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Economic News Release
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Union Membership (Annual) News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, January 23, 2024		                       USDL-24-0096

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


                              UNION MEMBERS -- 2023


The union membership rate--the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of
unions--was 10.0 percent in 2023, little changed from the previous year, the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics reported today. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to
unions, at 14.4 million, also showed little movement over the year. In 1983, the first
year for which comparable data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent
and there were 17.7 million union workers.

These 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 further information, see the Technical Note in this news release.

Highlights from the 2023 data:

 --The union membership rate of public-sector workers (32.5 percent) continued to be more
   than five times higher than the rate of private-sector workers (6.0 percent). (See
   table 3.)

 --The highest unionization rates were among workers in education, training, and library
   occupations (32.7 percent) and protective service occupations (31.9 percent). (See
   table 3.)

 --Men continued to have a higher union membership rate (10.5 percent) than women (9.5
   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 86 percent of earnings for
   workers who were union members ($1,090 versus $1,263). (The comparisons of earnings
   in this news 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 (24.1 percent
   and 20.6 percent, respectively), while South Carolina and North Carolina had the lowest
   (2.3 percent and 2.7 percent, respectively). (See table 5.)

Industry and Occupation of Union Members

In 2023, 7.0 million employees in the public sector belonged to unions, compared with 
7.4 million workers in the private sector. (See table 3.)

In the public sector, both union membership and the union membership rate (32.5 percent)
were little changed over the year. In 2023, the union membership rate continued to be
highest in local government (38.4 percent), which employs many workers in heavily unionized
occupations, such as police officers, firefighters, and teachers.

The number of union workers employed in the private sector increased by 191,000 to 7.4
million in 2023, while the unionization rate was unchanged at 6.0 percent. Industries 
with high unionization rates included utilities (19.9 percent), transportation and 
warehousing (15.9 percent), educational services (12.9 percent), and motion picture and
sound recording industries (12.1 percent). Low unionization rates occurred in finance
(1.2 percent), professional and technical services (1.3 percent), food services and 
drinking places (1.4 percent), and insurance (1.5 percent).

In 1983, the first year for which comparable data are available, the union membership 
rate for private-sector workers in nonagricultural industries was 16.8 percent. Since 
that time, this rate (at 6.1 percent in 2023) has generally trended down. The public-
sector union membership rate showed little net change from 1983 (36.7 percent) to 2011
(37.0 percent) but has since declined to 32.5 percent. 

Among occupational groups, the highest unionization rates in 2023 were in education,
training, and library occupations (32.7 percent) and in protective service occupations
(31.9 percent). Unionization rates were lowest in sales and related occupations (2.9 
percent), food preparation and serving related occupations (3.2 percent), computer and
mathematical occupations (3.8 percent), and management occupations (4.1 percent).

Selected Characteristics of Union Members

In 2023, the unionization rate for women was little changed over the year at 9.5 percent,
while the rate for men was unchanged at 10.5 percent. Both the number of women, at 6.6
million, and the number of men, at 7.8 million, who were union members changed little
over the year. (See table 1.)

Among the major race and ethnicity groups, Black workers continued to have a higher union
membership rate in 2023 (11.8 percent) than White workers (9.8 percent), Asian workers
(7.8 percent), and Hispanic workers (9.0 percent). The union membership rates of Asian 
workers, White workers, Black workers, and Hispanic workers were little different from 2022.

By age, workers ages 45 to 54 had the highest union membership rate in 2023, at 12.6 percent.
Younger workers--those ages 16 to 24--had the lowest union membership rate, at 4.4 percent.

In 2023, the union membership rate for full-time workers (10.9 percent) was more than double
that for part-time workers (5.2 percent).

Union Representation

In 2023, 16.2 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union, little different
than in 2022. The percentage of workers represented by a union was 11.2 percent in 2023, 
also little different than a year earlier. Workers represented by a union include both union
members (14.4 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
$1,263 in 2023, while nonunion workers had median usual weekly earnings of $1,090. 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 2023, 31 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below the U.S. average
(10.0 percent), while 19 states had rates above it. 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.)

Eleven states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2023. South Carolina had the
lowest rate (2.3 percent). The next lowest rates were in North Carolina and South Dakota (2.7
percent and 3.6 percent, respectively). Two states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent
in 2023: Hawaii (24.1 percent) and New York (20.6 percent).

In 2023, about 29 percent of the 14.4 million union members lived in just two states 
(California at 2.5 million and New York at 1.7 million). However, these two states accounted
for 17 percent 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.

   If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to
access telecommunications relay services. 

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, 2022-2023 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Characteristic 2022 2023
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

141,673 14,285 10.1 16,002 11.3 144,541 14,424 10.0 16,193 11.2

16 to 24 years

18,811 830 4.4 984 5.2 19,759 863 4.4 1,023 5.2

25 years and over

122,863 13,456 11.0 15,018 12.2 124,782 13,561 10.9 15,170 12.2

25 to 34 years

33,030 2,965 9.0 3,343 10.1 33,584 3,021 9.0 3,440 10.2

35 to 44 years

30,955 3,460 11.2 3,848 12.4 31,731 3,522 11.1 3,941 12.4

45 to 54 years

27,753 3,502 12.6 3,904 14.1 28,177 3,547 12.6 3,931 14.0

55 to 64 years

23,130 2,799 12.1 3,097 13.4 22,980 2,753 12.0 3,056 13.3

65 years and over

7,995 731 9.1 826 10.3 8,310 717 8.6 802 9.7

Men, 16 years and over

73,672 7,771 10.5 8,551 11.6 75,079 7,847 10.5 8,730 11.6

16 to 24 years

9,481 504 5.3 583 6.1 9,866 531 5.4 619 6.3

25 years and over

64,192 7,267 11.3 7,968 12.4 65,213 7,316 11.2 8,110 12.4

25 to 34 years

17,370 1,654 9.5 1,827 10.5 17,724 1,734 9.8 1,945 11.0

35 to 44 years

16,350 1,895 11.6 2,085 12.8 16,810 1,905 11.3 2,102 12.5

45 to 54 years

14,313 1,819 12.7 1,989 13.9 14,586 1,876 12.9 2,076 14.2

55 to 64 years

11,931 1,497 12.5 1,621 13.6 11,849 1,434 12.1 1,585 13.4

65 years and over

4,228 402 9.5 446 10.5 4,244 367 8.7 403 9.5

Women, 16 years and over

68,001 6,515 9.6 7,451 11.0 69,462 6,577 9.5 7,463 10.7

16 to 24 years

9,330 326 3.5 401 4.3 9,893 332 3.4 404 4.1

25 years and over

58,671 6,189 10.5 7,050 12.0 59,569 6,244 10.5 7,060 11.9

25 to 34 years

15,660 1,311 8.4 1,516 9.7 15,860 1,287 8.1 1,495 9.4

35 to 44 years

14,605 1,565 10.7 1,764 12.1 14,922 1,618 10.8 1,840 12.3

45 to 54 years

13,441 1,683 12.5 1,915 14.2 13,591 1,671 12.3 1,855 13.7

55 to 64 years

11,199 1,302 11.6 1,475 13.2 11,131 1,319 11.8 1,471 13.2

65 years and over

3,767 328 8.7 380 10.1 4,066 350 8.6 399 9.8

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY,
AND SEX

White, 16 years and over

108,230 10,792 10.0 12,111 11.2 109,689 10,777 9.8 12,130 11.1

Men

57,186 5,947 10.4 6,530 11.4 57,949 5,952 10.3 6,625 11.4

Women

51,044 4,846 9.5 5,581 10.9 51,740 4,826 9.3 5,505 10.6

Black or African American, 16 years and over

18,499 2,140 11.6 2,374 12.8 19,182 2,262 11.8 2,509 13.1

Men

8,725 1,138 13.0 1,246 14.3 9,017 1,190 13.2 1,309 14.5

Women

9,774 1,002 10.3 1,128 11.5 10,165 1,072 10.5 1,200 11.8

Asian, 16 years and over

9,615 800 8.3 882 9.2 10,044 786 7.8 904 9.0

Men

5,025 384 7.6 426 8.5 5,261 414 7.9 483 9.2

Women

4,590 416 9.1 455 9.9 4,783 372 7.8 420 8.8

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over

26,386 2,335 8.8 2,652 10.0 27,361 2,462 9.0 2,742 10.0

Men

14,669 1,336 9.1 1,506 10.3 15,027 1,381 9.2 1,524 10.1

Women

11,717 999 8.5 1,146 9.8 12,334 1,081 8.8 1,218 9.9

FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS(3)

Full-time workers

118,869 13,021 11.0 14,552 12.2 120,907 13,197 10.9 14,783 12.2

Part-time workers

22,628 1,247 5.5 1,432 6.3 23,476 1,210 5.2 1,390 5.9

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, 2022-2023 annual averages
Characteristic 2022 2023
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

$1,059 $1,216 $1,203 $1,029 $1,117 $1,263 $1,253 $1,090

16 to 24 years

691 795 798 685 714 809 810 709

25 years and over

1,123 1,242 1,233 1,100 1,170 1,294 1,284 1,155

25 to 34 years

992 1,115 1,104 979 1,045 1,160 1,150 1,027

35 to 44 years

1,181 1,329 1,320 1,161 1,250 1,375 1,374 1,232

45 to 54 years

1,194 1,350 1,327 1,167 1,255 1,390 1,381 1,232

55 to 64 years

1,154 1,225 1,223 1,144 1,217 1,289 1,280 1,205

65 years and over

1,031 1,157 1,179 1,010 1,080 1,152 1,150 1,064

Men, 16 years and over

1,154 1,273 1,266 1,137 1,202 1,341 1,333 1,180

16 to 24 years

713 801 805 707 736 813 812 729

25 years and over

1,219 1,314 1,305 1,201 1,273 1,374 1,367 1,258

25 to 34 years

1,040 1,147 1,144 1,023 1,107 1,212 1,209 1,090

35 to 44 years

1,297 1,409 1,397 1,270 1,364 1,448 1,452 1,347

45 to 54 years

1,336 1,405 1,378 1,324 1,396 1,465 1,445 1,385

55 to 64 years

1,294 1,303 1,301 1,293 1,380 1,397 1,384 1,380

65 years and over

1,196 1,234 1,264 1,179 1,181 1,191 1,185 1,181

Women, 16 years and over

958 1,146 1,135 932 1,005 1,174 1,165 983

16 to 24 years

656 778 779 649 691 784 797 685

25 years and over

1,002 1,160 1,151 979 1,060 1,197 1,186 1,034

25 to 34 years

938 1,069 1,049 923 985 1,120 1,094 971

35 to 44 years

1,065 1,202 1,192 1,036 1,136 1,266 1,260 1,112

45 to 54 years

1,058 1,262 1,238 1,018 1,115 1,317 1,312 1,079

55 to 64 years

1,007 1,146 1,145 987 1,065 1,148 1,147 1,043

65 years and over

874 968 973 857 977 1,118 1,115 960

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY,
AND SEX

White, 16 years and over

1,085 1,246 1,234 1,056 1,138 1,294 1,277 1,115

Men

1,172 1,301 1,294 1,156 1,225 1,367 1,353 1,204

Women

973 1,169 1,156 946 1,021 1,204 1,188 997

Black or African American, 16 years and over

878 1,022 1,010 849 920 1,102 1,099 901

Men

921 1,089 1,065 893 970 1,156 1,159 937

Women

835 969 958 812 889 1,048 1,037 872

Asian, 16 years and over

1,401 1,402 1,408 1,400 1,474 1,422 1,437 1,482

Men

1,559 1,493 1,504 1,566 1,635 1,444 1,472 1,680

Women

1,234 1,337 1,344 1,220 1,299 1,378 1,369 1,289

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over

823 1,087 1,084 804 874 1,112 1,098 841

Men

887 1,133 1,133 858 915 1,162 1,147 893

Women

761 1,008 993 740 800 1,041 1,028 776

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, 2022-2023 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
Occupation and industry 2022 2023
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

59,979 6,268 10.5 7,202 12.0 62,381 6,440 10.3 7,355 11.8

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

24,013 933 3.9 1,168 4.9 25,434 1,034 4.1 1,247 4.9

Management occupations

15,693 603 3.8 747 4.8 16,626 680 4.1 816 4.9

Business and financial operations occupations

8,319 329 4.0 421 5.1 8,808 353 4.0 431 4.9

Professional and related occupations

35,966 5,335 14.8 6,034 16.8 36,947 5,406 14.6 6,109 16.5

Computer and mathematical occupations

5,948 195 3.3 248 4.2 6,361 242 3.8 299 4.7

Architecture and engineering occupations

3,335 200 6.0 231 6.9 3,510 208 5.9 256 7.3

Life, physical, and social science occupations

1,679 152 9.1 180 10.7 1,770 188 10.6 212 12.0

Community and social service occupations

2,749 436 15.9 495 18.0 2,746 391 14.2 440 16.0

Legal occupations

1,547 80 5.1 102 6.6 1,593 81 5.1 105 6.6

Education, training, and library occupations

8,976 3,027 33.7 3,347 37.3 9,202 3,005 32.7 3,355 36.5

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

2,352 187 8.0 215 9.2 2,317 192 8.3 208 9.0

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

9,381 1,058 11.3 1,216 13.0 9,448 1,100 11.6 1,234 13.1

Service occupations

22,968 2,293 10.0 2,502 10.9 23,587 2,162 9.2 2,410 10.2

Healthcare support occupations

4,777 395 8.3 442 9.3 4,834 369 7.6 429 8.9

Protective service occupations

3,071 1,062 34.6 1,126 36.7 3,083 985 31.9 1,057 34.3

Food preparation and serving related occupations

7,749 279 3.6 316 4.1 8,048 259 3.2 286 3.6

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

4,595 438 9.5 484 10.5 4,635 420 9.1 488 10.5

Personal care and service occupations

2,776 118 4.3 133 4.8 2,987 128 4.3 149 5.0

Sales and office occupations

27,804 1,674 6.0 1,924 6.9 27,730 1,727 6.2 1,971 7.1

Sales and related occupations

12,183 361 3.0 434 3.6 12,226 358 2.9 440 3.6

Office and administrative support occupations

15,621 1,313 8.4 1,490 9.5 15,503 1,370 8.8 1,532 9.9

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

12,180 1,736 14.3 1,864 15.3 12,132 1,741 14.4 1,866 15.4

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

910 39 4.3 43 4.7 877 40 4.5 42 4.8

Construction and extraction occupations

6,831 1,120 16.4 1,190 17.4 6,916 1,124 16.3 1,196 17.3

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

4,439 577 13.0 631 14.2 4,339 577 13.3 628 14.5

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

18,742 2,315 12.4 2,510 13.4 18,712 2,353 12.6 2,590 13.8

Production occupations

7,898 903 11.4 966 12.2 7,888 916 11.6 1,035 13.1

Transportation and material moving occupations

10,844 1,412 13.0 1,544 14.2 10,823 1,438 13.3 1,555 14.4

INDUSTRY

Private sector

120,356 7,223 6.0 8,167 6.8 122,963 7,414 6.0 8,428 6.9

Agriculture and related industries

1,252 48 3.9 54 4.3 1,248 28 2.2 33 2.6

Nonagricultural industries

119,103 7,175 6.0 8,113 6.8 121,715 7,386 6.1 8,395 6.9

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

556 36 6.5 43 7.7 577 25 4.3 28 4.9

Construction

8,671 1,019 11.7 1,076 12.4 8,920 954 10.7 1,017 11.4

Manufacturing

14,577 1,139 7.8 1,254 8.6 14,922 1,181 7.9 1,353 9.1

Durable goods

9,305 741 8.0 825 8.9 9,599 772 8.0 878 9.1

Nondurable goods

5,272 398 7.5 429 8.1 5,323 409 7.7 475 8.9

Wholesale and retail trade

17,868 742 4.2 861 4.8 18,012 700 3.9 827 4.6

Wholesale trade

2,879 94 3.3 112 3.9 2,927 137 4.7 150 5.1

Retail trade

14,988 648 4.3 749 5.0 15,085 563 3.7 677 4.5

Transportation and utilities

7,564 1,148 15.2 1,220 16.1 7,624 1,256 16.5 1,337 17.5

Transportation and warehousing

6,596 958 14.5 1,020 15.5 6,495 1,031 15.9 1,103 17.0

Utilities

968 190 19.6 200 20.7 1,129 224 19.9 234 20.8

Information(3)

2,361 198 8.4 216 9.1 2,582 191 7.4 200 7.8

Publishing, except Internet

398 19 4.8 24 6.0 579 21 3.6 23 4.1

Motion pictures and sound recording industries

429 74 17.3 76 17.8 391 47 12.1 49 12.5

Broadcasting (except internet)

308 35 11.3 35 11.5 270 26 9.7 27 10.1

Telecommunications

771 64 8.3 72 9.3 884 83 9.4 88 9.9

Financial activities

9,335 169 1.8 237 2.5 9,284 161 1.7 219 2.4

Finance and insurance

7,117 90 1.3 136 1.9 7,025 95 1.3 134 1.9

Finance

4,523 59 1.3 89 2.0 4,431 55 1.2 75 1.7

Insurance

2,594 30 1.2 48 1.8 2,594 39 1.5 59 2.3

Real estate and rental and leasing

2,219 80 3.6 100 4.5 2,259 67 3.0 85 3.8

Professional and business services

16,572 373 2.2 467 2.8 16,820 382 2.3 504 3.0

Professional and technical services

11,182 143 1.3 202 1.8 11,361 152 1.3 228 2.0

Management, administrative, and waste services

5,390 230 4.3 265 4.9 5,459 230 4.2 276 5.1

Education and health services

23,643 1,841 7.8 2,140 9.0 24,344 1,982 8.1 2,263 9.3

Educational services

4,897 606 12.4 704 14.4 5,156 666 12.9 766 14.8

Health care and social assistance

18,747 1,235 6.6 1,436 7.7 19,188 1,316 6.9 1,498 7.8

Leisure and hospitality

12,026 342 2.8 406 3.4 12,660 372 2.9 435 3.4

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

2,281 144 6.3 173 7.6 2,537 156 6.2 190 7.5

Accommodation and food services

9,745 198 2.0 233 2.4 10,123 216 2.1 245 2.4

Accommodation

1,174 81 6.9 85 7.3 1,284 95 7.4 101 7.9

Food services and drinking places

8,571 117 1.4 148 1.7 8,839 121 1.4 144 1.6

Other services(3)

5,932 168 2.8 194 3.3 5,970 182 3.0 212 3.6

Other services, except private households

5,267 165 3.1 186 3.5 5,314 172 3.2 202 3.8

Public sector

21,318 7,062 33.1 7,835 36.8 21,577 7,010 32.5 7,765 36.0

Federal government

3,989 972 24.4 1,124 28.2 4,106 1,032 25.1 1,192 29.0

State government

7,157 2,142 29.9 2,372 33.1 7,417 2,122 28.6 2,377 32.0

Local government

10,171 3,948 38.8 4,339 42.7 10,053 3,856 38.4 4,195 41.7

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.
(3) Includes other industries, not shown separately.

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 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry, 2022-2023 annual averages
Occupation and industry 2022 2023
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

$1,465 $1,406 $1,388 $1,477 $1,527 $1,455 $1,445 $1,539

Management, business, and financial operations occupations

1,569 1,503 1,487 1,573 1,630 1,628 1,613 1,631

Management occupations

1,658 1,639 1,598 1,662 1,730 1,673 1,665 1,732

Business and financial operations occupations

1,464 1,346 1,339 1,470 1,517 1,493 1,484 1,519

Professional and related occupations

1,392 1,388 1,369 1,398 1,458 1,435 1,423 1,468

Computer and mathematical occupations

1,789 1,531 1,513 1,819 1,890 1,587 1,596 1,897

Architecture and engineering occupations

1,735 1,750 1,740 1,734 1,785 1,731 1,736 1,793

Life, physical, and social science occupations

1,463 1,494 1,444 1,468 1,541 1,407 1,442 1,553

Community and social service occupations

1,128 1,304 1,296 1,080 1,147 1,439 1,429 1,094

Legal occupations

1,763 1,882 1,893 1,750 1,880 1,620 1,566 1,894

Education, training, and library occupations

1,148 1,332 1,304 1,050 1,180 1,368 1,347 1,077

Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media occupations

1,273 1,509 1,480 1,257 1,343 1,596 1,577 1,328

Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations

1,354 1,450 1,434 1,342 1,404 1,506 1,501 1,386

Service occupations

697 994 986 673 721 998 982 702

Healthcare support occupations

685 778 789 676 713 753 761 707

Protective service occupations

1,024 1,329 1,304 875 1,113 1,420 1,430 954

Food preparation and serving related occupations

622 725 724 620 660 725 709 658

Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations

671 787 784 654 692 792 776 682

Personal care and service occupations

686 747 765 683 725 950 907 720

Sales and office occupations

880 973 963 871 923 1,012 1,004 916

Sales and related occupations

941 883 888 944 1,001 921 940 1,003

Office and administrative support occupations

847 995 974 829 891 1,021 1,012 878

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations

965 1,295 1,280 910 1,001 1,389 1,368 951

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations

645 - - 643 689 - - 682

Construction and extraction occupations

943 1,288 1,275 890 985 1,385 1,369 921

Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations

1,043 1,346 1,322 1,007 1,092 1,428 1,395 1,044

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations

821 1,052 1,041 797 869 1,083 1,053 834

Production occupations

862 1,046 1,052 829 895 1,051 1,019 871

Transportation and material moving occupations

796 1,058 1,032 770 841 1,098 1,082 810

INDUSTRY

Private sector

1,026 1,153 1,145 1,018 1,087 1,184 1,168 1,077

Agriculture and related industries

709 - - 710 770 - - 772

Nonagricultural industries

1,032 1,155 1,147 1,021 1,091 1,186 1,170 1,082

Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction

1,504 - - 1,488 1,424 - - 1,438

Construction

1,007 1,319 1,306 976 1,044 1,424 1,411 1,007

Manufacturing

1,102 1,116 1,126 1,098 1,148 1,135 1,107 1,153

Durable goods

1,133 1,112 1,125 1,133 1,173 1,182 1,148 1,175

Nondurable goods

1,048 1,124 1,127 1,038 1,102 1,091 1,063 1,112

Wholesale and retail trade

859 812 823 861 900 896 900 900

Wholesale trade

1,057 1,012 993 1,063 1,152 1,019 1,078 1,157

Retail trade

814 780 797 815 846 849 852 846

Transportation and utilities

995 1,261 1,246 958 1,063 1,321 1,293 1,018

Transportation and warehousing

943 1,203 1,178 909 993 1,262 1,231 966

Utilities

1,501 1,531 1,530 1,492 1,571 1,686 1,655 1,544

Information(4)

1,501 1,610 1,587 1,492 1,572 1,689 1,702 1,562

Publishing, except Internet

1,495 - - 1,517 1,890 - - 1,896

Motion pictures and sound recording industries

1,388 2,276 2,277 1,300 1,334 - - 1,252

Broadcasting (except internet)

1,479 - - 1,475 1,426 - - 1,314

Telecommunications

1,418 1,690 1,611 1,397 1,465 1,397 1,404 1,473

Financial activities

1,326 1,337 1,271 1,327 1,385 1,154 1,170 1,393

Finance and insurance

1,377 1,667 1,348 1,378 1,466 1,139 1,276 1,471

Finance

1,451 1,835 1,663 1,450 1,542 1,086 1,133 1,548

Insurance

1,274 - - 1,275 1,352 - 1,314 1,353

Real estate and rental and leasing

1,088 1,160 1,228 1,082 1,150 1,226 1,151 1,150

Professional and business services

1,353 1,091 1,112 1,362 1,407 987 1,052 1,417

Professional and technical services

1,641 1,531 1,529 1,644 1,729 1,575 1,560 1,731

Management, administrative, and waste services

796 842 835 794 868 838 848 870

Education and health services

$1,032 $1,157 $1,149 $1,018 $1,097 $1,199 $1,193 $1,078

Educational services

1,152 1,197 1,180 1,146 1,193 1,329 1,321 1,168

Health care and social assistance

1,004 1,141 1,134 995 1,062 1,145 1,145 1,049

Leisure and hospitality

707 788 813 703 747 900 891 740

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

886 808 844 889 934 1,073 1,053 926

Accommodation and food services

678 781 803 675 712 827 830 709

Accommodation

731 764 786 726 788 874 881 776

Food services and drinking places

668 791 812 665 701 756 753 700

Other services(4)

910 1,239 1,231 899 923 1,151 1,136 915

Other services, except private households

938 1,249 1,243 923 950 1,163 1,146 940

Public sector

1,168 1,271 1,260 1,121 1,229 1,346 1,341 1,161

Federal government

1,394 1,269 1,279 1,452 1,481 1,393 1,410 1,526

State government

1,138 1,250 1,237 1,084 1,169 1,291 1,290 1,123

Local government

1,136 1,291 1,270 1,019 1,187 1,357 1,346 1,074

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.

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. Dash indicates no data or data that do not meet publication criteria (values not shown where base is less than 50,000).


Table 5. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state, 2022-2023 annual averages [Numbers in thousands]
State 2022 2023
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

2,066 149 7.2 173 8.4 2,088 156 7.5 180 8.6

Alaska

298 48 16.0 52 17.3 307 45 14.8 47 15.2

Arizona

3,061 169 5.5 189 6.2 3,164 133 4.2 152 4.8

Arkansas

1,204 59 4.9 68 5.7 1,217 62 5.1 71 5.8

California

16,240 2,617 16.1 2,856 17.6 16,349 2,514 15.4 2,769 16.9

Colorado

2,672 178 6.7 201 7.5 2,730 189 6.9 235 8.6

Connecticut

1,658 236 14.2 256 15.4 1,610 255 15.9 272 16.9

Delaware

442 38 8.5 42 9.4 436 38 8.8 44 10.1

District of Columbia

331 30 9.1 34 10.4 347 32 9.1 36 10.4

Florida

9,100 414 4.5 511 5.6 9,453 442 4.7 578 6.1

Georgia

4,521 200 4.4 244 5.4 4,626 211 4.6 250 5.4

Hawaii

572 125 21.9 134 23.4 573 138 24.1 147 25.6

Idaho

825 39 4.7 49 5.9 810 37 4.5 44 5.5

Illinois

5,611 735 13.1 789 14.1 5,537 708 12.8 755 13.6

Indiana

3,023 223 7.4 260 8.6 3,054 245 8.0 278 9.1

Iowa

1,506 105 7.0 132 8.7 1,490 107 7.2 131 8.8

Kansas

1,318 129 9.8 160 12.1 1,360 120 8.9 144 10.6

Kentucky

1,791 141 7.9 185 10.3 1,719 152 8.8 194 11.3

Louisiana

1,801 76 4.2 94 5.2 1,765 76 4.3 91 5.2

Maine

527 48 9.2 61 11.5 566 52 9.2 61 10.8

Maryland

2,816 327 11.6 372 13.2 2,822 302 10.7 362 12.8

Massachusetts

3,241 413 12.7 447 13.8 3,267 412 12.6 443 13.6

Michigan

4,212 589 14.0 644 15.3 4,409 564 12.8 623 14.1

Minnesota

2,697 382 14.2 411 15.2 2,673 356 13.3 378 14.1

Mississippi

1,102 62 5.6 79 7.2 1,081 75 7.0 106 9.8

Missouri

2,681 257 9.6 284 10.6 2,734 255 9.3 286 10.4

Montana

466 52 11.2 57 12.3 470 56 11.8 61 13.0

Nebraska

923 60 6.5 74 8.1 940 68 7.3 88 9.4

Nevada

1,287 146 11.3 164 12.8 1,382 171 12.4 201 14.5

New Hampshire

687 70 10.1 77 11.2 668 62 9.3 73 10.9

New Jersey

4,161 619 14.9 666 16.0 4,211 679 16.1 729 17.3

New Mexico

806 71 8.8 86 10.6 805 60 7.5 73 9.1

New York

8,124 1,679 20.7 1,795 22.1 8,300 1,711 20.6 1,787 21.5

North Carolina

4,409 125 2.8 173 3.9 4,623 125 2.7 152 3.3

North Dakota

365 23 6.4 28 7.6 359 22 6.2 27 7.5

Ohio

4,989 641 12.8 699 14.0 5,108 641 12.5 691 13.5

Oklahoma

1,587 88 5.5 113 7.1 1,705 115 6.8 132 7.7

Oregon

1,810 281 15.5 305 16.9 1,808 255 14.1 270 15.0

Pennsylvania

5,628 715 12.7 767 13.6 5,786 749 12.9 822 14.2

Rhode Island

505 81 16.1 89 17.7 507 62 12.3 67 13.2

South Carolina

2,050 35 1.7 40 2.0 2,130 49 2.3 63 3.0

South Dakota

412 13 3.1 17 4.2 425 15 3.6 18 4.2

Tennessee

2,931 163 5.5 184 6.3 2,981 178 6.0 205 6.9

Texas

12,496 518 4.1 643 5.1 13,019 586 4.5 701 5.4

Utah

1,540 60 3.9 133 8.7 1,584 65 4.1 134 8.4

Vermont

284 34 12.1 38 13.4 301 43 14.3 46 15.4

Virginia

3,906 146 3.7 175 4.5 4,042 176 4.3 226 5.6

Washington

3,413 615 18.0 653 19.1 3,491 576 16.5 632 18.1

West Virginia

689 64 9.2 69 10.0 691 60 8.7 70 10.1

Wisconsin

2,648 187 7.1 212 8.0 2,761 205 7.4 232 8.4

Wyoming

243 14 5.6 18 7.3 256 14 5.6 17 6.6

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 23, 2024