Union County, Florida Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Union County
U.S. county
Union County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Florida
Florida's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Florida
Founded	May 20, 1921
Named for	Concept of Unity
Seat	Lake Butler
Largest city	Lake Butler
Area
• Total	250 sq mi (600 km²)
• Land	244 sq mi (630 km²)
• Water	6.2 sq mi (16 km²) 2.5%
Population (2020)
• Total	16,147
• Density	64/sq mi (25/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	3rd

Union County is a small county located in the north central part of Florida, a U.S. state. It is the smallest county in Florida based on its land area. In the 2020 census, about 16,147 people lived here. The main town, or county seat, is Lake Butler.

History of Union County
Geography and Land
- Neighboring Counties
Population and People
Education
- Public Libraries
Transportation
- Main Roads
Communities
Images for kids
See also

History of Union County

Union County was created in 1921. It was formed from a part of Bradford County. The county was named "Union" to honor the idea of coming together and being united. The county is home to a large state prison, which is an important part of the area's history and economy.

Geography and Land

Union County covers about 250 square miles (647 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 244 square miles (632 square kilometers), is land. A smaller part, about 6.2 square miles (16 square kilometers), is water. Union County is known for being the smallest county in Florida by its total area.

Neighboring Counties

Union County shares its borders with several other counties:

Baker County is to the north.
Alachua County is to the south.
Bradford County is to the east.
Columbia County is to the west.

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1930	7,428	—
1940	7,094	−4.5%
1950	8,906	25.5%
1960	6,043	−32.1%
1970	8,112	34.2%
1980	10,166	25.3%
1990	10,252	0.8%
2000	13,442	31.1%
2010	15,535	15.6%
2020	16,147	3.9%
2023 (est.)	15,532	0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2019

In 2020, there were 16,147 people living in Union County. There were 4,008 households and 2,873 families.

Back in 2000, the county had 13,442 people. The population density was about 56 people per square mile. About 73.62% of the people were White, and 22.84% were Black or African American. About 3.55% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

In 2000, about 41.80% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average household had 2.76 people. The average family had 3.13 people.

The median age in 2000 was 36 years old. This means half the people were younger than 36 and half were older.

Education

The Union County School District is in charge of the schools in the county.

Public Libraries

In 1986, local volunteers started a small library in the Community Center. It used books that people had donated. Later, the county used tax money to fund its own public library. An old bank building was fixed up to become the new public library. The library opened to the public in 1990.

In 1996, the Union County Public Library joined the New River Public Library Cooperative. This helped improve and support library services for everyone in the county. The Union County Public Library is located at 250 SE 5th Avenue, Lake Butler, Florida 32054.