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In 2025, union members accounted for an estimated 8.9 percent of wage and salary workers in Kentucky, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. (See chart 1 and table 1.) Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that the estimated number of workers belonging to unions was 157,000. Nationwide, union members accounted for an estimated 10.0 percent of employed wage and salary workers.
Chart 1. Members of unions as a percent of employed in the United States and Kentucky, 2015–25
Year
United States
Kentucky
2015
11.1
11.0
2016
10.7
11.1
2017
10.7
9.6
2018
10.5
8.9
2019
10.3
8.0
2020
10.8
7.5
2021
10.3
7.2
2022
10.1
7.9
2023
10.0
8.8
2024
9.9
8.8
2025
10.0
8.9
Note: 2025 annual estimates are 11-month averages that exclude October. Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown.
Across states, the estimated rates of union membership varied widely, ranging from below 5 percent to nearly 25 percent. (See map 1.) State union membership data for 2025 are based on relatively few observations and only allow for broad characterizations. (See box note below for additional information.)
Map 1. Union membership rates by state, 2025 averages*
(U.S. rate = 10.0%)
In addition to union members, another estimated 30,000 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. Workers represented by unions accounted for an estimated 10.5 percent of employed wage and salary workers in Kentucky and 11.2 percent nationwide.
Federal Government Shutdown Impact on Union Data
The Current Population Survey (CPS) for October 2025 was not collected due to the federal government shutdown. As a result, annual estimates for 2025 household survey data were produced using 11-month averages that exclude October. Consequently, 2025 annual estimates are not strictly comparable with annual averages for other years.
Because union membership and earnings data are collected from only one quarter of the CPS sample, they are already based on a relatively small number of observations and are even more affected by the lack of October data. In particular, state union membership estimates for 2025 should be interpreted with caution.
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.
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Table 1. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state, 2024-2025 annual averages (numbers in thousands)
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. Annual estimates for 2025 are 11-month averages that exclude October. (Data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government shutdown.) As a result, 2025 annual estimates are not strictly comparable with annual averages for other years.
United States Department of Labor
