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 2017, at 23.8%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 2.6%. The median was 9.6% and the figure for the United States was 10.7%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest23.8New York
Lowest2.6South Carolina
Median9.651 states
United States10.7History

Map of states, 2017

Alabama: 7.4 %Alaska: 18.1 %Arizona: 4 %Arkansas: 5.1 %California: 15.5 %Colorado: 9.6 %Connecticut: 16.9 %Delaware: 10.7 %District of Columbia: 9.8 %Florida: 5.6 %Georgia: 4 %Hawaii: 21.3 %Idaho: 4.8 %Illinois: 15 %Indiana: 8.9 %Iowa: 7 %Kansas: 7.8 %Kentucky: 9.6 %Louisiana: 4.4 %Maine: 11.4 %Maryland: 10.8 %Massachusetts: 12.4 %Michigan: 15.6 %Minnesota: 15.2 %Mississippi: 5.3 %Missouri: 8.7 %Montana: 11.9 %Nebraska: 8.2 %Nevada: 12.7 %New Hampshire: 11.3 %New Jersey: 16.2 %New Mexico: 6.7 %New York: 23.8 %North Carolina: 3.4 %North Dakota: 5.1 %Ohio: 12.5 %Oklahoma: 5.5 %Oregon: 14.9 %Pennsylvania: 12 %Rhode Island: 16.1 %South Carolina: 2.6 %South Dakota: 5.4 %Tennessee: 5.7 %Texas: 4.7 %Utah: 3.9 %Vermont: 11 %Virginia: 4.6 %Washington: 18.8 %West Virginia: 11 %Wisconsin: 8.3 %Wyoming: 6 %
  • Under 4.9
  • 4.9 to 6.5
  • 6.5 to 9.6
  • 9.6 to 12
  • 12 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2017. 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, 2017

New York: 23.8 %New York23.8Hawaii: 21.3 %Hawaii21.3Washington: 18.8 %Washington18.8Alaska: 18.1 %Alaska18.1Connecticut: 16.9 %Connecticut16.9New Jersey: 16.2 %New Jersey16.2Rhode Island: 16.1 %Rhode Island16.1Michigan: 15.6 %Michigan15.6California: 15.5 %California15.5Minnesota: 15.2 %Minnesota15.2Illinois: 15 %Illinois15Oregon: 14.9 %Oregon14.9Nevada: 12.7 %Nevada12.7Ohio: 12.5 %Ohio12.5Massachusetts: 12.4 %Massachusetts12.4Pennsylvania: 12 %Pennsylvania12Montana: 11.9 %Montana11.9Maine: 11.4 %Maine11.4New Hampshire: 11.3 %New Hampshire11.3Vermont: 11 %Vermont11West Virginia: 11 %West Virginia11Maryland: 10.8 %Maryland10.8Delaware: 10.7 %Delaware10.7District of Columbia: 9.8 %District of Columbia9.8Colorado: 9.6 %Colorado9.6Kentucky: 9.6 %Kentucky9.6Indiana: 8.9 %Indiana8.9Missouri: 8.7 %Missouri8.7Wisconsin: 8.3 %Wisconsin8.3Nebraska: 8.2 %Nebraska8.2Kansas: 7.8 %Kansas7.8Alabama: 7.4 %Alabama7.4Iowa: 7 %Iowa7New Mexico: 6.7 %New Mexico6.7Wyoming: 6 %Wyoming6Tennessee: 5.7 %Tennessee5.7Florida: 5.6 %Florida5.6Oklahoma: 5.5 %Oklahoma5.5South Dakota: 5.4 %South Dakota5.4Mississippi: 5.3 %Mississippi5.3Arkansas: 5.1 %Arkansas5.1North Dakota: 5.1 %North Dakota5.1Idaho: 4.8 %Idaho4.8Texas: 4.7 %Texas4.7Virginia: 4.6 %Virginia4.6Louisiana: 4.4 %Louisiana4.4Arizona: 4 %Arizona4Georgia: 4 %Georgia4Utah: 3.9 %Utah3.9North Carolina: 3.4 %North Carolina3.4South Carolina: 2.6 %South Carolina2.6New York: 23.8 %New York23.8Hawaii: 21.3 %Hawaii21.3Washington: 18.8 %Washington18.8Alaska: 18.1 %Alaska18.1Connecticut: 16.9 %Connecticut16.9New Jersey: 16.2 %New Jersey16.2Rhode Island: 16.1 %Rhode Island16.1Michigan: 15.6 %Michigan15.6California: 15.5 %California15.5Minnesota: 15.2 %Minnesota15.2Illinois: 15 %Illinois15Oregon: 14.9 %Oregon14.9Nevada: 12.7 %Nevada12.7Ohio: 12.5 %Ohio12.5Massachusetts: 12.4 %Massachusetts12.4Pennsylvania: 12 %Pennsylvania12Montana: 11.9 %Montana11.9Maine: 11.4 %Maine11.4New Hampshire: 11.3 %New Hampshire11.3Vermont: 11 %Vermont11West Virginia: 11 %West Virginia11Maryland: 10.8 %Maryland10.8Delaware: 10.7 %Delaware10.7District of Columbia: 9.8 %District of Columbia9.8Colorado: 9.6 %Colorado9.6Kentucky: 9.6 %Kentucky9.6Indiana: 8.9 %Indiana8.9Missouri: 8.7 %Missouri8.7Wisconsin: 8.3 %Wisconsin8.3Nebraska: 8.2 %Nebraska8.2Kansas: 7.8 %Kansas7.8Alabama: 7.4 %Alabama7.4Iowa: 7 %Iowa7New Mexico: 6.7 %New Mexico6.7Wyoming: 6 %Wyoming6Tennessee: 5.7 %Tennessee5.7Florida: 5.6 %Florida5.6Oklahoma: 5.5 %Oklahoma5.5South Dakota: 5.4 %South Dakota5.4Mississippi: 5.3 %Mississippi5.3Arkansas: 5.1 %Arkansas5.1North Dakota: 5.1 %North Dakota5.1Idaho: 4.8 %Idaho4.8Texas: 4.7 %Texas4.7Virginia: 4.6 %Virginia4.6Louisiana: 4.4 %Louisiana4.4Arizona: 4 %Arizona4Georgia: 4 %Georgia4Utah: 3.9 %Utah3.9North Carolina: 3.4 %North Carolina3.4South Carolina: 2.6 %South Carolina2.6
%. 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

RankStates2017 (%)Change on 2016
1New York23.8+0.2 pts
2Hawaii21.3+1.4 pts
3Washington18.8+1.4 pts
4Alaska18.1-0.4 pts
5Connecticut16.9-0.6 pts
6New Jersey16.2+0.1 pts
7Rhode Island16.1+0.6 pts
8Michigan15.6+1.2 pts
9California15.5-0.4 pts
10Minnesota15.2+1 pts
11Illinois15+0.5 pts
12Oregon14.9+1.4 pts
13Nevada12.7+0.6 pts
14Ohio12.5+0.1 pts
15Massachusetts12.4+0.3 pts
16Pennsylvania12-0.1 pts
17Montana11.90 pts
18Maine11.40 pts
19New Hampshire11.3+1.9 pts
20Vermont11-0.5 pts
20West Virginia11-0.8 pts
22Maryland10.8-0.2 pts
23Delaware10.7-0.7 pts
24District of Columbia9.8+0.3 pts
25Colorado9.6-0.2 pts
25Kentucky9.6-1.5 pts
27Indiana8.9-1.5 pts
28Missouri8.7-1 pts
29Wisconsin8.3+0.2 pts
30Nebraska8.2+0.8 pts
31Kansas7.8-0.8 pts
32Alabama7.4-0.7 pts
33Iowa7-1.9 pts
34New Mexico6.7+0.4 pts
35Wyoming6-0.3 pts
36Tennessee5.70 pts
37Florida5.60 pts
38Oklahoma5.5+0.1 pts
39South Dakota5.4+0.2 pts
40Mississippi5.3-1.3 pts
41Arkansas5.1+1.2 pts
41North Dakota5.1-0.4 pts
43Idaho4.8-1.3 pts
44Texas4.7+0.7 pts
45Virginia4.6+0.3 pts
46Louisiana4.4+0.2 pts
47Arizona4-0.5 pts
47Georgia4+0.1 pts
49Utah3.9-0.8 pts
50North Carolina3.4+0.4 pts
51South Carolina2.6+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

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

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, 2017) [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, 2017. 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=2017. 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, 2017. 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=2017.

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, 2017 [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=2017 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2017,
  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, 2017}},
  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=2017. 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, 2017
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=2017
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2017.
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 23.8% in 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union membership rate?

South Carolina, with 2.6% in 2017.

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.

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