In 2022, union members accounted for 7.9 percent of wage and salary workers in Kentucky, compared with 7.2 percent in 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the union membership rate for the state was at its peak with an average of 14.8 percent in 1989, the first year state data became available, and at its low point in 2021 at 7.2 percent. (See chart 1 and table A.) Nationwide, union members accounted for 10.1 percent of employed wage and salary workers in 2022. The rate was down from 10.3 percent in 2021, primarily the result of a disproportionately large increase in the number of total wage and salary employment compared with the increase in the number of union members. The 2022 unionization rate (10.1 percent) is the lowest on record.

Kentucky had 141,000 union members in 2022. In addition to these members, another 44,000 wage and salary workers in Kentucky 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 Kentucky, annual averages, 2012–2022 (numbers in thousands)

Year	Total employed	Members of unions (1)		Represented by unions (2)
		Total	Percent of employed	Total	Percent of employed
2012	1,742	174	10.0	198	11.4
2013	1,735	194	11.2	226	13.0
2014	1,714	189	11.0	219	12.8
2015	1,705	187	11.0	207	12.1
2016	1,710	190	11.1	228	13.4
2017	1,810	174	9.6	232	12.8
2018	1,812	161	8.9	207	11.4
2019	1,786	144	8.0	169	9.5
2020	1,694	127	7.5	160	9.4
2021	1,740	126	7.2	170	9.8
2022	1,791	141	7.9	185	10.3
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, 14.3 million wage and salary workers were union members in 2022 and 1.7 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 (14.3 million) was up by 273,000 from 2021.

In 2022, 30 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the U.S. average, 10.1 percent, while 19 states had rates above it and 1 state (New Hampshire) had the same rate. (See table 1.) Eleven states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2022. South Carolina had the lowest rate (1.7 percent), followed by North Carolina (2.8 percent) and South Dakota (3.1 percent). Two states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2022: Hawaii (21.9 percent) and New York (20.7 percent). (See chart 2.)

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.

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

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.

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.

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, 2021-2022 annual averages (numbers in thousands)

State	2021					2022
	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	1,938	115	5.9	133	6.9	2,066	149	7.2	173	8.4
Alaska	293	46	15.8	50	17.2	298	48	16.0	52	17.3
Arizona	3,116	167	5.4	208	6.7	3,061	169	5.5	189	6.2
Arkansas	1,167	46	3.9	51	4.4	1,204	59	4.9	68	5.7
California	15,497	2,468	15.9	2,757	17.8	16,240	2,617	16.1	2,856	17.6
Colorado	2,538	165	6.5	192	7.5	2,672	178	6.7	201	7.5
Connecticut	1,524	223	14.6	248	16.3	1,658	236	14.2	256	15.4
Delaware	435	42	9.7	44	10.2	442	38	8.5	42	9.4
District of Columbia	350	31	8.9	35	9.9	331	30	9.1	34	10.4
Florida	8,667	448	5.2	529	6.1	9,100	414	4.5	511	5.6
Georgia	4,404	211	4.8	256	5.8	4,521	200	4.4	244	5.4
Hawaii	541	121	22.4	131	24.1	572	125	21.9	134	23.4
Idaho	767	36	4.7	42	5.5	825	39	4.7	49	5.9
Illinois	5,397	752	13.9	818	15.2	5,611	735	13.1	789	14.1
Indiana	2,844	256	9.0	290	10.2	3,023	223	7.4	260	8.6
Iowa	1,428	93	6.5	118	8.3	1,506	105	7.0	132	8.7
Kansas	1,300	120	9.2	148	11.4	1,318	129	9.8	160	12.1
Kentucky	1,740	126	7.2	170	9.8	1,791	141	7.9	185	10.3
Louisiana	1,722	81	4.7	98	5.7	1,801	76	4.2	94	5.2
Maine	563	70	12.4	83	14.7	527	48	9.2	61	11.5
Maryland	2,689	295	11.0	332	12.3	2,816	327	11.6	372	13.2
Massachusetts	3,181	402	12.6	433	13.6	3,241	413	12.7	447	13.8
Michigan	4,047	540	13.3	620	15.3	4,212	589	14.0	644	15.3
Minnesota	2,608	416	16.0	446	17.1	2,697	382	14.2	411	15.2
Mississippi	1,080	59	5.5	74	6.9	1,102	62	5.6	79	7.2
Missouri	2,615	235	9.0	266	10.2	2,681	257	9.6	284	10.6
Montana	438	49	11.2	56	12.9	466	52	11.2	57	12.3
Nebraska	896	61	6.8	72	8.0	923	60	6.5	74	8.1
Nevada	1,249	153	12.2	176	14.1	1,287	146	11.3	164	12.8
New Hampshire	643	65	10.1	73	11.3	687	70	10.1	77	11.2
New Jersey	3,762	608	16.2	672	17.9	4,161	619	14.9	666	16.0
New Mexico	770	58	7.5	70	9.1	806	71	8.8	86	10.6
New York	7,770	1,729	22.2	1,869	24.1	8,124	1,679	20.7	1,795	22.1
North Carolina	4,225	108	2.6	142	3.4	4,409	125	2.8	173	3.9
North Dakota	349	19	5.4	24	6.9	365	23	6.4	28	7.6
Ohio	4,966	596	12.0	647	13.0	4,989	641	12.8	699	14.0
Oklahoma	1,546	87	5.6	105	6.8	1,587	88	5.5	113	7.1
Oregon	1,784	318	17.8	336	18.8	1,810	281	15.5	305	16.9
Pennsylvania	5,380	693	12.9	732	13.6	5,628	715	12.7	767	13.6
Rhode Island	474	75	15.7	83	17.4	505	81	16.1	89	17.7
South Carolina	2,070	34	1.7	42	2.0	2,050	35	1.7	40	2.0
South Dakota	393	16	4.0	20	5.0	412	13	3.1	17	4.2
Tennessee	2,820	145	5.2	166	5.9	2,931	163	5.5	184	6.3
Texas	12,057	454	3.8	571	4.7	12,496	518	4.1	643	5.1
Utah	1,465	51	3.5	96	6.5	1,540	60	3.9	133	8.7
Vermont	262	32	12.3	37	14.2	284	34	12.1	38	13.4
Virginia	3,685	176	4.8	240	6.5	3,906	146	3.7	175	4.5
Washington	3,308	629	19.0	661	20.0	3,413	615	18.0	653	19.1
West Virginia	693	66	9.6	73	10.5	689	64	9.2	69	10.0
Wisconsin	2,705	215	7.9	251	9.3	2,648	187	7.1	212	8.0
Wyoming	234	13	5.7	16	6.9	243	14	5.6	18	7.3
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.