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Economic News Release
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Union Membership (Annual) News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Wednesday, January 22, 2020 			       USDL-20-0108

Technical information:	(202) 691-6378  *  cpsinfo@bls.gov  *  www.bls.gov/cps
Media contact:		(202) 691-5902  *  PressOffice@bls.gov


					UNION MEMBERS -- 2019


In 2019, the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions--the union membership
rate--was 10.3 percent, down by 0.2 percentage point from 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported today. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.6
million in 2019, was little changed from 2018. In 1983, the first year for which comparable 
union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent and there were 17.7 million
union workers. 

The data on union membership are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a
monthly sample survey of about 60,000 eligible households that obtains information on employment
and unemployment among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. For 
more information, see the Technical Note in this news release. 

Highlights from the 2019 data: 

   --The union membership rate of public-sector workers (33.6 percent) continued to be more than
     five times higher than the rate of private-sector workers (6.2 percent). (See table 3.) 

   --The highest unionization rates were among workers in protective service occupations (33.8
     percent) and in education, training, and library occupations (33.1 percent). (See table 3.) 

   --Men continued to have a higher union membership rate (10.8 percent) than women (9.7 percent).
     (See table 1.) 

   --Black workers remained more likely to be union members than White, Asian, or Hispanic 
     workers. (See table 1.) 

   --Nonunion workers had median weekly earnings that were 81 percent of earnings for workers who
     were union members ($892 versus $1,095). (The comparisons of earnings in this release are on
     a broad level and do not control for many factors that can be important in explaining 
     earnings differences.) (See table 2.) 

   --Among states, Hawaii and New York had the highest union membership rates (23.5 percent and 
     21.0 percent, respectively), while South Carolina and North Carolina had the lowest (2.2 
     percent and 2.3 percent, respectively). (See table 5.)

Industry and Occupation of Union Members 

In 2019, 7.1 million employees in the public sector belonged to a union, compared with 7.5 
million workers in the private sector. The union membership rate declined over the year in the 
private sector by 0.2 percentage point to 6.2 percent. The unionization rate for public-sector 
workers was little changed over the year at 33.6 percent, and remained substantially above that 
of the private sector. Within the public sector, the union membership rate was highest in local 
government (39.4 percent), which employs many workers in heavily unionized occupations, such as 
police officers, firefighters, and teachers. Private-sector industries with high unionization 
rates included utilities (23.4 percent), transportation and warehousing (16.1 percent), and 
telecommunications (14.1 percent). Low unionization rates occurred in finance (1.1 percent), 
insurance (1.4 percent), professional and technical services (1.4 percent), and food services and
drinking places (1.4 percent). (See table 3.) 

Among occupational groups, the highest unionization rates in 2019 were in protective service 
occupations (33.8 percent) and in education, training, and library occupations (33.1 percent).
Unionization rates were lowest in farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (2.1 percent); sales
and related occupations (2.8 percent); and food preparation and serving related occupations (3.5 
percent). 

Selected Characteristics of Union Members 

In 2019, the union membership rate for men declined by 0.3 percentage point to 10.8 percent, and
the rate for women was down by 0.2 point to 9.7 percent. (See table 1.) The gap between their 
rates has narrowed considerably since 1983 (the earliest year for which comparable data are 
available), when rates for men and women were 24.7 percent and 14.6 percent, respectively. 

Among major race and ethnicity groups, Black workers continued to have a higher union membership
rate in 2019 (11.2 percent) than workers who were White (10.3 percent), Asian (8.8 percent), or 
Hispanic (8.9 percent). However, the union membership rate for Black workers declined by 1.3 
percentage points over the year, while the rates for other race and ethnicity groups changed 
little.

By age, union membership rates continued to be highest among workers ages 45 to 64. In 2019, 
12.6 percent of workers ages 45 to 54 and 12.7 percent of those ages 55 to 64 were union members.
Over the year, the union membership rate for workers ages 45 to 54 was little changed, while the
rate for those ages 55 to 64 declined by 0.6 percentage point.

In 2019, the union membership rate for full-time workers (11.2 percent) was about twice the rate
for part-time workers (5.5 percent). 

Union Representation 

In 2019, 16.4 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union, little changed from
2018. The percentage of workers represented by a union was 11.6 percent, a slight decrease from
11.7 percent in 2018. Workers represented by a union include both union members (14.6 million)
and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union contract (1.8
million). (See table 1.) 

Earnings 

Among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median usual weekly earnings of 
$1,095 in 2019, while those who were not union members had median weekly earnings of $892. In 
addition to coverage by a collective bargaining agreement, these earnings differences reflect a
variety of influences, including variations in the distributions of union members and nonunion
employees by occupation, industry, age, firm size, or geographic region. (See tables 2 and 4.)

Union Membership by State 

In 2019, 28 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the U.S.
average, 10.3 percent, while 21 states had rates above it and 1 state had the same rate. All 
states in both the East South Central and West South Central divisions had union membership rates
below the national average, while all states in both the Middle Atlantic and Pacific divisions 
had rates above it. (See table 5.)

Eight states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2019. South Carolina and North 
Carolina had the lowest rates (2.2 percent and 2.3 percent, respectively). The next lowest rates 
were in Texas and Virginia (4.0 percent each). Two states had union membership rates over 20.0 
percent in 2019: Hawaii (23.5 percent) and New York (21.0 percent). 

Over half of the 14.6 million union members in the U.S. lived in just seven states (California, 
2.5 million; New York, 1.7 million; Illinois, 0.8 million; Pennsylvania, 0.7 million; and New 
Jersey, Ohio, and Washington, 0.6 million each), though these states accounted for only about 
one-third of wage and salary employment nationally.




Technical Note

   The estimates in this release are obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS),
which provides basic information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment.
The survey is conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census
Bureau from a scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 eligible households.
The union membership and earnings data are tabulated from one-quarter of the CPS monthly
sample and are limited to wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers are excluded.

   Beginning in January of each year, data reflect revised population controls used in the
CPS. Additional information about population controls is available on the BLS website at
www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop.

   Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon
request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Federal Relay Service: (800) 877-8339.

Reliability of the estimates

   Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and nonsampling error. When a
sample, rather than the entire population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample
estimates may differ from the true population values they represent. The exact difference,
or sampling error, varies depending on the particular sample selected, and this variability
is measured by the standard error of the estimate. There is about a 90-percent chance, or
level of confidence, that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6 
standard errors from the true population value because of sampling error. BLS analyses are
generally conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. The state section of this release
preserves the long-time practice of highlighting the state union membership rates and levels
regardless of their statistical significance.

   The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. Nonsampling error can occur for many
reasons, including the failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain
information for all respondents in the sample, inability or unwillingness of respondents to
provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the data.

   Information about the reliability of data from the CPS and guidance on estimating standard
errors is available at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#reliability.

Union membership questions 

   Employed wage and salary workers are classified as union members if they answer “yes” to 
the following question: On this job, are you a member of a labor union or of an employee
association similar to a union? If the response is “no” to that question, then the interviewer
asks a second question: On this job, are you covered by a union or employee association
contract? If the response is “yes,” then these persons, along with those who responded “yes”
to being union members, are classified as represented by a union.  If the response is “no”
to both the first and second questions, then they are classified as nonunion.

Definitions

   The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly below.

   Union members. Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar
to a union.

   Union membership rate. Data refer to the proportion of total wage and salary workers who
are union members.
   
   Represented by unions. Data refer to both union members and workers who report no union
affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.

   Nonunion. Data refer to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented by a
union on their job.

   Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes and other deductions and
include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the
case of multiple jobholders). Prior to 1994, respondents were asked how much they usually
earned per week. Since January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the easiest
way for them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually,
other) and how much they usually earn in the reported time period. Earnings reported on a
basis other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. The term "usual" is as perceived
by the respondent. If the respondent asks for a definition of usual, interviewers are instructed
to define the term as more than half of the weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months.

   Median earnings. The median is the amount which divides a given earnings distribution into
two equal groups, one having earnings above the median and the other having earnings below the
median. The estimating procedure places each reported or calculated weekly earnings value into
$50-wide intervals which are centered around multiples of $50. The actual value is estimated
through the linear interpolation of the interval in which the median lies.

   Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payment in
kind, or piece rates. The group includes employees in both the private and public sectors.
Union membership and earnings data exclude all self-employed workers, both those with
incorporated businesses as well as those with unincorporated businesses.

   Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or more per week at their sole or
principal job.

   Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than 35 hours per week at their sole or
principal job.

   Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Refers to persons who identified themselves in the enumeration
process as being Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic
or Latino may be of any race.




Table 1. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by selected characteristics, 2018-2019 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic 2018 2019
Total
employed
Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Total
employed
Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over

140,099 14,744 10.5 16,380 11.7 141,737 14,574 10.3 16,383 11.6

16 to 24 years

18,698 823 4.4 966 5.2 18,869 827 4.4 977 5.2

25 years and over

121,401 13,921 11.5 15,415 12.7 122,868 13,747 11.2 15,406 12.5

25 to 34 years

33,232 3,084 9.3 3,452 10.4 33,718 2,973 8.8 3,464 10.3

35 to 44 years

29,433 3,445 11.7 3,802 12.9 29,898 3,515 11.8 3,906 13.1

45 to 54 years

28,525 3,664 12.8 4,029 14.1 28,191 3,543 12.6 3,918 13.9

55 to 64 years

22,839 3,041 13.3 3,355 14.7 23,207 2,952 12.7 3,266 14.1

65 years and over

7,372 687 9.3 777 10.5 7,854 764 9.7 852 10.9

Men, 16 years and over

72,632 8,082 11.1 8,868 12.2 73,349 7,950 10.8 8,845 12.1

16 to 24 years

9,366 513 5.5 587 6.3 9,449 495 5.2 574 6.1

25 years and over

63,266 7,569 12.0 8,281 13.1 63,899 7,455 11.7 8,271 12.9

25 to 34 years

17,710 1,781 10.1 1,957 11.0 17,892 1,648 9.2 1,922 10.7

35 to 44 years

15,617 1,884 12.1 2,057 13.2 15,811 1,958 12.4 2,136 13.5

45 to 54 years

14,593 1,934 13.3 2,109 14.5 14,363 1,923 13.4 2,088 14.5

55 to 64 years

11,575 1,611 13.9 1,752 15.1 11,777 1,520 12.9 1,674 14.2

65 years and over

3,771 360 9.5 405 10.8 4,056 406 10.0 451 11.1

Women, 16 years and over

67,467 6,662 9.9 7,512 11.1 68,388 6,624 9.7 7,538 11.0

16 to 24 years

9,332 310 3.3 379 4.1 9,420 332 3.5 403 4.3

25 years and over

58,135 6,352 10.9 7,134 12.3 58,969 6,292 10.7 7,135 12.1

25 to 34 years

15,521 1,303 8.4 1,495 9.6 15,826 1,326 8.4 1,541 9.7

35 to 44 years

13,817 1,561 11.3 1,744 12.6 14,086 1,557 11.1 1,770 12.6

45 to 54 years

13,932 1,730 12.4 1,920 13.8 13,828 1,620 11.7 1,830 13.2

55 to 64 years

11,264 1,430 12.7 1,603 14.2 11,430 1,431 12.5 1,592 13.9

65 years and over

3,601 327 9.1 372 10.3 3,797 357 9.4 401 10.6

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY,
AND SEX

White, 16 years and over

108,164 11,215 10.4 12,471 11.5 109,132 11,208 10.3 12,583 11.5

Men

57,132 6,311 11.0 6,920 12.1 57,537 6,280 10.9 6,965 12.1

Women

51,032 4,904 9.6 5,551 10.9 51,594 4,928 9.6 5,618 10.9

Black or African American, 16 years and over

17,994 2,258 12.5 2,487 13.8 18,231 2,043 11.2 2,310 12.7

Men

8,330 1,111 13.3 1,221 14.7 8,440 1,002 11.9 1,132 13.4

Women

9,664 1,147 11.9 1,266 13.1 9,791 1,042 10.6 1,178 12.0

Asian, 16 years and over

8,973 758 8.4 855 9.5 9,291 817 8.8 932 10.0

Men

4,652 375 8.1 416 8.9 4,795 384 8.0 438 9.1

Women

4,321 383 8.9 439 10.2 4,496 433 9.6 494 11.0

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over

24,591 2,239 9.1 2,482 10.1 25,417 2,258 8.9 2,590 10.2

Men

13,775 1,304 9.5 1,443 10.5 14,100 1,312 9.3 1,490 10.6

Women

10,815 934 8.6 1,039 9.6 11,317 947 8.4 1,099 9.7

FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS(3)

Full-time workers

115,567 13,415 11.6 14,844 12.8 117,584 13,224 11.2 14,822 12.6

Part-time workers

24,346 1,313 5.4 1,518 6.2 23,946 1,329 5.5 1,540 6.4

Footnotes
(1) Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
(2) Data refer to both union members and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
(3) The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or part-time status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple jobholders.

NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (White, Black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers are excluded, both those with incorporated businesses as well as those with unincorporated businesses. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


Table 2. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics, 2018-2019 annual averages
Characteristic 2018 2019
Total Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Non-
union(3)
Total Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Non-
union(3)

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over

$886 $1,051 $1,042 $860 $917 $1,095 $1,082 $892

16 to 24 years

548 676 668 536 581 692 684 575

25 years and over

932 1,077 1,070 910 969 1,121 1,110 944

25 to 34 years

808 921 913 791 846 980 970 827

35 to 44 years

986 1,154 1,146 959 1,035 1,203 1,196 1,007

45 to 54 years

1,002 1,144 1,144 978 1,033 1,174 1,160 1,008

55 to 64 years

994 1,107 1,107 972 1,017 1,136 1,132 999

65 years and over

944 1,059 1,053 928 936 1,006 1,016 920

Men, 16 years and over

973 1,123 1,121 948 1,007 1,147 1,139 986

16 to 24 years

575 694 691 560 607 710 703 602

25 years and over

1,026 1,146 1,146 1,007 1,070 1,172 1,165 1,048

25 to 34 years

862 971 966 844 897 1,008 998 883

35 to 44 years

1,101 1,211 1,207 1,071 1,149 1,243 1,242 1,131

45 to 54 years

1,137 1,224 1,221 1,120 1,169 1,271 1,254 1,156

55 to 64 years

1,137 1,176 1,191 1,122 1,166 1,199 1,200 1,159

65 years and over

1,050 1,093 1,117 1,042 1,066 1,069 1,079 1,064

Women, 16 years and over

789 968 958 764 821 1,018 1,004 792

16 to 24 years

522 632 630 518 540 656 652 534

25 years and over

830 984 976 804 865 1,043 1,026 837

25 to 34 years

750 856 846 736 788 944 932 767

35 to 44 years

876 1,063 1,052 845 920 1,140 1,129 890

45 to 54 years

876 1,026 1,030 847 904 1,086 1,066 878

55 to 64 years

853 989 982 825 880 1,031 1,016 855

65 years and over

811 1,022 1,010 783 815 949 961 784

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY,
AND SEX

White, 16 years and over

916 1,098 1,090 889 945 1,127 1,115 917

Men

1,002 1,157 1,154 978 1,036 1,181 1,173 1,012

Women

817 1,007 1,001 786 840 1,044 1,023 810

Black or African American, 16 years and over

694 826 815 673 735 905 901 711

Men

735 890 879 714 769 948 930 746

Women

654 782 766 635 704 874 875 683

Asian, 16 years and over

1,095 1,119 1,121 1,092 1,174 1,173 1,158 1,179

Men

1,241 1,196 1,228 1,243 1,336 1,151 1,135 1,357

Women

937 1,033 999 929 1,025 1,216 1,180 995

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over

680 912 900 657 706 954 926 686

Men

720 978 962 698 747 1,009 992 722

Women

617 836 824 601 642 875 845 622

Footnotes
(1) Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
(2) Data refer to both union members and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
(3) Data refer to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented by a union on their job.

NOTE: Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-time wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers are excluded, both those with incorporated businesses as well as those with unincorporated businesses. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry, 2018-2019 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Occupation and industry 2018 2019
Total
employed
Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Total
employed
Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed

OCCUPATION

Management, professional, and related occupations

55,258 6,183 11.2 7,069 12.8 56,495 6,277 11.1 7,211 12.8

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

21,196 916 4.3 1,130 5.3 21,991 957 4.4 1,183 5.4

Management occupations

14,299 607 4.2 750 5.2 14,753 614 4.2 748 5.1

Business and financial operations occupations

6,897 309 4.5 379 5.5 7,238 343 4.7 435 6.0

Professional and related occupations

34,062 5,267 15.5 5,939 17.4 34,504 5,319 15.4 6,028 17.5

Computer and mathematical occupations

4,937 181 3.7 227 4.6 5,145 196 3.8 254 4.9

Architecture and engineering occupations

3,124 232 7.4 263 8.4 3,137 220 7.0 264 8.4

Life, physical, and social science occupations

1,436 141 9.8 160 11.1 1,392 120 8.6 138 9.9

Community and social service occupations

2,614 360 13.8 395 15.1 2,617 408 15.6 454 17.4

Legal occupations

1,585 94 6.0 121 7.6 1,598 78 4.9 110 6.9

Education, training, and library occupations

9,140 3,089 33.8 3,435 37.6 9,233 3,057 33.1 3,381 36.6

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

2,417 161 6.6 187 7.7 2,259 165 7.3 180 8.0

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

8,810 1,008 11.4 1,152 13.1 9,123 1,076 11.8 1,247 13.7

Service occupations

24,320 2,389 9.8 2,613 10.7 24,547 2,294 9.3 2,539 10.3

Healthcare support occupations

3,507 284 8.1 314 8.9 3,605 265 7.4 298 8.3

Protective service occupations

3,193 1,081 33.9 1,135 35.5 3,073 1,038 33.8 1,100 35.8

Food preparation and serving related occupations

8,052 314 3.9 373 4.6 8,306 294 3.5 351 4.2

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

4,990 453 9.1 510 10.2 4,962 433 8.7 483 9.7

Personal care and service occupations

4,577 256 5.6 282 6.2 4,600 264 5.7 307 6.7

Sales and office occupations

30,767 1,993 6.5 2,223 7.2 30,700 1,879 6.1 2,155 7.0

Sales and related occupations

13,694 455 3.3 538 3.9 13,371 374 2.8 467 3.5

Office and administrative support occupations

17,073 1,538 9.0 1,685 9.9 17,329 1,505 8.7 1,688 9.7

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

12,319 1,865 15.1 1,978 16.1 12,427 1,854 14.9 1,991 16.0

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

1,024 24 2.4 31 3.0 1,060 22 2.1 36 3.4

Construction and extraction occupations

6,776 1,158 17.1 1,217 18.0 6,859 1,192 17.4 1,269 18.5

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

4,518 682 15.1 730 16.2 4,508 640 14.2 686 15.2

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

17,435 2,315 13.3 2,497 14.3 17,567 2,269 12.9 2,487 14.2

Production occupations

8,272 985 11.9 1,062 12.8 8,304 976 11.8 1,067 12.8

Transportation and material moving occupations

9,163 1,330 14.5 1,435 15.7 9,263 1,294 14.0 1,420 15.3

INDUSTRY

Private sector

118,968 7,578 6.4 8,512 7.2 120,714 7,508 6.2 8,562 7.1

Agriculture and related industries

1,344 29 2.2 35 2.6 1,352 23 1.7 38 2.8

Nonagricultural industries

117,624 7,548 6.4 8,477 7.2 119,362 7,485 6.3 8,524 7.1

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

721 34 4.7 38 5.3 710 28 4.0 33 4.7

Construction

8,169 1,048 12.8 1,125 13.8 8,352 1,055 12.6 1,133 13.6

Manufacturing

14,861 1,340 9.0 1,444 9.7 15,070 1,291 8.6 1,423 9.4

Durable goods

9,401 850 9.0 917 9.8 9,502 835 8.8 912 9.6

Nondurable goods

5,460 490 9.0 527 9.6 5,568 455 8.2 510 9.2

Wholesale and retail trade

18,736 805 4.3 928 5.0 18,113 741 4.1 863 4.8

Wholesale trade

3,351 137 4.1 158 4.7 3,186 143 4.5 160 5.0

Retail trade

15,385 669 4.3 769 5.0 14,927 598 4.0 704 4.7

Transportation and utilities

6,467 1,116 17.3 1,185 18.3 6,745 1,166 17.3 1,259 18.7

Transportation and warehousing

5,410 904 16.7 968 17.9 5,659 912 16.1 997 17.6

Utilities

1,057 212 20.1 217 20.5 1,086 254 23.4 261 24.0

Information(3)

2,536 244 9.6 260 10.3 2,352 242 10.3 263 11.2

Publishing, except Internet

437 17 3.9 18 4.2 355 12 3.3 13 3.8

Motion pictures and sound recording industries

395 49 12.5 50 12.6 386 53 13.6 57 14.7

Radio and television broadcasting and cable subscription programming

526 41 7.7 45 8.6 482 53 11.0 57 11.9

Telecommunications

851 131 15.4 138 16.2 821 115 14.1 125 15.3

Financial activities

9,148 192 2.1 253 2.8 9,364 182 1.9 237 2.5

Finance and insurance

6,770 99 1.5 137 2.0 6,982 87 1.2 125 1.8

Finance

4,244 55 1.3 81 1.9 4,390 49 1.1 74 1.7

Insurance

2,526 43 1.7 56 2.2 2,592 37 1.4 51 2.0

Real estate and rental and leasing

2,379 94 3.9 115 4.8 2,382 95 4.0 112 4.7

Professional and business services

15,228 390 2.6 481 3.2 15,720 339 2.2 471 3.0

Professional and technical services

9,718 148 1.5 203 2.1 10,280 143 1.4 227 2.2

Management, administrative, and waste services

5,510 242 4.4 278 5.0 5,440 197 3.6 244 4.5

Education and health services

22,982 1,853 8.1 2,144 9.3 23,690 1,885 8.0 2,182 9.2

Educational services

4,828 632 13.1 748 15.5 4,922 608 12.3 693 14.1

Health care and social assistance

18,154 1,221 6.7 1,396 7.7 18,768 1,278 6.8 1,489 7.9

Leisure and hospitality

12,582 367 2.9 436 3.5 13,097 384 2.9 457 3.5

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

2,390 136 5.7 159 6.6 2,498 164 6.6 184 7.4

Accommodation and food services

10,193 231 2.3 277 2.7 10,599 220 2.1 274 2.6

Accommodation

1,369 113 8.3 127 9.3 1,427 93 6.5 100 7.0

Food services and drinking places

8,823 118 1.3 150 1.7 9,172 128 1.4 173 1.9

Other services(3)

6,192 159 2.6 184 3.0 6,150 172 2.8 202 3.3

Other services, except private households

5,431 155 2.9 179 3.3 5,327 163 3.1 193 3.6

Public sector

21,131 7,167 33.9 7,868 37.2 21,023 7,066 33.6 7,821 37.2

Federal government

3,707 977 26.4 1,128 30.4 3,798 974 25.6 1,158 30.5

State government

7,109 2,035 28.6 2,259 31.8 6,958 2,043 29.4 2,249 32.3

Local government

10,315 4,155 40.3 4,481 43.4 10,267 4,050 39.4 4,414 43.0

Footnotes
(1) Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
(2) Data refer to both union members and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
(3) Includes other industries, not shown separately.

NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers are excluded, both those with incorporated businesses as well as those with unincorporated businesses. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry, 2018-2019 annual averages
Occupation and industry 2018 2019
Total Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Non-
union(3)
Total Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Non-
union(3)

OCCUPATION

Management, professional, and related occupations

$1,246 $1,229 $1,222 $1,250 $1,309 $1,254 $1,246 $1,327

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

1,355 1,318 1,334 1,356 1,415 1,365 1,366 1,420

Management occupations

1,429 1,401 1,425 1,430 1,478 1,446 1,430 1,481

Business and financial operations occupations

1,216 1,159 1,164 1,221 1,285 1,217 1,247 1,290

Professional and related occupations

1,176 1,210 1,193 1,173 1,237 1,239 1,227 1,240

Computer and mathematical occupations

1,539 1,458 1,460 1,543 1,579 1,392 1,394 1,592

Architecture and engineering occupations

1,484 1,516 1,529 1,479 1,550 1,492 1,490 1,557

Life, physical, and social science occupations

1,270 1,331 1,323 1,262 1,334 1,538 1,552 1,286

Community and social service occupations

913 1,076 1,083 880 968 1,178 1,159 928

Legal occupations

1,467 1,593 1,503 1,464 1,562 1,569 1,566 1,561

Education, training, and library occupations

1,002 1,151 1,136 909 1,057 1,173 1,157 972

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

1,086 1,277 1,205 1,074 1,151 1,389 1,356 1,139

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

1,140 1,292 1,288 1,122 1,180 1,275 1,272 1,162

Service occupations

569 802 781 541 592 874 848 573

Healthcare support occupations

561 618 618 552 591 684 680 584

Protective service occupations

848 1,137 1,132 715 900 1,243 1,234 739

Food preparation and serving related occupations

501 609 598 496 522 624 604 519

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

551 679 670 533 580 706 692 567

Personal care and service occupations

544 590 587 541 565 620 620 559

Sales and office occupations

742 835 828 735 758 867 854 750

Sales and related occupations

798 774 766 800 830 798 783 833

Office and administrative support occupations

717 850 843 703 732 885 875 717

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

824 1,181 1,176 782 869 1,207 1,185 810

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

581 - - 581 574 - - 572

Construction and extraction occupations

808 1,178 1,172 759 866 1,201 1,183 801

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

934 1,208 1,204 891 939 1,236 1,215 902

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

707 924 913 680 727 924 918 705

Production occupations

723 935 923 699 745 910 907 722

Transportation and material moving occupations

689 913 902 657 711 943 926 685

INDUSTRY

Private sector

861 999 989 848 893 1,025 1,013 881

Agriculture and related industries

619 - - 619 611 - - 610

Nonagricultural industries

865 1,001 991 853 897 1,027 1,015 886

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

1,291 - - 1,269 1,423 - - 1,410

Construction

868 1,220 1,210 819 909 1,257 1,240 868

Manufacturing

917 992 992 908 936 962 962 933

Durable goods

951 1,025 1,023 941 973 982 983 972

Nondurable goods

858 923 931 843 883 914 912 879

Wholesale and retail trade

722 759 743 721 748 790 779 746

Wholesale trade

917 896 917 917 963 937 944 964

Retail trade

671 719 700 669 701 744 730 699

Transportation and utilities

901 1,106 1,091 864 906 1,184 1,151 862

Transportation and warehousing

838 1,024 1,014 808 840 1,103 1,066 799

Utilities

1,292 1,329 1,327 1,271 1,329 1,461 1,449 1,273

Information(4)

1,169 1,355 1,336 1,157 1,182 1,265 1,214 1,174

Publishing, except Internet

1,153 - - 1,151 1,159 - - 1,168

Motion pictures and sound recording industries

1,114 - - 1,027 1,042 1,453 1,398 1,018

Radio and television broadcasting and cable subscription programming

1,056 - - 1,051 1,061 1,371 1,345 1,019

Telecommunications

1,170 1,331 1,325 1,150 1,213 1,257 1,206 1,217

Financial activities

1,047 937 940 1,052 1,125 950 980 1,128

Finance and insurance

1,130 909 948 1,134 1,167 1,033 1,062 1,169

Finance

1,155 914 940 1,159 1,225 - 1,030 1,227

Insurance

1,071 - 953 1,078 1,124 - - 1,123

Real estate and rental and leasing

897 979 921 896 948 941 937 949

Professional and business services

1,094 888 906 1,105 1,149 903 918 1,155

Professional and technical services

1,364 1,264 1,205 1,367 1,452 1,179 1,230 1,455

Management, administrative, and waste services

$664 $711 $711 $661 $698 $770 $769 $694

Education and health services

860 984 978 845 896 1,059 1,051 879

Educational services

985 1,068 1,053 968 1,015 1,129 1,116 994

Health care and social assistance

822 920 921 813 864 1,008 1,006 851

Leisure and hospitality

584 700 695 579 601 722 698 597

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

732 772 791 726 759 819 823 752

Accommodation and food services

551 666 655 546 574 656 615 571

Accommodation

615 715 702 604 621 704 685 616

Food services and drinking places

536 621 619 535 562 611 595 560

Other services(4)

735 1,165 1,186 725 762 1,091 1,098 752

Other services, except private households

764 1,171 1,195 754 796 1,114 1,117 785

Public sector

999 1,099 1,094 936 1,043 1,147 1,141 973

Federal government

1,166 1,076 1,112 1,228 1,222 1,151 1,183 1,241

State government

967 1,074 1,058 916 1,015 1,138 1,126 959

Local government

969 1,114 1,106 859 999 1,150 1,136 888

Footnotes
(1) Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
(2) Data refer to both union members and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
(3) Data refer to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented by a union on their job.
(4) Includes other industries, not shown separately.

- Data not shown where base is less than 50,000.
NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-time wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers are excluded, both those with incorporated businesses as well as those with unincorporated businesses. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


Table 5. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state, 2018-2019 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
State 2018 2019
Total
employed
Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Total
employed
Members
of
unions(1)
Represented
by unions(2)
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed
Total Percent
of
employed

Alabama

1,950 180 9.2 196 10.1 2,041 173 8.5 199 9.8

Alaska

299 55 18.5 60 20.0 282 48 17.1 53 18.7

Arizona

2,943 156 5.3 191 6.5 3,028 174 5.7 214 7.1

Arkansas

1,176 56 4.8 62 5.3 1,200 62 5.2 71 5.9

California

16,399 2,405 14.7 2,587 15.8 16,485 2,504 15.2 2,726 16.5

Colorado

2,564 281 11.0 307 12.0 2,631 237 9.0 259 9.8

Connecticut

1,677 268 16.0 280 16.7 1,680 244 14.5 269 16.0

Delaware

434 45 10.3 47 10.8 432 38 8.7 43 9.9

District of Columbia

354 35 9.9 41 11.6 361 34 9.3 37 10.2

Florida

8,702 484 5.6 588 6.8 8,827 551 6.2 667 7.6

Georgia

4,466 201 4.5 249 5.6 4,422 180 4.1 223 5.0

Hawaii

601 139 23.1 146 24.3 574 135 23.5 147 25.5

Idaho

733 34 4.7 41 5.6 764 37 4.9 46 6.0

Illinois

5,694 786 13.8 839 14.7 5,658 771 13.6 832 14.7

Indiana

3,049 269 8.8 283 9.3 3,007 249 8.3 296 9.8

Iowa

1,461 113 7.7 129 8.8 1,543 97 6.3 122 7.9

Kansas

1,283 90 7.0 129 10.1 1,280 112 8.7 130 10.1

Kentucky

1,812 161 8.9 207 11.4 1,786 144 8.0 169 9.5

Louisiana

1,785 89 5.0 104 5.8 1,784 94 5.3 108 6.1

Maine

573 74 12.9 85 14.8 588 69 11.8 81 13.7

Maryland

2,784 307 11.0 336 12.1 2,912 330 11.3 371 12.8

Massachusetts

3,397 464 13.7 493 14.5 3,397 406 12.0 449 13.2

Michigan

4,320 625 14.5 663 15.4 4,323 589 13.6 648 15.0

Minnesota

2,634 395 15.0 421 16.0 2,662 364 13.7 381 14.3

Mississippi

1,121 58 5.1 80 7.1 1,105 70 6.3 93 8.4

Missouri

2,675 251 9.4 283 10.6 2,661 297 11.1 333 12.5

Montana

427 50 11.8 60 14.0 437 46 10.5 52 12.0

Nebraska

882 59 6.6 71 8.0 894 75 8.4 86 9.6

Nevada

1,376 191 13.9 216 15.7 1,379 201 14.6 222 16.1

New Hampshire

664 68 10.2 77 11.6 677 69 10.3 79 11.6

New Jersey

3,935 587 14.9 639 16.2 4,094 642 15.7 712 17.4

New Mexico

812 56 6.8 67 8.2 813 58 7.1 72 8.8

New York

8,404 1,872 22.3 2,027 24.1 8,253 1,732 21.0 1,877 22.7

North Carolina

4,331 118 2.7 174 4.0 4,396 102 2.3 150 3.4

North Dakota

343 18 5.2 23 6.7 356 21 6.0 27 7.5

Ohio

5,054 639 12.6 722 14.3 5,127 610 11.9 673 13.1

Oklahoma

1,583 90 5.7 117 7.4 1,554 96 6.2 123 7.9

Oregon

1,738 242 13.9 256 14.7 1,772 255 14.4 277 15.7

Pennsylvania

5,575 701 12.6 748 13.4 5,642 676 12.0 740 13.1

Rhode Island

479 83 17.4 89 18.5 475 83 17.4 90 19.0

South Carolina

2,016 55 2.7 72 3.6 2,140 47 2.2 59 2.7

South Dakota

387 22 5.6 28 7.1 395 22 5.6 26 6.7

Tennessee

2,816 155 5.5 179 6.4 2,947 135 4.6 162 5.5

Texas

11,989 512 4.3 653 5.4 12,334 497 4.0 642 5.2

Utah

1,343 56 4.1 76 5.7 1,409 62 4.4 83 5.9

Vermont

291 31 10.5 34 11.6 290 33 11.2 35 12.0

Virginia

3,875 168 4.3 213 5.5 3,881 156 4.0 201 5.2

Washington

3,270 649 19.8 671 20.5 3,393 638 18.8 684 20.2

West Virginia

684 68 10.0 74 10.8 704 72 10.2 78 11.1

Wisconsin

2,700 219 8.1 233 8.6 2,698 218 8.1 245 9.1

Wyoming

235 15 6.5 18 7.7 243 18 7.3 21 8.7

Footnotes
(1) Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
(2) Data refer to both union members and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.

NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers are excluded, both those with incorporated businesses as well as those with unincorporated businesses. Updated population controls are introduced annually with the release of January data.


Last Modified Date: January 22, 2020