Data / Rankings / Union membership rate / US states

US states by union membership rate

New York had the highest union membership rate of 51 states in 2014, at 24.6%. North Carolina had the lowest, at 1.9%. The median was 10.6% and the figure for the United States was 11.1%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest24.6New York
Lowest1.9North Carolina
Median10.651 states
United States11.1History

Map of states, 2014

Alabama: 10.8 %Alaska: 22.8 %Arizona: 5.3 %Arkansas: 4.7 %California: 16.3 %Colorado: 9.5 %Connecticut: 14.8 %Delaware: 9.9 %District of Columbia: 8.6 %Florida: 5.7 %Georgia: 4.3 %Hawaii: 21.8 %Idaho: 5.3 %Illinois: 15.1 %Indiana: 10.7 %Iowa: 10.7 %Kansas: 7.4 %Kentucky: 11 %Louisiana: 5.2 %Maine: 11 %Maryland: 11.9 %Massachusetts: 13.7 %Michigan: 14.5 %Minnesota: 14.2 %Mississippi: 3.7 %Missouri: 8.4 %Montana: 12.7 %Nebraska: 7.3 %Nevada: 14.4 %New Hampshire: 9.9 %New Jersey: 16.5 %New Mexico: 5.7 %New York: 24.6 %North Carolina: 1.9 %North Dakota: 5 %Ohio: 12.4 %Oklahoma: 6 %Oregon: 15.6 %Pennsylvania: 12.7 %Rhode Island: 15.1 %South Carolina: 2.2 %South Dakota: 4.9 %Tennessee: 5 %Texas: 4.8 %Utah: 3.7 %Vermont: 11.1 %Virginia: 4.9 %Washington: 16.8 %West Virginia: 10.6 %Wisconsin: 11.7 %Wyoming: 6.7 %
  • Under 4.9
  • 4.9 to 6.5
  • 6.5 to 11
  • 11 to 12
  • 12 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2014. Source: BLS, Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>). Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2014

New York: 24.6 %New York24.6Alaska: 22.8 %Alaska22.8Hawaii: 21.8 %Hawaii21.8Washington: 16.8 %Washington16.8New Jersey: 16.5 %New Jersey16.5California: 16.3 %California16.3Oregon: 15.6 %Oregon15.6Illinois: 15.1 %Illinois15.1Rhode Island: 15.1 %Rhode Island15.1Connecticut: 14.8 %Connecticut14.8Michigan: 14.5 %Michigan14.5Nevada: 14.4 %Nevada14.4Minnesota: 14.2 %Minnesota14.2Massachusetts: 13.7 %Massachusetts13.7Montana: 12.7 %Montana12.7Pennsylvania: 12.7 %Pennsylvania12.7Ohio: 12.4 %Ohio12.4Maryland: 11.9 %Maryland11.9Wisconsin: 11.7 %Wisconsin11.7Vermont: 11.1 %Vermont11.1Kentucky: 11 %Kentucky11Maine: 11 %Maine11Alabama: 10.8 %Alabama10.8Indiana: 10.7 %Indiana10.7Iowa: 10.7 %Iowa10.7West Virginia: 10.6 %West Virginia10.6Delaware: 9.9 %Delaware9.9New Hampshire: 9.9 %New Hampshire9.9Colorado: 9.5 %Colorado9.5District of Columbia: 8.6 %District of Columbia8.6Missouri: 8.4 %Missouri8.4Kansas: 7.4 %Kansas7.4Nebraska: 7.3 %Nebraska7.3Wyoming: 6.7 %Wyoming6.7Oklahoma: 6 %Oklahoma6Florida: 5.7 %Florida5.7New Mexico: 5.7 %New Mexico5.7Arizona: 5.3 %Arizona5.3Idaho: 5.3 %Idaho5.3Louisiana: 5.2 %Louisiana5.2North Dakota: 5 %North Dakota5Tennessee: 5 %Tennessee5South Dakota: 4.9 %South Dakota4.9Virginia: 4.9 %Virginia4.9Texas: 4.8 %Texas4.8Arkansas: 4.7 %Arkansas4.7Georgia: 4.3 %Georgia4.3Mississippi: 3.7 %Mississippi3.7Utah: 3.7 %Utah3.7South Carolina: 2.2 %South Carolina2.2North Carolina: 1.9 %North Carolina1.9New York: 24.6 %New York24.6Alaska: 22.8 %Alaska22.8Hawaii: 21.8 %Hawaii21.8Washington: 16.8 %Washington16.8New Jersey: 16.5 %New Jersey16.5California: 16.3 %California16.3Oregon: 15.6 %Oregon15.6Illinois: 15.1 %Illinois15.1Rhode Island: 15.1 %Rhode Island15.1Connecticut: 14.8 %Connecticut14.8Michigan: 14.5 %Michigan14.5Nevada: 14.4 %Nevada14.4Minnesota: 14.2 %Minnesota14.2Massachusetts: 13.7 %Massachusetts13.7Montana: 12.7 %Montana12.7Pennsylvania: 12.7 %Pennsylvania12.7Ohio: 12.4 %Ohio12.4Maryland: 11.9 %Maryland11.9Wisconsin: 11.7 %Wisconsin11.7Vermont: 11.1 %Vermont11.1Kentucky: 11 %Kentucky11Maine: 11 %Maine11Alabama: 10.8 %Alabama10.8Indiana: 10.7 %Indiana10.7Iowa: 10.7 %Iowa10.7West Virginia: 10.6 %West Virginia10.6Delaware: 9.9 %Delaware9.9New Hampshire: 9.9 %New Hampshire9.9Colorado: 9.5 %Colorado9.5District of Columbia: 8.6 %District of Columbia8.6Missouri: 8.4 %Missouri8.4Kansas: 7.4 %Kansas7.4Nebraska: 7.3 %Nebraska7.3Wyoming: 6.7 %Wyoming6.7Oklahoma: 6 %Oklahoma6Florida: 5.7 %Florida5.7New Mexico: 5.7 %New Mexico5.7Arizona: 5.3 %Arizona5.3Idaho: 5.3 %Idaho5.3Louisiana: 5.2 %Louisiana5.2North Dakota: 5 %North Dakota5Tennessee: 5 %Tennessee5South Dakota: 4.9 %South Dakota4.9Virginia: 4.9 %Virginia4.9Texas: 4.8 %Texas4.8Arkansas: 4.7 %Arkansas4.7Georgia: 4.3 %Georgia4.3Mississippi: 3.7 %Mississippi3.7Utah: 3.7 %Utah3.7South Carolina: 2.2 %South Carolina2.2North Carolina: 1.9 %North Carolina1.9
%. Source: BLS, Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2014 (%)Change on 2013
1New York24.6+0.2 pts
2Alaska22.8-0.3 pts
3Hawaii21.8-0.3 pts
4Washington16.8-2.1 pts
5New Jersey16.5+0.5 pts
6California16.3-0.1 pts
7Oregon15.6+1.7 pts
8Illinois15.1-0.7 pts
8Rhode Island15.1-1.8 pts
10Connecticut14.8+1.3 pts
11Michigan14.5-1.8 pts
12Nevada14.4-0.2 pts
13Minnesota14.2-0.1 pts
14Massachusetts13.70 pts
15Montana12.7-0.3 pts
15Pennsylvania12.70 pts
17Ohio12.4-0.2 pts
18Maryland11.9+0.3 pts
19Wisconsin11.7-0.6 pts
20Vermont11.1+0.2 pts
21Kentucky11-0.2 pts
21Maine11-0.1 pts
23Alabama10.8+0.1 pts
24Indiana10.7+1.4 pts
24Iowa10.7+0.6 pts
26West Virginia10.6-2.1 pts
27Delaware9.9-0.4 pts
27New Hampshire9.9+0.3 pts
29Colorado9.5+1.9 pts
30District of Columbia8.6-0.7 pts
31Missouri8.4-0.2 pts
32Kansas7.4-0.1 pts
33Nebraska7.30 pts
34Wyoming6.7+1 pts
35Oklahoma6-1.5 pts
36Florida5.7+0.3 pts
36New Mexico5.7-0.5 pts
38Arizona5.3+0.3 pts
38Idaho5.3+0.6 pts
40Louisiana5.2+0.9 pts
41North Dakota5-1.4 pts
41Tennessee5-1.1 pts
43South Dakota4.9+0.1 pts
43Virginia4.9-0.1 pts
45Texas4.80 pts
46Arkansas4.7+1.2 pts
47Georgia4.3-1 pts
48Mississippi3.70 pts
48Utah3.7-0.2 pts
50South Carolina2.2-1.5 pts
51North Carolina1.9-1.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Union members as a percent of employed wage and salary workers, annual average, from the Current Population Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (series LUU0204899600 for the nation).

Union members are members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union. Annual averages of the monthly Current Population Survey, a household survey, so the figures carry sampling error, which is larger for small states. Wage and salary workers exclude the incorporated and unincorporated self employed. State figures are by state of residence. The 2025 averages cover 11 months: October 2025 was not collected during the federal government shutdown. For workers covered by a union contract, members or not, use union_representation_rate.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData. Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Citation styles

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APA 7

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2026). Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>) (US states by union membership rate, 2014) [Data set]. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData

MLA 9

Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>), US states by union membership rate, 2014. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18 Feb. 2026, https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2014. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2026. Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>). US states by union membership rate, 2014. Dataset. Accessed October 18, 2026. https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>), US states by union membership rate, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2014 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2014,
  author = {{U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics}},
  title = {{Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>): US states by union membership rate, 2014}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData},
  urldate = {2026-10-18},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData. Retrieved 2026-10-18.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
TI  - Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>): US states by union membership rate, 2014
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/02/18
PB  - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>). https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData. Retrieved 2026-10-18.
ER  -
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Rank US states by union membership rate using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which state has the highest union membership rate?

New York, with 24.6% in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union membership rate?

North Carolina, with 1.9% in 2014.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: members of unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899600 and LUU02048996<state FIPS>). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

US states: more rankings