Union Members in Virginia — 2023

In 2023, union members accounted for 4.3 percent of wage and salary workers in Virginia, compared with 3.7 percent in 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Alexandra Hall Bovee noted that the union membership rate for the state was at its peak in 1992, when it averaged 9.3 percent, and at its low point in 2007 and 2022 at 3.7 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Nationwide, union members accounted for 10.0 percent of employed wage and salary workers in 2023. The rate was little changed from the previous year. Since 1989, when comparable state data became available, union membership rates in Virginia have been below the U.S. average union membership by at least 5 percentage points.

Chart 1. Members of unions as a percent of employed in the United States and Virginia, 2013–23

View Chart Data

Chart 1. Members of unions as a percent of employed in the United States and Virginia, 2013–23
Year	United States	Virginia
2013	11.3	5.0
2014	11.1	4.9
2015	11.1	5.4
2016	10.7	4.3
2017	10.7	4.6
2018	10.5	4.3
2019	10.3	4.0
2020	10.8	4.4
2021	10.3	4.8
2022	10.1	3.7
2023	10.0	4.3

Virginia had 176,000 union members in 2023. In addition to these members, another 50,000 wage and salary workers in Virginia were represented by a union on their main job or covered by an employee association or contract while not union members themselves.

Table A. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers in Virginia, annual averages, 2013–2023 (numbers in thousands)
Year	Total employed	Members of unions (1)		Represented by unions (2)
Year	Total employed	Total	Percent of employed	Total	Percent of employed
2013	3,601	180	5.0	229	6.4
2014	3,665	179	4.9	228	6.2
2015	3,736	202	5.4	258	6.9
2016	3,748	160	4.3	226	6.0
2017	3,801	176	4.6	222	5.8
2018	3,875	168	4.3	213	5.5
2019	3,881	156	4.0	201	5.2
2020	3,703	164	4.4	201	5.4
2021	3,685	176	4.8	240	6.5
2022	3,906	146	3.7	175	4.5
2023	4,042	176	4.3	226	5.6
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.

Nationwide, 14.4 million wage and salary workers were union members in 2023 and 1.8 million wage and salary workers were not affiliated with a union but had jobs covered by a union contract. The number of wage and salary workers belonging to unions (14.4 million) showed little movement from 2022.

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. (See table 1.) 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 (2.7 percent) and South Dakota (3.6 percent). Two states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2023: Hawaii (24.1 percent) and New York (20.6 percent). (See map 1.)

Map 1. Union membership rates by state, 2023 annual averages

(U.S. rate = 10.0%)

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 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.

This release preserves the long-time practice of highlighting the state union membership rates and levels regardless of their statistical significance. More information is available in the Union Members Technical Note.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

Table 1. 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 employed	Total	Percent of employed	Total	Percent of employed	Total 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: Tuesday, February 06, 2024

Mid-Atlantic Information Office

Union Members in Virginia — 2023

(U.S. rate = 10.0%)