Retiring to Union County, IA: pros and cons
For Americans thinking of retiring to Union County, Iowa, from another state or instead of a move abroad.
Not a US citizen or resident? The US has no retirement visa, and Medicare and these tax figures assume US residency. What applies to you →
Pros and cons of retiring in Union County, Iowa
Each figure against every US county holding the same figure: a pro is better than most, a con worse than most, and a figure within 5% of the middle gets no verdict. Every figure is sourced and dated.
Pros
- Lower natural-hazard risk than most US counties: Natural hazards are expected to cost USD $1.01 per USD $1,000 of buildings a year in Union County, Iowa, lower than 78% of the other 3143. FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB) · 2025-12-01
- Pension income partly or fully exempt: Iowa lets retirees exclude all from age 55 of pension or retirement income from its income tax (2025 rules), one of 21 states with such an exclusion. Iowa Department of Revenue, IA 1040 Expanded Instructions: Schedule 1 · 2026-10-26
Cons
- Among the fifth of US counties with the highest tax on a retired couple: State and local tax on the example retired couple in Union County, Iowa comes to USD $6,303 a year, higher than 94% of the other 3110. The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household · 2025-12-31
- Fewer mild-weather months than most US counties: Union County, Iowa has 4.0 months a year with a mean daily high of 64–84 °F (18–29 °C), fewer than 61% of the other 3143. CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al. · 2010-12-31
Union County has 11,829 residents, 2,647 of them aged 65 or older (22.4 %) (US Census Bureau, county population estimates by age, 1 July 2025). Largest places: Creston, Afton, Lorimor (Census, 1 July 2024).
Last updated
Where Union County stands, on the six criteria
Union County's own figures, each against every US county that has the same figure. Cost of living is its area's: the Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no price level for a single county.
| Criterion | Union County |
|---|---|
| Cost of living BEA price level, all items (US = 100); lower is better |
84.1 Cheaper than 87% of the other 3,142 US counties
Every county in the area shares this figure. BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, all items, Iowa nonmetropolitan portion · figure for 2024 · checked 2026-10-28
|
| Taxes on a retired couple state and local tax on the example retired couple, USD a year; lower is better |
USD $6,303 (90% margin USD $5,611–$6,995) Lower than 6% of the other 3,110 US counties
The state's published 2025 income-tax rules, the county's own local income tax where one is levied, and the county's Census ACS property-tax ratio, applied to the example household · figure for 2025
|
| Healthcare access share of residents 65+ living in a county with a 4- or 5-star CMS hospital; higher is better |
No hospital in the county rated 4 or 5 stars by CMS A fact for this county, not a ranking: a county without such a hospital may sit near one next door.
CMS, Hospital General Information (Care Compare), hospital overall star rating, release of 13 Aug 2026 · figure for 2026 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Safety homicides per 100,000 a year, 2020–2024, by state of residence; lower is better |
no data Union County had fewer than 20 homicides in 2020–2024: CDC WONDER publishes no reliable rate below that. |
| Climate months a year whose mean daily high is 18–29 °C (64–84 °F), 1981–2010; more is better |
4.0 months a year More than 7% of the other 3,143 US counties
CHELSA V2.1 monthly maximum temperature, 1981-2010 (~1 km), averaged over the county, Karger et al. · figure for 2010 · checked 2026-10-27
|
| Natural-hazard risk expected yearly loss to buildings from natural hazards, per USD $1,000 of buildings; lower is better |
USD $1.01 per USD $1,000 of buildings Lower than 78% of the other 3,143 US counties
FEMA, National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county expected annual loss to buildings (EAL_VALB) · figure for 2025 · checked 2026-10-28
|
Taxes on a retired couple in Union County, Iowa
The published example couple's state and local tax in Union County for tax year 2025, in its three parts. Only the income tax is the same across Iowa; the property tax uses Union County's own Census figures.
| State income tax Iowa's 2025 rules — the same in every Iowa county |
USD $0 |
|---|---|
| Local income tax none in this calculation: a county income tax is held only for Maryland and Indiana |
USD $0 |
| Property tax on a USD $350,000 home Union County's own median taxes paid ÷ median home value |
USD $6,303 |
| State and local tax, a year | USD $6,303 |
Sources: Iowa Department of Revenue, 2025 IA 1040 Iowa Individual Income Tax Return; US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25103, county.
What Medicare costs in Union County, Iowa
For the published example couple, both 67 and married: what Medicare premiums cost a year for two in Union County, Iowa, and the most a bad year can cost. What care itself costs depends on a person's health, so it is not estimated here.
Medicare Advantage, with drug coverage
USD $4,870 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,870)
At most USD $14,870 in a bad year (from USD $13,670), with each person's in-network out-of-pocket maximum
The middle of the 13 plans offered here; "from" is the lowest premium among them.
Original Medicare, with a drug plan
USD $5,669 a year for two in premiums (from USD $4,997)
Medigap: no federal price list — not in this total.
No yearly maximum on Original Medicare alone.
Part B for two, plus the middle of the 9 standalone drug plans offered in the state.
The 2027 Part B premium is not yet published (CMS usually publishes it in November); 2026's is used.
Source: CMS, Medicare Advantage and Part D Landscape, plan year 2027; CMS, 2026 Medicare Parts A & B Premiums and Deductibles (fact sheet, 14 Nov 2025).
The largest places in Union County
By population in the county; a place split across counties counts only the part in Union County. We do not cover these places in depth yet.
- Creston: 7,421 residents
- Afton: 864 residents
- Lorimor: 377 residents
US Census Bureau, Vintage 2024 sub-county population estimates (SUB-EST2024), 1 July 2024.
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