{"id":3508,"date":"2023-05-17T08:46:48","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T08:46:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/?p=3508"},"modified":"2026-08-20T19:23:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T19:23:50","slug":"union-county-iowa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/union-county-iowa\/","title":{"rendered":"Union County, Iowa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Union County is a county in Iowa, United States, in the southwestern part of the state, roughly 65 miles southwest of Des Moines. It had a population of 12,138 at the 2020 census and covers 424 square miles (1,100 km2) of land, centred near 41\u00b002\u2032N 94\u00b014\u2032W.<\/p>\n<p>Creston is the county seat, and its postal code is 50801. The county has 5 incorporated cities and several unincorporated communities, sits in the Central time zone, and its FIPS county code is 175.<\/p>\n<h2>Towns &amp; Villages in Union County<\/h2>\n<p>Union County has five incorporated cities and a handful of unincorporated communities. The table below lists Type as City for every incorporated place (Iowa does not distinguish town\/city by size) and Unincorp. for places with no municipal government of their own.<\/p>\n<div class=\"tv-table-scroll\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Place<\/th>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<th>Pop.<\/th>\n<th>ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Creston<\/td>\n<td>City &middot; seat<\/td>\n<td>7,536<\/td>\n<td>50801<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Afton<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>874<\/td>\n<td>50830<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Lorimor<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>386<\/td>\n<td>50149<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cromwell<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>105<\/td>\n<td>50842<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Arispe<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>96<\/td>\n<td>50831<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shannon City<\/td>\n<td>City<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>50861<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Thayer<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>50254<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Kent<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>50801<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Monette<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Spaulding<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Talmage<\/td>\n<td>Unincorp.<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<td>&mdash;<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>Lorimor sits on the Union&ndash;Warren county line; its post office and the bulk of its households are on the Union County side. Kent, an unincorporated crossroads community, shares Creston&#8217;s 50801 ZIP rather than carrying its own postal code.<\/p>\n<h2>ZIP Codes<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>50801 &mdash; Creston (also serves Kent)<\/li>\n<li>50830 &mdash; Afton<\/li>\n<li>50149 &mdash; Lorimor<\/li>\n<li>50842 &mdash; Cromwell<\/li>\n<li>50861 &mdash; Shannon City<\/li>\n<li>50254 &mdash; Thayer<\/li>\n<li>50831 &mdash; Arispe (PO Box delivery only)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Monette, Spaulding and Talmage have no post office of their own; mail there is routed through the nearest larger town&#8217;s ZIP code.<\/p>\n<h2>Geography<\/h2>\n<p>Union County lies in the rolling farmland of Iowa&#8217;s Southern Iowa Drift Plain, drained by the West Fork of the Grand River and several of its tributary creeks. Land use is dominated by row-crop agriculture and pasture, with 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) of surface water, mostly small impoundments and farm ponds. Twelve Mile Lake, a state-managed reservoir, sits in the northeastern part of the county near Afton.<\/p>\n<p>The county borders <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/adair-county\/\">Adair County<\/a> to the northwest, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/madison-county-iowa\/\">Madison County<\/a> to the northeast, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/clarke-county-iowa\/\">Clarke County<\/a> to the east, <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/ringgold-county\/\">Ringgold County<\/a> to the south, and <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/adams-county-iowa\/\">Adams County<\/a> to the west.<\/p>\n<h2>Demographics<\/h2>\n<p>Union County had 12,138 residents at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 28.6 people per square mile. Creston, the county seat, accounts for over 60 percent of that total with 7,536 residents, followed by Afton at 874. Median household income in the county runs below the Iowa median of $71,433, reflecting the county&#8217;s rural, agriculture-based economy and its population loss from a peak of 19,928 at the 1900 census.<\/p>\n<h2>Economy &amp; Local Life<\/h2>\n<p>Agriculture &mdash; corn, soybeans, and cattle &mdash; anchors the county&#8217;s economy, alongside industries tied to grain handling and rail freight. The BNSF Railway runs through Creston and remains the chief network for hauling grain and coal out of the area, a role the town has held since its founding as a railroad division point in the 1860s. Greater Regional Health, based in Creston, is the county&#8217;s largest employer and the main hospital serving southwest Iowa. Southwestern Community College, also headquartered in Creston, serves the wider region.<\/p>\n<h2>History<\/h2>\n<p>Union County was organized in 1853, at a time of rising sectional tension before the Civil War, and named for the union its settlers hoped to preserve. Creston was platted in 1868 when the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad built a rail yard and division point there, and the town quickly overtook the older settlements to become county seat. The county&#8217;s population peaked at 19,928 in the 1900 census and has declined gradually since, as farm mechanization reduced the rural workforce and small towns lost population to Creston and to cities outside the county.<\/p>\n<h2>Getting There<\/h2>\n<p>U.S. Route 34 crosses the county east&ndash;west through Creston, and Iowa Highway 25 runs north&ndash;south through the county seat. Interstate 35 passes about 20 miles east of the county line.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Des Moines &mdash; 65 miles northeast<\/li>\n<li>Osceola &mdash; 20 miles east<\/li>\n<li>Corning &mdash; 20 miles west<\/li>\n<li>Lamoni &mdash; 25 miles south<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The nearest commercial airport is Des Moines International Airport, about 70 miles northeast of Creston.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Where is Union County, Iowa?<\/strong><br \/>\nIt is in the southwestern part of the state, about 65 miles southwest of Des Moines, bordering Missouri-facing Ringgold County to the south.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the population of Union County?<\/strong><br \/>\n12,138 at the 2020 census.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How big is Union County?<\/strong><br \/>\n424 square miles (1,100 km2) of land, plus 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) of water.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is the county seat of Union County?<\/strong><br \/>\nCreston is the county seat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How many towns are in Union County?<\/strong><br \/>\nFive incorporated cities &mdash; Creston, Afton, Lorimor, Cromwell, and Arispe &mdash; plus Shannon City and several unincorporated communities including Thayer, Kent, Monette, Spaulding, and Talmage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What ZIP codes are in Union County?<\/strong><br \/>\n50801 (Creston), 50830 (Afton), 50149 (Lorimor), 50842 (Cromwell), 50831 (Arispe), 50861 (Shannon City), and 50254 (Thayer).<\/p>\n<p><strong>What is Union County&#8217;s economy based on?<\/strong><br \/>\nAgriculture and related industries, including grain and cattle production, with rail freight through Creston on the BNSF line.<\/p>\n<p>More counties in this state: <a href=\"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/category\/iowa\/\">Towns and villages in Iowa<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Union County is a county in Iowa, United States, in the southwestern part of the state, roughly 65 miles southwest of Des Moines. It had a population of 12,138 at the 2020 census and covers 424 square miles (1,100 km2) of land, centred near 41\u00b002\u2032N 94\u00b014\u2032W. Creston is the county seat, and its postal code [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Towns & Villages in Union County, Iowa","_seopress_titles_desc":"Union County, Iowa: population, ZIP codes, Creston and 4 other cities, geography, history and FAQ for this southwest Iowa county.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[6],"class_list":["post-3508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-iowa","tag-towns-and-cities","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3508"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10582,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508\/revisions\/10582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}