Jury Pool Profile
Union County, Illinois
- County seat
- Jonesboro
- Judicial district
- 1st Judicial Circuit Court
- Population (July 2025 estimate)
- 16,656
- Census PEP. The five-year ACS survey average is 16,997.
At a glance
Union County is a 16,656-person venue. The county population is 89% White (Census race-alone categories). Median household income is $58,887, $24,440 below the IL state median of $83,327; 20.9% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 5.6% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home, most commonly Spanish. The largest published sector is Education & health services, at 33.4% of covered employment, average pay $43,217/year. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 4.78%, below the 4.85% state average. The county carried the Republican presidential candidate in 2016, 2020, and 2024, taking 68% to 71% of the vote across the three.
- Population
- 16,997
- Median household income
- $55,728
- Unemployment
- 4.8%
Who sits on a jury?
≥70% White (race-alone) and <20% Black. This county: 89% / 1%.
Union County has a population of 16,997, with a median age of 44.3. By Census race-alone categories, White residents make up 89.5%; Black residents 0.9%. Independently, 5.5% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The median household earns $58,887; 20.9% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher; 17.2% live below the federal poverty line.
Economic context
Largest sector in BLS QCEW, with cells BLS withholds estimated from Census County Business Patterns (private jobs) and the statewide public-sector mix: Education & health services, about 44% of covered jobs.
Education & health services is the largest published sector at 33.4% of covered employment, followed by Trade, transportation & utilities at 15.4%. Trailing-12-month unemployment is 4.78%, below the Illinois state average.
Political composition
Republican candidate carried this county in 2016, 2020, and 2024 (avg winning share: 69%). 'Strongly' threshold: ≥60% avg.
Union County was carried by the Republican candidate in the 2016, 2020, and 2024 cycles, with 71.0% in 2024, 69.2% in 2020, 67.9% in 2016.
Languages, households, faith & health
Family households are 60% of all households (thresholds: ≥70% = 'family-dominant'; 50–70% = 'family-majority'; <50% = 'singles/nonfamily-majority'). 5.6% of residents 5 and older speak a language other than English at home (threshold for 'linguistically diverse' is ≥10%).
5.6% of residents 5 years and older speak a language other than English at home. The most common are Spanish, Tagalog, German or other West Germanic. Veterans account for 7.6% of the adult civilian population (1,018 individuals).