells within 75 km (or above 1,500 km)
Sites found: 0, searched within 75 km of this place’s internal point. That is a disc around a point, not the area itself: sites outside the boundary are included, and sites inside it further than 75 km away are not.
USGS latest daily water levels. A single latest reading says where the table is, not which way it is moving; select a well for its 365-day trace.
Water stress #
low (0.00)
Σ wᵢ·termᵢ / Σ wᵢ = 0.35×0.00 / 0.35
Banks & federal dollars #
$25.1 bn in deposits at 146 offices of 30 banks (SOD June 2026); HHI 1,030, moderately concentrated. $2.7 bn federal obligations in FY2026 (direct payments $2.5 bn, contracts $101.8 m), $11,399 per covered job
| Item | Value | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $5.7 bn · 22.6% share · 14 offices | |
| Bank of America, National Association | $3.6 bn · 14.1% share · 15 offices | |
| TD Bank, National Association | $2.7 bn · 10.6% share · 12 offices | |
| Union, NJ | $2.7 bn FY2026 · $11,399/job |
| Institution | Deposits | Share | Offices |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Fargo Bank, National Association | $5,681,658,000 | 22.6% | 14 |
| Bank of America, National Association | $3,553,047,000 | 14.1% | 15 |
| TD Bank, National Association | $2,666,624,000 | 10.6% | 12 |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | $1,890,870,000 | 7.5% | 12 |
| Union County Savings Bank | $1,349,914,000 | 5.4% | 4 |
| Santander Bank, N.A. | $1,261,478,000 | 5.0% | 9 |
| ConnectOne Bank | $1,238,376,000 | 4.9% | 4 |
| PNC Bank, National Association | $922,289,000 | 3.7% | 9 |
| Citizens Bank, National Association | $920,714,000 | 3.7% | 12 |
| Columbia Bank | $829,133,000 | 3.3% | 6 |
Deposit concentration is 1,030 across 29 banks, which the 1995 Department of Justice bank merger screen calls moderately concentrated.
HHI = Σ (share %)² over 29 banks with deposits in the county = 22.6² + 14.1² + 10.6² + … (26 more) = 1,030
FDIC Summary of Deposits: deposits at every insured office as of June 30, annual; HHI is the sum of squared county deposit shares (DOJ 1995 bank merger screen: 1000 / 1800). USAspending: obligations by place of performance for the latest complete federal fiscal year (Oct 1 to Sep 30), what agencies committed, not what they paid out; recipients are legal entities. Per-job divides obligations by BLS QCEW covered employment.
Federal obligations #
That is $11,399 per covered job, against 234,131 jobs in the 2026 Q1 QCEW quarter.
per job = FY2026 obligations $2.7 bn / 234,131 covered jobs (BLS QCEW 2026 Q1, all ownerships) = $11,399
USAspending obligations are recorded where the work is performed, so a prime award performed here is counted here even when the recipient is headquartered elsewhere. Recipients are legal entities, never people.
National context, not this county #
These are United States, single-gauge, single-state and port series. None of them is keyed to this county.
| Series | Latest | As of | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi River at Memphis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Mississippi River at St. Louis, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Ohio River at Louisville, stage · ft | 17.95 | 2026-10-18 | -2.6% |
| Missouri River at St. Joseph, stage · ft | not published | not published | |
| Colorado River below Hoover Dam, flow (Hoover releases) · ft³/s | 5,170.00 | 2026-02-05 | -25.3% |
| Texas reservoirs, statewide percent full · % | 72.20 | 2026-10-19 | +0.0% |
| Laredo truck crossings, monthly · trucks | 258,700.00 | 2026-08-01 | -0.4% |
| Los Angeles + Long Beach container volume, annual · TEU | 10,513,167.00 | 2023-01-01 | -13.5% |
| Containerships waiting for a berth, all US ports · ships | 7.00 | 2026-10-13 | +133.3% |
| Shanghai to Los Angeles container rate · $ per 40 ft box | 7,848.00 | 2026-09-01 | +14.9% |
| US diesel retail price · $ per gallon | unavailable | not published | |
| WTI crude oil, spot · $ per barrel | 101.91 | 2026-10-14 | +1.0% |
| 30-year fixed mortgage rate · % | 7.40 | 2026-10-15 | +0.0% |
| Housing starts, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,275.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.6% |
| Building permits, annual rate · thousands of units | 1,403.00 | 2026-08-01 | -2.1% |
| Case-Shiller US home price index · index, Jan 2000 = 100 | 337.31 | 2026-07-01 | +0.1% |
| Unemployment rate · % | 4.20 | 2026-09-01 | +2.4% |
| US goods and services trade balance, monthly · $ millions | -105,572.00 | 2026-08-01 | -13.7% |
| Retail sales excluding food services, monthly · $ millions | 652,115.00 | 2026-09-01 | +0.7% |
The indicator registry has no county-keyed series and no geographic selection: every entry is national, a named gauge, a single state or a port. They are here as the backdrop the county's own numbers move against, and they are never this county's readings.
What changed #
Union County, NJ: 16 findings, 3 at a watch level and 13 noted
watchUnion County, NJ's typical asking rent of $2,529 scores 94 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 60 across New Jersey counties, a gap of 34 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 34 = |94 across US counties - 60 across New Jersey counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchUnion County, NJ's typical home value of $627,890 scores 97 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 65 across New Jersey counties, a gap of 32 points.
Period 2026-09.Show the arithmetic
- 32 = |97 across US counties - 65 across New Jersey counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
watchUnion County, NJ's covered employment of 234,131 scores 96 on the 0-to-100 scale across US counties but 65 across New Jersey counties, a gap of 31 points.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- 31 = |96 across US counties - 65 across New Jersey counties|
position among the entities that published this metric this period; not an official level
noteUnion County, NJ's average weekly wage was 6.4% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +6.4 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
noteUnion County, NJ's covered employment was 1.5% higher than the same quarter a year earlier in 2026 Q1, on BLS QCEW's published over-the-year change.
Period 2026 Q1.Show the arithmetic
- +1.5 % = BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change for 2026 Q1, as published
- the newest QCEW file carries no year-earlier level, so no move from one level to another is printed
BLS QCEW over-the-year percent change, as published
Read all 12 findings in the full brief
Every finding is produced by a fixed rule table and a fixed sentence for each rule. Nothing here is generated prose.