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Union County, NJ — Dentists Saturation

How many dentists exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 30 ZIP codes analyzed.

Includes: General & family dentists · Orthodontists · Oral surgeons · Other dental specialists. Counted together because official statistics use one 621210 code.

Measured density: Above average — 1.27× the U.S. rate (between 1.27× and 1.32× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 10 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 6 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

Above the U.S. rate   Union County dentists — 127–132% of the U.S. rate

301 dentists are counted in Union County — 4.3 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 127% of the U.S. rate of 3.4.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has fallen 4% between 2015 and 2023 (310 → 298). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 07204 (Roselle Park), 07090 (Westfield), 07081 (Springfield) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 07065 (Rahway), 07201 (Elizabeth), 07202 (Elizabeth).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 271 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: Union County sits at 127% of the U.S. rate for dentists. 6 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 127% and 132% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 07204 and 07090; the lowest measured density is in 07065 and 07201.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing dentists and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Dentists
301–321
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (10 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
4.3
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
3.4
per 10,000 present
County index
1.27×
vs. U.S.
Latest quarter (QCEW)
271
2026 Q1 — county total
Residents
602,051
26 ZIPs with data
Workers
207,358
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
594,160
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+3.6%
+20,480 people
Net migration 2024
+9,410
international +13,284, domestic −3,874
Jobs located here
245,615
LODES 2022, +1.0% since 2019

Union County had an estimated 594,160 residents on July 1, 2024 — 3.6% more than in 2020 (+20,480). In the latest year it gained 12,080 people: births minus deaths +2,624, international migration +13,284, domestic migration −3,874. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

245,615 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (+1.0% since 2019), and 268,105 employed residents lived there (+0.7% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits →  ·  Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
07206 Elizabethport
+18.3%
07027 Garwood
+12.6%
07083 Union
+5.5%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
07081 Springfield
−1.4%
07066 Clark
−0.7%

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses (no paid employees)

Nonemployer businesses
131
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$12.7M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$97K
gross, not profit

Census Nonemployer Statistics counts businesses with no paid employees — a separate universe from the employer establishments counted above; a business is in one or the other, never both. They are not storefronts by definition: many are home-based, mobile, or part-time.

We show them beside the density index, not inside it. In categories such as nail and beauty salons, child care, and pet care, one-person businesses can outnumber employer establishments, so the employer-only count understates how many businesses exist. That is not evidence of higher demand.

Receipts are gross revenue reported for these businesses — not profit, and not the size of the local market. Census publishes this only at county level, so it is not shown on the ZIP map. See methodology.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery. Individual mapped shops appear as dots at street level — Show locations zooms you in to them (scroll or double-click to zoom).

Basemap:
Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size) Mapped shop (OpenStreetMap, street level)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more dentists in that ZIP. They are aggregated, not individual shops. Turquoise dots are individual locations mapped in OpenStreetMap, shown only at street level; they are crowd-sourced and indicative, may be incomplete, and do not equal the official counts. Only the official ZIP totals feed the saturation index.

Market trend — down 4% since 2015

Number of dentists in Union County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

310
2015
310
2018
315
2020
295
2021
301
2022
298
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
07204 Roselle Park
343%
07090 Westfield
316%
07081 Springfield
301%
07092 Mountainside
219%
07974 New Providence
217%
07922 Berkeley Heights
212%
07066 Clark
212%
07016 Cranford
188%
07901 Summit
185%
07083 Union
168%
07023 Fanwood
163%
07033 Kenilworth
142%
07208 Elizabeth
131%
07060 Plainfield
114%
07036 Linden
103%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
07065 Rahway
51%
07201 Elizabeth
54%
07202 Elizabeth
63%
07076 Scotch Plains
99%
07036 Linden
103%
07060 Plainfield
114%
07208 Elizabeth
131%
07033 Kenilworth
142%
07023 Fanwood
163%
07083 Union
168%
07901 Summit
185%
07016 Cranford
188%
07066 Clark
212%
07922 Berkeley Heights
212%
07974 New Providence
217%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few dentists may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = dentists per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersDentists Per 10kIndexStatus
07204Roselle Park 14,0931,352 17 11.5 343% Very high density
07090Westfield 31,1117,623 37 10.6 316% Very high density
07081Springfield 17,1719,313 22 10.1 301% Very high density
07092Mountainside 7,0494,937 7 7.4 219% High density
07974New Providence 13,3499,051 13 7.3 217% High density
07922Berkeley Heights 12,1959,389 12 7.1 212% High density
07066Clark 15,6228,254 14 7.1 212% High density
07016Cranford 24,07412,018 19 6.3 188% High density
07901Summit 24,31415,744 20 6.2 185% High density
07083Union 58,17025,709 40 5.6 168% High density
07023Fanwood 7,7992,664 5 5.5 163% High density
07027Garwood 4,8851,950 3 5.1 153% High density
07033Kenilworth 8,4018,350 6 4.8 142% Above average
07208Elizabeth 31,9374,279 15 4.4 131% Above average
07060Plainfield 48,3637,986 20 3.8 114% Above average
07036Linden 45,67118,847 19 3.4 103% Above average
07076Scotch Plains 24,8434,333 9 3.3 99% Below average
07202Elizabeth 44,9685,457 10 2.1 63% Below average
07201Elizabeth 28,46720,641 7 1.8 54% Below average
07065Rahway 30,1099,639 6 1.7 51% Below average
07061Plainfield —93 0–2 — — Not published
07062Plainfield 15,3991,352 0–2 — — Not published
07063Plainfield 14,235934 0–2 — — Not published
07088Vauxhall 2,9012,526 0–2 — — Not published
07091Westfield —140 0–2 — — Not published
07203Roselle 22,6463,369 0–2 — — Not published
07205Hillside 22,3496,553 0–2 — — Not published
07206Elizabethport 31,9305,088 0–2 — — Not published
07207Elizabeth —4,249 0–2 — — Not published
07902Summit —3,873 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Union

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse Union retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Union retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Union retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

Follow Union County and dentists

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 621210 — offices of dentists. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. BLS QCEW (quarterly) is newer than ZBP — 2026 Q1 shows 271 establishments county-wide for this industry. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (3.35 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology →  ·  Data sources & vintages →

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.