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In 2023, union members accounted for 8.8 percent of wage and salary workers in Kentucky, compared with 7.9 percent in 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria Lee noted that the union membership rate for the state was at its peak in 1989, when it averaged 14.8 percent, and at its low point in 2021 at 7.2 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.
Chart 1. Members of unions as a percent of employed in the United States and Kentucky, 2013–23
Year
United States
Kentucky
2013
11.3
11.2
2014
11.1
11.0
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
Kentucky had 152,000 union members in 2023. In addition to these members, another 42,000 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, 2013–2023 (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.
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)
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.
United States Department of Labor
