Economic Development

Create Opportunities for Business to Grow

In 2018, the Union Parish Chamber of Commerce, directed by Jon R McKinnie, President / CEO, expanded the services it offered and created a focus on Economic Development.  We continue to be dedicated to expanding the industrial and economic base throughout Union Parish, Louisiana.  

That mission is accomplished primarily through assisting the existing businesses and industries in the community to grow and expand; in building upon the existing base through the attraction to the community of additional customers and suppliers; helping the entrepreneur launch a new venture; and attracting entirely new kinds of businesses and industry to the area.  At the same time, we work with the state's workforce development to help the labor pool become more qualified for the jobs available in our market area.

We are consistently and aggressively promoted business growth through a highly effective, four-point strategy:

• Retention and Expansion of Existing Businesses
• New and Small Business Development
• Targeted Marketing and Attraction of New Business
• Incentives and Infrastructure

Union Parish Offers Logistical Advantages

As part of the Monroe Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), Union Parish ranks No. 4 in economic development according to Site Selection magazine. The parish is strategically positioned at the crossroads of the Mid-South, one of the fastest growing regions of the United States.  At the midpoint between Dallas and Birmingham, Little Rock and New Orleans, and Houston and Memphis, Union Parish can access more than 30 million consumers via Interstate 20, US 167, LA 2 and LA 33.  Farmerville is located half way between two Fortune 125 companies (Murphy Oil & CenturyLink).   Air service, Class 1 Rail, and the Greater Ouachita Port offer multimodal transportation options. 

Located in northeast Louisiana, Union Parish covers 877 sq. miles with an estimated 2020 population of 21,105 residents, which earns a median household income of $47,068. The civilian labor force of 9,207 works primarily in agribusiness, healthcare, energy and financial services. Unemployment in Union Parish is 3.8% (August 2022).

Union Parish’s earlier economy had focused primarily on harvesting timber, cotton, corn and beans.  Over the years, Union Parish has diversified its industries, adding agribusiness or poultry growing and processing, healthcare, retail businesses, petroleum pipeline construction, and timber processing and transport. 

Today, Union Parish’s primary employment sector is Poultry Product Manufacturing, which is followed closely by Education and Health Services, Agriculture, Construction and Trade, Transportation and Utilities.

As an ACT Louisiana Certified Work Ready Community, Union Parish is committed to making our communities more competitive and close the skills gap that threaten to paralyze our economy.  Change starts at the grassroots level, supported by a community-based framework that:

• Links workforce development to education
• Aligns with the economic development needs of communities
• Matches individuals to jobs based on skill levels

The ACT Work Ready Communities Initiative provides that framework.  This solution requires a process - a community-based framework for workforce and economic development that certifies parishes as "work ready" when established goals have been met.  Union Parish has meet those goals and continues to improve beyond the initial requirements.

As a Louisiana Certified Retirement Community, the parish is also quickly becoming home to retirees, who are drawn to the shores of beautiful Lake D’Arbonne and to the relaxed lifestyle in this corner of the South.