# Union, Illinois — #2,631 of 3,144 counties

> Liberty Moving composite score 5.33 of 10. FIPS 17181. Population 16,667. v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values.

About 16,700 people live in Union, Illinois. It ranks #2,631 of 3,144 counties for liberty, and #20 of 102 in Illinois. The combined sales tax is 8.5%, higher than in 91% of counties. Property tax takes about 1.15% of a home's value each year, more than in 79% of counties. Local government employs a smaller share of working residents than in 86% of counties. The homicide rate is lower than in 73% of counties. Life expectancy is about 75.2 years, shorter than in 54% of counties. Air quality is worse than in 86% of counties (a typical day's air quality index is 48), and flood and hurricane risk is lower than in 72% of counties. On this site's state scores, Illinois gets 5.58 of 10 for economic freedom, based on the Fraser Institute's ranking, and 0 of 10 for gun rights.

## Scores

| Factor | Level | Score (0–10) | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fraser Institute state ranking | state | 5.58 |  |
| 2A | state | 0.00 |  |
| Air quality | county | 5.20 |  |
| GOP + LP vote for President | county | 7.10 |  |
| Homicide rate | county | 9.58 |  |
| Sales tax | county | 2.27 |  |
| Property tax | county | 4.25 |  |
| Floods / hurricanes | county | 6.11 |  |
| Life expectancy | county | 5.20 |  |
| Government employees | county | 8.58 |  |
| Single-parent households | county | 7.64 |  |

"est" marks a derived or placeholder value with no published county figure.

## Neighbors

- #3006 Williamson, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17199.md
- #3104 Alexander, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17003.md
- #763 Cape Girardeau, Missouri — https://libertymoving.org/counties/29031.md
- #213 Perry, Missouri — https://libertymoving.org/counties/29157.md
- #2724 Johnson, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17087.md
- #2896 Pulaski, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17153.md
- #3084 Jackson, Illinois — https://libertymoving.org/counties/17077.md

## Links

- Page: https://libertymoving.org/counties/17181
- Compare: https://libertymoving.org/compare?a=17181
- Methodology: https://libertymoving.org/methodology
- Sources and terms: https://libertymoving.org/privacy