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The union membership rate in the United States (the percentage of wage and salary workers who were members of unions) was 9.9 percent in 2024, little changed from the prior year. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions, at 14.3 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 members.
Thirty states had union membership rates below the U.S. average, while 20 states and the District of Columbia had rates above it. Hawaii and New York had the highest union membership rates, 26.5 percent and 20.6 percent, respectively. States with the lowest membership rates in 2024 were North Carolina (2.4 percent), South Dakota (2.7 percent), and South Carolina (2.8 percent).
State | Union membership rate (percent) | Total union members | Total employed wage and salary workers |
---|---|---|---|
United States |
9.9 | 14,255,000 | 144,522,000 |
Alabama |
6.6 | 140,000 | 2,110,000 |
Alaska |
17.7 | 53,000 | 300,000 |
Arizona |
3.7 | 118,000 | 3,183,000 |
Arkansas |
3.5 | 45,000 | 1,265,000 |
California |
14.5 | 2,381,000 | 16,399,000 |
Colorado |
7.7 | 206,000 | 2,671,000 |
Connecticut |
16.5 | 269,000 | 1,634,000 |
Delaware |
8.5 | 37,000 | 435,000 |
District of Columbia |
10.6 | 38,000 | 362,000 |
Florida |
5.1 | 462,000 | 9,086,000 |
Georgia |
3.8 | 174,000 | 4,619,000 |
Hawaii |
26.5 | 147,000 | 556,000 |
Idaho |
5.0 | 43,000 | 850,000 |
Illinois |
13.1 | 734,000 | 5,615,000 |
Indiana |
9.0 | 271,000 | 2,999,000 |
Iowa |
6.4 | 93,000 | 1,437,000 |
Kansas |
6.3 | 83,000 | 1,309,000 |
Kentucky |
8.8 | 156,000 | 1,761,000 |
Louisiana |
3.9 | 69,000 | 1,741,000 |
Maine |
13.1 | 77,000 | 585,000 |
Maryland |
11.4 | 325,000 | 2,851,000 |
Massachusetts |
14.6 | 496,000 | 3,397,000 |
Michigan |
13.4 | 581,000 | 4,346,000 |
Minnesota |
14.2 | 379,000 | 2,668,000 |
Mississippi |
5.2 | 59,000 | 1,129,000 |
Missouri |
8.6 | 234,000 | 2,734,000 |
Montana |
11.9 | 56,000 | 474,000 |
Nebraska |
6.8 | 62,000 | 913,000 |
Nevada |
12.1 | 166,000 | 1,367,000 |
New Hampshire |
9.2 | 62,000 | 678,000 |
New Jersey |
16.2 | 682,000 | 4,197,000 |
New Mexico |
7.5 | 63,000 | 834,000 |
New York |
20.6 | 1,706,000 | 8,278,000 |
North Carolina |
2.4 | 108,000 | 4,555,000 |
North Dakota |
5.0 | 18,000 | 366,000 |
Ohio |
12.1 | 621,000 | 5,147,000 |
Oklahoma |
5.3 | 91,000 | 1,713,000 |
Oregon |
15.9 | 292,000 | 1,835,000 |
Pennsylvania |
11.7 | 666,000 | 5,706,000 |
Rhode Island |
14.5 | 73,000 | 500,000 |
South Carolina |
2.8 | 61,000 | 2,163,000 |
South Dakota |
2.7 | 12,000 | 431,000 |
Tennessee |
4.7 | 136,000 | 2,923,000 |
Texas |
4.5 | 603,000 | 13,345,000 |
Utah |
3.7 | 58,000 | 1,558,000 |
Vermont |
14.3 | 42,000 | 297,000 |
Virginia |
5.2 | 207,000 | 3,997,000 |
Washington |
16.0 | 548,000 | 3,432,000 |
West Virginia |
8.8 | 61,000 | 699,000 |
Wisconsin |
6.4 | 180,000 | 2,819,000 |
Wyoming |
5.6 | 14,000 | 249,000 |
In 2024, about 29 percent of the 14.3 million union members lived in just two states, California (2.4 million) and New York (1.7 million). However, these two states accounted for 17 percent of all wage and salary employment nationally.
These data are from the Current Population Survey. To learn more, see "Union Members — 2024." The union membership rate is calculated by dividing the number of union members by the number of wage and salary workers. Union membership data do not include self-employed workers.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Union membership rates highest in Hawaii and New York, lowest in North Carolina in 2024 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2025/union-membership-rates-highest-in-hawaii-and-new-york-lowest-in-north-carolina-in-2024.htm (visited February 11, 2025).