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Tuesday, February 11, 2025
In 2024, union members accounted for 5.2 percent of wage and salary workers in Virginia, compared with 4.3 percent in 2023, 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 9.9 percent of employed wage and salary workers in 2024, 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.
Virginia had 207,000 union members in 2024. In addition to these members, another 22,000 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.
Year | Total employed | Members of unions (1) | Represented by unions (2) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Percent of employed | Total | Percent of employed | ||
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 |
2024 |
3,997 | 207 | 5.2 | 229 | 5.7 |
Footnotes: |
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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. |
In 2024, 16.0 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union, little changed from 2023. Workers represented by a union include both union members (14.3 million) and workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union contract (1.8 million).
In 2024, 30 states had union membership rates below the U.S. average (9.9 percent), while 20 states and the District of Columbia had rates above it. (See table 1.) Ten states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2024. North Carolina had the lowest rate (2.4 percent). The next lowest rates were in South Dakota (2.7 percent) and South Carolina (2.8 percent). Two states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2024: Hawaii (26.5 percent) and New York (20.6 percent). (See map 1.)
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.
State | 2023 | 2024 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
2,088 | 156 | 7.5 | 180 | 8.6 | 2,110 | 140 | 6.6 | 165 | 7.8 |
Alaska |
307 | 45 | 14.8 | 47 | 15.2 | 300 | 53 | 17.7 | 58 | 19.5 |
Arizona |
3,164 | 133 | 4.2 | 152 | 4.8 | 3,183 | 118 | 3.7 | 144 | 4.5 |
Arkansas |
1,217 | 62 | 5.1 | 71 | 5.8 | 1,265 | 45 | 3.5 | 56 | 4.4 |
California |
16,349 | 2,514 | 15.4 | 2,769 | 16.9 | 16,399 | 2,381 | 14.5 | 2,678 | 16.3 |
Colorado |
2,730 | 189 | 6.9 | 235 | 8.6 | 2,671 | 206 | 7.7 | 214 | 8.0 |
Connecticut |
1,610 | 255 | 15.9 | 272 | 16.9 | 1,634 | 269 | 16.5 | 291 | 17.8 |
Delaware |
436 | 38 | 8.8 | 44 | 10.1 | 435 | 37 | 8.5 | 39 | 8.9 |
District of Columbia |
347 | 32 | 9.1 | 36 | 10.4 | 362 | 38 | 10.6 | 42 | 11.7 |
Florida |
9,453 | 442 | 4.7 | 578 | 6.1 | 9,086 | 462 | 5.1 | 569 | 6.3 |
Georgia |
4,626 | 211 | 4.6 | 250 | 5.4 | 4,619 | 174 | 3.8 | 203 | 4.4 |
Hawaii |
573 | 138 | 24.1 | 147 | 25.6 | 556 | 147 | 26.5 | 153 | 27.5 |
Idaho |
810 | 37 | 4.5 | 44 | 5.5 | 850 | 43 | 5.0 | 50 | 5.9 |
Illinois |
5,537 | 708 | 12.8 | 755 | 13.6 | 5,615 | 734 | 13.1 | 798 | 14.2 |
Indiana |
3,054 | 245 | 8.0 | 278 | 9.1 | 2,999 | 271 | 9.0 | 313 | 10.4 |
Iowa |
1,490 | 107 | 7.2 | 131 | 8.8 | 1,437 | 93 | 6.4 | 119 | 8.3 |
Kansas |
1,360 | 120 | 8.9 | 144 | 10.6 | 1,309 | 83 | 6.3 | 105 | 8.0 |
Kentucky |
1,719 | 152 | 8.8 | 194 | 11.3 | 1,761 | 156 | 8.8 | 197 | 11.2 |
Louisiana |
1,765 | 76 | 4.3 | 91 | 5.2 | 1,741 | 69 | 3.9 | 86 | 5.0 |
Maine |
566 | 52 | 9.2 | 61 | 10.8 | 585 | 77 | 13.1 | 89 | 15.3 |
Maryland |
2,822 | 302 | 10.7 | 362 | 12.8 | 2,851 | 325 | 11.4 | 382 | 13.4 |
Massachusetts |
3,267 | 412 | 12.6 | 443 | 13.6 | 3,397 | 496 | 14.6 | 531 | 15.6 |
Michigan |
4,409 | 564 | 12.8 | 623 | 14.1 | 4,346 | 581 | 13.4 | 639 | 14.7 |
Minnesota |
2,673 | 356 | 13.3 | 378 | 14.1 | 2,668 | 379 | 14.2 | 394 | 14.8 |
Mississippi |
1,081 | 75 | 7.0 | 106 | 9.8 | 1,129 | 59 | 5.2 | 90 | 7.9 |
Missouri |
2,734 | 255 | 9.3 | 286 | 10.4 | 2,734 | 234 | 8.6 | 255 | 9.3 |
Montana |
470 | 56 | 11.8 | 61 | 13.0 | 474 | 56 | 11.9 | 62 | 13.1 |
Nebraska |
940 | 68 | 7.3 | 88 | 9.4 | 913 | 62 | 6.8 | 74 | 8.1 |
Nevada |
1,382 | 171 | 12.4 | 201 | 14.5 | 1,367 | 166 | 12.1 | 183 | 13.4 |
New Hampshire |
668 | 62 | 9.3 | 73 | 10.9 | 678 | 62 | 9.2 | 72 | 10.6 |
New Jersey |
4,211 | 679 | 16.1 | 729 | 17.3 | 4,197 | 682 | 16.2 | 730 | 17.4 |
New Mexico |
805 | 60 | 7.5 | 73 | 9.1 | 834 | 63 | 7.5 | 73 | 8.8 |
New York |
8,300 | 1,711 | 20.6 | 1,787 | 21.5 | 8,278 | 1,706 | 20.6 | 1,814 | 21.9 |
North Carolina |
4,623 | 125 | 2.7 | 152 | 3.3 | 4,555 | 108 | 2.4 | 142 | 3.1 |
North Dakota |
359 | 22 | 6.2 | 27 | 7.5 | 366 | 18 | 5.0 | 23 | 6.3 |
Ohio |
5,108 | 641 | 12.5 | 691 | 13.5 | 5,147 | 621 | 12.1 | 685 | 13.3 |
Oklahoma |
1,705 | 115 | 6.8 | 132 | 7.7 | 1,713 | 91 | 5.3 | 106 | 6.2 |
Oregon |
1,808 | 255 | 14.1 | 270 | 15.0 | 1,835 | 292 | 15.9 | 321 | 17.5 |
Pennsylvania |
5,786 | 749 | 12.9 | 822 | 14.2 | 5,706 | 666 | 11.7 | 708 | 12.4 |
Rhode Island |
507 | 62 | 12.3 | 67 | 13.2 | 500 | 73 | 14.5 | 77 | 15.3 |
South Carolina |
2,130 | 49 | 2.3 | 63 | 3.0 | 2,163 | 61 | 2.8 | 89 | 4.1 |
South Dakota |
425 | 15 | 3.6 | 18 | 4.2 | 431 | 12 | 2.7 | 16 | 3.7 |
Tennessee |
2,981 | 178 | 6.0 | 205 | 6.9 | 2,923 | 136 | 4.7 | 164 | 5.6 |
Texas |
13,019 | 586 | 4.5 | 701 | 5.4 | 13,345 | 603 | 4.5 | 716 | 5.4 |
Utah |
1,584 | 65 | 4.1 | 134 | 8.4 | 1,558 | 58 | 3.7 | 122 | 7.8 |
Vermont |
301 | 43 | 14.3 | 46 | 15.4 | 297 | 42 | 14.3 | 47 | 15.8 |
Virginia |
4,042 | 176 | 4.3 | 226 | 5.6 | 3,997 | 207 | 5.2 | 229 | 5.7 |
Washington |
3,491 | 576 | 16.5 | 632 | 18.1 | 3,432 | 548 | 16.0 | 627 | 18.3 |
West Virginia |
691 | 60 | 8.7 | 70 | 10.1 | 699 | 61 | 8.8 | 70 | 10.0 |
Wisconsin |
2,761 | 205 | 7.4 | 232 | 8.4 | 2,819 | 180 | 6.4 | 196 | 6.9 |
Wyoming |
256 | 14 | 5.6 | 17 | 6.6 | 249 | 14 | 5.6 | 17 | 6.7 |
Footnotes |
||||||||||
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 11, 2025