According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 9.9% of US workers — 14.3 million people — were union members in 2024. This was the lowest point of a slow but steady decline. In 1983, 20.1% of the workforce was unionized, or 17.7 million people. Union membership has decreased every year since except for three.
Union membership was 9.9% in 2024, the lowest in nearly 40 years.
Share of workers who are members of a union, 1983–2024
What is a labor union?
A labor union is a worker-created organization formed to negotiate employee pay, benefits and working conditions with employers. Union members usually elect representatives to conduct these negotiations, called “collective bargaining” — the union represents the interests of the whole group.
There’s a set legal process for creating a union, requiring a series of petitions (a request for an election) and elections (a vote to determine if there is agreement to form a union) by all the eligible employees of a particular workplace. Not all employees are eligible; there are several classes of excluded workers, including state and federal government employees and employees in managerial roles.
The petitions and election results are filed and reviewed by the federal National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). If the NLRB certifies the union after reviewing the results and resolving any objections, the union can begin preparing for collective bargaining and contract negotiations.
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How has union membership by state changed over time?
Since 2000, union membership rates dropped in all states but five:
- Vermont (up 3.9 percentage points)
- Hawaii (+1.7)
- Massachusetts (+0.4)
- Oregon (+0.2)
- Connecticut (+0.1)
The steepest declines were in Wisconsin (down 11.4 percentage points) Michigan (-6.9), Iowa (-6.8), and Indiana (-6.4).
Vermont had the largest increase in membership, while Wisconsin had the largest decline.
Percentage point change in union membership by state, 2000–2024
Is there a difference in union rates of public and private workplaces?
In 2024, about 1 in 3 public sector workers were unionized and 1 in 17 in the private sector. But because the private sector employs so many more people, the total number of union members was nearly the same in both: 7.0 million public and 7.2 million private. Membership has declined in both sectors, but it’s been less severe in the public workforce — since 1983, membership rates dropped 4.5 percentage points in the public sector and 10.9 points in the private.
Union membership is 5.5 times more common in the public sector than private.
Percent of employees who are union members, by sector, 1983–2024
How does union membership differ by industry?
Union membership decreases were universal: membership dropped in all industries from 2000 to 2024 except education and health services, which had a 0.2 percentage point increase.
Local, state, and federal government workplaces, all part of the public sector, have the highest rates of unionization. In 2024, local government employs lots of people in heavily unionized occupations like firefighting, teaching, and police enforcement and has the biggest share of union members in the workforce: 38.2%. State government had the second-highest share (27.9%), and federal government the third-highest (25.3%).
Union membership decreased in all industries except education and health services.
Percent of union membership by industry, 2000 vs. 2024
The biggest decrease during that time was in transportation and utilities, where membership went down 9.8 percentage points, followed by the information sector with an 8.1 percentage point drop.
The industries with the fewest unionized employees in 2024 were professional and business services (2.0%), agriculture and related industries (1.4%), and financial activities (1.3%). These industries also had the lowest shares of unionized employees in 2000.
What are the demographics of union members?
Workers between 45 to 64 years old are the most likely to be in a union: In 2024, 12.6% of employees ages 45 and 54 were union members, along with 11.8% of 55 to 64 year-olds. That same year, 4.3% of workers ages 16 to 24 were unionized, making them the least likely age group to be in a union.
All age groups now have a lower share of unionized workers than they did in 2000 except for people 65+.
Since 2000, union membership fell in all age groups except for people ages 65 or older.
Percentage of union membership by age group, 2000 vs. 2024
Among the four largest racial and ethnic groups in the US, Black employees are most likely to be unionized. In 2000, 17.2% of Black Americans were in unions. That dropped to 11.8% in 2024 but remains higher than the membership rates of Americans who identify as white (9.6%), Asian (8.5%), and Hispanic (8.5%).
Black employees are in unions at higher rates than other races and ethnicities.
Percent of employees who are union members, by race or ethnicity, 2000–2024
In 2000 15.2% of men and 11.4% of women belonged to unions — now, it’s 10.2% of men and 9.5% of women. The number of men’s union numbers went down just over 2 million, while women’s numbers remained largely unchanged.
Which states have the highest union membership rate?
Seven states account for over half America’s 14.3 million union members: California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Texas.
Right-to-work laws make it illegal to require someone to join a union or pay union fees as a condition of getting or keeping a job. If employees don’t choose to be a union member, they’re still covered by the union contract and collective bargaining agreements. States with right-to-work laws tend to have lower rates of union membership.
The states with the highest membership rates — Hawaii (26.5%), New York (20.6%), and Alaska (17.7%) — do not have right-to-work laws. Those with the lowest union membership rates — North Carolina (2.4%), South Dakota (2.7%), and South Carolina (2.8%) — have all adopted right-to-work laws.
Hawaii has the highest rate of union membership.
Percent of union membership by state, 2024
Which states have passed right-to-work laws?
As of 2025, 27 states have right-to-work laws. Right-to-work status also applies to all public-sector employees, no matter where they live; the 2018 Supreme Court case Janus v. AFSCME held that public employees aren't required to pay "agency fees" (aka “dues”) to unions.
Twenty seven states have right-to-work laws.
States with right-to-work laws, 2024
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Page sources and methodology
All of the data on the page was sourced directly from government agencies. The analysis and final review was performed by USAFacts.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Union Membership
