Union County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the north central portion of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, the smallest in the state by area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,147. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Lake Butler.

History

Union County was created on October 1, 1921, from part of Bradford County. It was named to honor the concept of unity. Union County is the location of

Union Correctional Institution The Union Correctional Institution, formerly referred to as Florida State Prison, and also commonly known as Raiford Prison is a Florida Department of Corrections state prison located in unincorporated Union County, Florida, near Raiford. Si ...

and the Reception and Medical Center (RMC). Union CI is a maximum security prison and is home to part of Florida's

Death Row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

. The death chamber is located at nearby Florida State Prison (FSP) in Bradford County. Florida State Prison also houses some death-row inmates.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (2.5%) is water. It is the smallest county by area in Florida.

Adjacent counties

* Baker County (north) *

Alachua County Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida. History Prehistory and ear ...

(south) * Bradford County (east) * Columbia County (west)

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 16,147 people, 4,008 households, and 2,873 families residing in the county. At the 2000

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, there were 13,442 people, 3,367 households and 2,606 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 56 per square mile (22/km²). There were 3,736 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 73.62% White, 22.84% Black or African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.04% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. 3.55% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 3,367 households, 41.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.60% were non-families. 19.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.13. The age distribution was 21.80% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 39.80% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 7.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 183.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 215.20 males. This extremely skewed gender distribution is the result of the county's male prison population. The median household income was $34,563, and the median family income was $37,516. Males had a median income of $28,571 versus $22,083 for females. The county's

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

was $12,333. About 10.50% of families and 14.00% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 14.60% of those under age 18 and 16.20% of those age 65 or over. The county suffers a death rate of about 1600 per 100,000 residents, the highest in the nation.

Government and infrastructure

The

Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) is the government agency responsible for operating state prisons in the U.S. state of Florida. It has its headquarters in the state capital of Tallahassee. The Florida Department of Corrections oper ...

(FDOC) operates Region II Correctional Facility Office in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Union County. FDOC also maintains the

in an unincorporated area in the county. Union Correctional Institution houses one of two death rows for men in Florida.Death Row Fact Sheet
."

. Retrieved on August 15, 2010. About a third of the county's population is imprisoned, compared to a statewide figure of one-half percent. The Union Juvenile Residential Facility of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice is in an unincorporated area in Union County.

Education

Union County School District serves the county.

Libraries

In 1986, local county volunteers ran a make shift library in the local Community Center which consisted of donated books and other items. Soon the County was able to fund their own public library from tax money. An old bank building was renovated and used for the new public library. In 1990, the library was open to the public. In 1996, the Union County Public Library became a part of the New River Public Library Cooperative to enhance and support library services for patrons throughout the county. The Union County Public Library serves the county. The branch is at 250 SE 5th Avenue, Lake Butler, Florida 32054. Its director is Mary C. Brown. The branch is open Monday, Wednesday–Friday 9 am–6 pm, Tuesday 9 am–8 pm, and Saturday 9 am–3 pm.

Transportation

Major roads

* * * * * *

Communities

References

External links

''Union County Times''
newspaper that serves Union County, Florida available in full-text with images i
Florida Digital Newspaper Library

- Website for Union County's library with links to government services and the tri-county area's library catalog.
''Lake Butler Community Page''
a non-official 'Community Page' created by a local resident to help share information about events and more occurring in the Union County/Lake Butler area.

Government links/Constitutional offices

Union County Board of County Commissioners

Union County Supervisor of Elections

Union County Sheriff's Office

Union County Tax Collector

Special districts

Union County School Board

Suwannee River Water Management District
ead link August 26, 2016

Judicial branch

Union County Clerk of Courts

Office of the State Attorney, 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida
serving Alachua,

Baker A baker is a tradesperson who baking, bakes and sometimes Sales, sells breads and other products made of flour by using an oven or other concentrated heat source. The place where a baker works is called a bakery. History Ancient histo ...

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties
Circuit and County Court for the 8th Judicial Circuit of Florida
{{authority control 1921 establishments in Florida Populated places established in 1921 Florida counties North Florida