Census: Union City Sees Slowest Growth in History Over Last Decade

Figures from the 2010 Census released Tuesday show that Union City had its slowest growth in population this past decade.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's population is now 69,516 — a 4 percent increase of 2,647 residents compared with 2000.

"That's the smallest growth by far in the city's history," said Mayor Mark Green.

Incorporated in January 1959, Union City ended that year with just 6,618 residents, according to historical Census data provided by the Department of Finance.

Each decade since has seen fast growth. The population jumped by 25,000 between 1970 and 1980, raising the population from 14,724 to 39,406. Continuing to grow, Union City rounded out the 1990s with 53,762 residents, according to the data.

Green, who moved to Union City in the 70s, believes population growth has slowed down because of  the recent economy.

"What growth we had was in the early 2000s," Green said. However, new housing developments in the works for the station district may aide in the city's growth in the later half of this decade.

Despite the small increase in population over the last decade, the portrait of Union City has shifted with a jump in the city's Asian residents.

According to the bureau, 15,895 of the residents are Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the residents who identified themselves as being of one race, Asians represent the largest group with 35,052 — a growth of 22 percent, from 28,780 in 2000.

Among the remaining single-race groups in Union City, 10,009 are white, 4,194 are black or African-American, 116 are American Indian/ Alaska native, 839 are Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander and 138 identified as "some other race," according to the data.

An integrated community, Union City now has 4,637 residents who identify as two or more races, which accounts for 6.7 percent of the total population. In comparison, only 1.7 percent of the national population is of mixed race, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Union City is also an "older" community. According to the figures, adults 18 years and older comprise 76 percent of Union City's residents.

The census figures also indicated that there are 21,258 housing units in Union City, 825 of which are vacant. The 2000 census did not include housing figures.

Beyond Union City, Alameda County’s population grew by 4.6 percent over the last ten years to 1.5 million residents, according to the census data.

In California, the state’s population rose 10 percent from April 2000 to April 2010, growing from 33.9 million residents to 37.3 million residents, the census reported.

See more Census data on American Fact Finder.