Union County, Illinois

Union County is a county in Illinois, United States, in the region of the state locals call “Little Egypt.” It had a population of 17,244 at the 2020 census and covers 413 square miles (1,070 km2) of land plus 8.7 square miles (23 km2) of water, centred near 37°28′N 89°15′W.

Jonesboro is the county seat; its postal code is 62952. The county has 2 cities, 4 villages and a scatter of unincorporated communities and hamlets. Union County runs on Central Time and its FIPS code is 17157. Unlike most Illinois counties, Union County has no civil township government — the county is divided into precincts that carry out no independent administrative functions.

Towns & Villages in Union County

Union County has two incorporated cities — Anna and the county seat, Jonesboro — and four incorporated villages: Alto Pass, Cobden, Dongola and Mill Creek. The rest of the list below is unincorporated: crossroads hamlets, former river landings on the Mississippi and Ohio bottoms, and rural place names that never organized as municipalities.

Bennett Landing and Hamburg Landing sit on the old Mississippi River steamboat trade, on the county’s western edge; Wolf Lake is both the community name and the name of the oxbow lake beside it. Population figures for the small unincorporated places are not separately tabulated by the Census Bureau outside a formal census-designated place, so they are left blank rather than estimated.

ZIP Codes

• 62952 — Jonesboro (county seat)
• 62906 — Anna
• 62905 — Alto Pass
• 62920 — Cobden
• 62926 — Dongola
• 62998 — Wolf Lake
• 62961 — Mill Creek (Millcreek, PO Box delivery only)

The unincorporated hamlets and rural place names on the settlement list above do not have their own post office and are served by the nearest of the ZIPs listed here.

Geography

Union County lies in the far southern tip of Illinois, in the hilly, forested end of the state known locally as “Little Egypt.” The Mississippi River forms part of the county’s western boundary and the Shawnee National Forest covers a substantial share of its eastern uplands, including the bluffs above Wolf Lake and the LaRue-Pine Hills area. The Cache River and Clear Creek drain the county’s lower elevations.

Union County borders Jackson County to the north, Williamson County to the northeast, Johnson County to the east, Pulaski County to the southeast, Alexander County to the south, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri to the west, and Perry County, Missouri to the northwest.

Demographics

Union County had 17,244 residents at the 2020 census. Anna and Jonesboro are the two largest communities, together anchoring most of the county’s population along the U.S. Highway 51 corridor. Median household income in the county runs well below the Illinois median of $80,306, consistent with the largely rural, southern-Illinois economy. Population density is roughly 42 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Agriculture — orchards, vineyards and row crops on the county’s flatter ground — remains a core part of the local economy, and Union County is one of Illinois’s best-known fruit-growing districts; Cobden has long marketed itself around its apple and peach orchards. Tourism tied to the Shawnee National Forest, Trail of Tears State Forest and the region’s wineries draws visitors from the St. Louis and southern Illinois metro areas. Union County government and the school districts headquartered in Anna and Jonesboro are among the larger local employers.

History

Union County was organized on January 2, 1818, carved out of Johnson County less than a year before Illinois achieved statehood. Its name comes from a joint revival meeting, or “union meeting,” held by local Baptist and Dunkard (German Baptist Brethren) congregations; the county seal still depicts leaders of the two factions shaking hands. Union County was a station on the Underground Railroad, given its position just north of the Ohio and Mississippi river crossings from slaveholding states.

Getting There

Interstate 57 crosses the county, along with U.S. Highway 51 and Illinois Routes 3, 127 and 146.

• Carbondale — 15 miles north
• Cape Girardeau, Missouri — 25 miles west
• Marion — 25 miles northeast
• Cairo — 30 miles south

The nearest commercial airport is Southern Illinois Airport in Murphysboro/Carbondale.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Union County, Illinois?
It sits in the far southern tip of Illinois, the “Little Egypt” region between the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, roughly 25 miles east of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

What is the population of Union County?
17,244 people, per the 2020 census.

How big is Union County?
413 square miles (1,070 km2) of land plus 8.7 square miles (23 km2) of water — 422 square miles total.

What is the county seat of Union County?
Jonesboro is the county seat.

How many towns and villages are in Union County?
Two cities (Anna and Jonesboro), four villages (Alto Pass, Cobden, Dongola and Mill Creek), and roughly two dozen unincorporated hamlets and rural place names.

What ZIP codes are in Union County?
62905 (Alto Pass), 62906 (Anna), 62920 (Cobden), 62926 (Dongola), 62952 (Jonesboro), 62961 (Mill Creek) and 62998 (Wolf Lake).

Does Union County have township government?
No. Union County is one of only 17 Illinois counties with no civil townships; it is divided into precincts that have no independent administrative role.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Illinois.