The Town Files

Union, Louisiana

Community in St. James Parish · population 735 (2020 Census)

Map: where Union is in LouisianaUnion
Household income
$71,563
Jan low / Jul high
42° / 91°
Snow a year
0 in
Tornadoes ≤10 mi since 1950
22
Median age
46.3

Union is a community of 735 people in St. James Parish, Louisiana. It ranks better for first-time buyers than 100% of Louisiana towns, better transit than 94% of Louisiana towns, more upscale than 91% of Louisiana towns.

Union in our rankings:

How Union ranks

Percentile among Louisiana towns with at least 500 people on The Town Files lifestyle rankings. 50 is typical for the state; 90 means better than 90% of Louisiana towns.

Union lifestyle rankings vs other Louisiana townsRetirement3rd pctFamilies74th pctQuiet81st pctWalkability5th pctFirst-time buyers100th pctYoung professionals8th pctVibrancy11th pctHip & trendy18th pctCollege town3rd pctUpscale91st pctVacation homesbottomSeaside characterbottomCyclingbottomTransit94th pctDriving90th pcttypical
The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025).

Homes and cost of living

97.4% of households own their home.

Union vs St. James Parish vs typical Louisiana townUnionSt. James ParishTypical Louisiana townHousehold income$71,563$65,531$52,134
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. "Typical town" = median of Louisiana towns with 500+ people.
HousingUnionTypical Louisiana town
Median home value—$166,450
Median rent—$887
Median household income$71,563$52,134
Home value ÷ income—×3.0×
Homeownership97.4%70.4%
Median year built19731979
Seasonal / vacation homes0.0%—

Who lives in Union

PeopleUnionTypical Louisiana town
Median age46.338.4
Age 65 and over20.0%17.0%
Under 1822.8%—
Bachelor's degree or higher15.8%15.8%
Below the poverty line6.1%20.4%
Veterans10.3%—
Born outside the U.S.1.0%—
Work from home1.6%4.7%
Average commute21.7 min25.8 min
Homes with broadband75.9%84.6%

Weather in Union

July highs average 90.6°F and January lows 41.7°F. About 63.4 inches of rain and melted snow fall a year, with 0.1 inches of snow (typical Louisiana town: 0.0 in). Expect about 80 days a year at 90°F or hotter and 16 nights at or below freezing.

Union monthly temperatures and precipitation40°50°60°70°80°90°100°62°42°Jan66°45°Feb72°51°Mar78°57°Apr85°65°May89°72°Jun91°74°Jul91°73°Aug88°69°Sep80°59°Oct71°49°Nov64°44°DecPrecipitation (in) · snow (in) in blue5.84.14.04.95.67.06.56.45.44.74.24.90.1
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals: average daily high and low by month; precipitation and snowfall in inches. Temperatures from the Donaldsonville 4 Sw station (8.4 mi away).

Tornadoes, storms and disasters

22 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Union since 1950, compared with 27 for the typical Louisiana town. 7 rated (E)F2 or stronger. The strongest, an EF3, struck on February 23, 2016 about 5.4 miles from the town center. Tornadoes within 10 miles have caused 3 deaths and 90 injuries since 1950. The most recent was on May 11, 2026.

Tornadoes within 10 miles of Union by decade11950s31960s21970s01980s01990s32000s72010s62020s
NOAA Storm Events Database, tornado tracks (start to end point) passing within 10 miles of the town center, 1950–2026.

Hail of 1 inch or larger has been reported within 10 miles 15 times; the largest was 2.50 inches on April 7, 2003.

Severe weather in St. James Parish since 1996

Storm events in St. James Parish since 1996 by typeHail10Flood7Drought11Tornado12Lightning3Heavy Snow3Flash Flood12Excessive Heat24
NOAA Storm Events Database, St. James Parish, 1996–2026 (all event types recorded since 1996). 4 deaths recorded.

St. James Parish has been included in 44 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1953, most often for flood, other, hurricane.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3638: Severe Winter Storm
September 16, 2024HurricaneDR-4817: Hurricane Francine
September 10, 2024HurricaneEM-3614: Tropical Storm Francine
September 13, 2021Coastal StormEM-3574: Tropical Storm Nicholas
August 29, 2021HurricaneDR-4611: Hurricane Ida

Jobs and pay in St. James Parish

St. James Parish had 7,650 jobs in 2024, paying an average of $78,993 a year. Unemployment was 4.5% in 2023; in Union itself the ACS puts it at 20%.

Largest industries in St. James ParishManufacturing2,343 jobs · $125,699Transportation & warehousing825 jobs · $92,592Retail603 jobs · $28,020Construction490 jobs · $73,299Hotels & restaurants320 jobs · $16,042Administrative & support204 jobs · $55,193
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024, private-sector jobs and average annual pay.
Unemployment rate in St. James Parish, 2000–20230%2%4%6%8%10%12%2000200420082012201620202023St. James 4.5%
Annual average unemployment rate (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics via USDA ERS).

Towns near Union

Union questions

Is Union, Louisiana a good place to retire?

On The Town Files lifestyle rankings, Union scores better for retirees than 3% of Louisiana towns and quieter than 81%. 20.0% of residents are 65 or older (median age 46.3).

What is the weather like in Union?

July highs average 90.6°F and January lows 41.7°F (NOAA 1991–2020 normals). It gets about 63.4 inches of precipitation a year and 0.1 inches of snow.

Does Union get tornadoes?

22 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of Union since 1950 (NOAA Storm Events); the strongest was an EF3 on February 23, 2016. The typical Louisiana town has had 27.

How this page is made. Every number comes from public data, matched to Union's Census boundary (GEOID 2277035). Comparisons use the median of Louisiana towns with at least 500 people. Weather comes from the nearest NOAA normals station; storm counts use NOAA tornado tracks within 10 miles of the town center. Data snapshot 2026-11-13.