Union County is a county in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,668. Its county seat is Morganfield. The county was created effective January 15, 1811.

The county is located on the east bank of the Ohio River opposite its confluence with the Wabash River. Union County, along with neighboring Posey County, Indiana, and Gallatin County, Illinois, form the tri-point of the Illinois–Indiana–Kentucky tri-state area.

Geography

Union County lies on the northern border of Kentucky; its northwestern border is formed by the meanders of the Ohio River, abutting the states of Illinois and Indiana. The county terrain consists of frequent low wooded hills among the level areas, which are devoted to agriculture. Its highest point ( ASL) is a rise in the Chalybeate Hills, in the Higginson-Henry Wildlife Management Area.

The John T. Myers Locks and Dam, authorized and constructed as Uniontown Locks and Dam, is located downstream from Uniontown, on the Ohio River, linking Union County and Posey County Indiana. Construction of the dam was begun in 1965 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and completed in 1977. It was renamed on October 12, 1996, to honor retired Indiana congressman John T. Myers.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (5.6%) is water. Union County is part of the Western Coal Fields region of Kentucky.

Adjacent counties

  • Posey County, Indiana − north
  • Henderson County − northeast
  • Webster County − southeast
  • Crittenden County − south
  • Hardin County, Illinois − west
  • Gallatin County, Illinois −northwest

Protected areas

  • Higginson-Henry Wildlife Management Area (state)
  • Moffit Lake Recreation Area (county)

Highways

  • 20px U.S. Route 60
  • 20px KY 56
  • 20px KY 109

Communities

Cities

  • Morganfield
  • Sturgis
  • Uniontown
  • Waverly

Census-designated places

  • Breckinridge Center

Unincorporated communities

  • Bordley
  • Boxville
  • Caseyville
  • Cullen
  • Curlew
  • Dekoven
  • Grangertown
  • Grove Center
  • Henshaw
  • Pride
  • Spring Grove
  • Sullivan
  • The Rocks

Demographics

<!-- PresRow should be -->

Union County was a longtime Democratic stronghold in presidential elections. However, it gradually shifted to supporting Republican candidates. In 2016, Donald Trump won more than three fourths of the county's vote.

Elected officials

{| class=wikitable

|-

| colspan="3" |Elected officials as of January 3, 2025

|-

! scope=row|U.S. House

| |James Comer (R)

| |

|-

! scope=row|Ky. Senate

| |Robby Mills (R)

| |4

|-

! scope=row|Ky. House

| |Jim Gooch Jr. (R)

| |12

|}

Notable people

  • Ben M. Bogard lived as a child in Union County; became a Baptist minister and was involved with the Landmarkism Movement.
  • Dwane Casey, longtime NBA head coach, most recently head coach of the Detroit Pistons.
  • Earle Clements, state Senate majority leader, congressman (1945-47), governor (1947-50), U.S. senator (1950-56), assiatant and acting majority leader of the U.S. Senate under Lyndon B. Johnson and president of The Tobacco Institute (1966-70).
  • Ormsby M. Mitchel, astronomer and major general during the American Civil War.
  • Isaiah L. Potts (1784?-after 1843), tavern keeper of the notorious Potts Tavern who allegedly ran a gang of highwaymen and murderers on the Illinois frontier,
  • William L. O'Daniel (1923−2017), a Union County farmer who served in the Illinois General Assembly.

See also

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Union County, Kentucky

References

  • Union County Public Schools, Kentucky
  • Union County Economic Development