Household Income In Union County Rises, US Census Shows

The median income in Union County increased about $2,000 per household, U.S. Census data released on Thursday shows.

The 2015 median of $71,163 is up slightly over the 2014 median of $69,032, well above the national median.

The increase was not seen equally along racial lines. Earning among white households was down from $82,091 in 2014 to $81,451 in 2015. Asian American families showed the greatest loss, down to $122,994 in 2015 from $131,034 in 2014.

Median household incomes increased for African-American and Latino families. African-American median income rose from $51,918 in 2014 to $56,604. Latino households saw a more modest increase, from $49,698 in 2014 to $51,802 in 2015.

Median household income in the United States in 2015 was $56,516, an increase of 5.2 percent from 2014. The median household income increased in 39 states and the District of Columbia — the highest increase was Montana, with 6.8 percent. Maryland and D.C. have the highest median household incomes at $75,847 and $75,628, respectively. The lowest is Mississippi — at $40,593, it was statistically unchanged from 2014's rate.

No state saw a poverty rate increase, according to Census figures, and nearly half saw poverty rates decrease between 2014 and 2015. Poverty rates in 2015 ranged from a low of 8.2 percent in New Hampshire to a high of 22.0 percent in Mississippi, according to survey numbers.

Some of the highest poverty rates were found in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and New Mexico. Some of the lowest poverty rates were found in Alaska, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey and Vermont.

"The American Community Survey allows us to track incremental changes across our nation on how Americans live and work, year­-to­-year," Census Bureau Director John H. Thompson said in a statement. "It helps people, businesses and governments in all of our states and local communities better understand the needs of their populations, the markets in which they operate and the challenges and opportunities they face."

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