Pay and cost of living in Union County, NJ
Across the 237 occupations we cover in Union County, NJ, the middle median salary is $77,400 a year. Pay runs from $34,910 for Manicurists and Pedicurists up to $460,800 for Anesthesiologists, a spread of $425,890. Wages come from the New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ survey area.
A one-bedroom apartment in Union County, NJ has a HUD Fair Market Rent of $1,850 a month and a two-bedroom $2,233. Rent, food, home energy and gasoline for one adult add up to $29,681 a year. After federal, FICA and state income taxes, the average occupation here takes home $65,930 a year, and 236 of the 237 occupations listed here (100%) earn enough take-home pay to cover the four basics.
Open any occupation below for its full payslip, the tax breakdown, the rent comparison and a plain-English explanation of what is left after the basics. Every figure uses the same method, so results are comparable from one job and one county to the next.
Housing, taxes and commute in Union County, NJ
The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Union County, NJ, set beside the New Jersey and national medians.
Median household income in Union County, NJ is $103,202, in line with the New Jersey median of $103,556 and $80,734 nationally. A year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent ($22,200) equals 21.5% of that income. The median of the occupation medians listed here, $77,400, is 25% below household income, which is expected because a household can hold more than one earner.
Homeowners in Union County, NJ pay a median of $10,001 a year in real estate taxes, 4% above the New Jersey median of $9,590. With a median home value of $529,200, 16% above the New Jersey median of $454,400, the ratio of the two medians is 1.89% a year.
Renters in Union County, NJ pay a median gross rent of $1,730 a month in the Census survey, in line with the New Jersey median of $1,720. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent used for the budgets on this site is $1,850; the Census figure covers rental units of every size.
Workers in Union County, NJ who travel to a workplace spend an average of 30.2 minutes each way, in line with the New Jersey average of 30.5. 14.2% of workers work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally.