Data / Rankings / Union membership rate / US states

US states by union membership rate

Hawaii had the highest union membership rate of 51 states in 2019, at 23.5%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 2.2%. The median was 8.7% and the figure for the United States was 10.3%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest23.5Hawaii
Lowest2.2South Carolina
Median8.751 states
United States10.3History

Map of states, 2019

Alabama: 8.5 %Alaska: 17.1 %Arizona: 5.7 %Arkansas: 5.2 %California: 15.2 %Colorado: 9 %Connecticut: 14.5 %Delaware: 8.7 %District of Columbia: 9.3 %Florida: 6.2 %Georgia: 4.1 %Hawaii: 23.5 %Idaho: 4.9 %Illinois: 13.6 %Indiana: 8.3 %Iowa: 6.3 %Kansas: 8.7 %Kentucky: 8 %Louisiana: 5.3 %Maine: 11.8 %Maryland: 11.3 %Massachusetts: 12 %Michigan: 13.6 %Minnesota: 13.7 %Mississippi: 6.3 %Missouri: 11.1 %Montana: 10.5 %Nebraska: 8.4 %Nevada: 14.6 %New Hampshire: 10.3 %New Jersey: 15.7 %New Mexico: 7.1 %New York: 21 %North Carolina: 2.3 %North Dakota: 6 %Ohio: 11.9 %Oklahoma: 6.2 %Oregon: 14.4 %Pennsylvania: 12 %Rhode Island: 17.4 %South Carolina: 2.2 %South Dakota: 5.6 %Tennessee: 4.6 %Texas: 4 %Utah: 4.4 %Vermont: 11.2 %Virginia: 4 %Washington: 18.8 %West Virginia: 10.2 %Wisconsin: 8.1 %Wyoming: 7.3 %
  • Under 5.2
  • 5.2 to 6.8
  • 6.8 to 8.7
  • 8.7 to 11
  • 11 to 14
  • 14 and over
%, 2019. 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, 2019

Hawaii: 23.5 %Hawaii23.5New York: 21 %New York21Washington: 18.8 %Washington18.8Rhode Island: 17.4 %Rhode Island17.4Alaska: 17.1 %Alaska17.1New Jersey: 15.7 %New Jersey15.7California: 15.2 %California15.2Nevada: 14.6 %Nevada14.6Connecticut: 14.5 %Connecticut14.5Oregon: 14.4 %Oregon14.4Minnesota: 13.7 %Minnesota13.7Illinois: 13.6 %Illinois13.6Michigan: 13.6 %Michigan13.6Massachusetts: 12 %Massachusetts12Pennsylvania: 12 %Pennsylvania12Ohio: 11.9 %Ohio11.9Maine: 11.8 %Maine11.8Maryland: 11.3 %Maryland11.3Vermont: 11.2 %Vermont11.2Missouri: 11.1 %Missouri11.1Montana: 10.5 %Montana10.5New Hampshire: 10.3 %New Hampshire10.3West Virginia: 10.2 %West Virginia10.2District of Columbia: 9.3 %District of Columbia9.3Colorado: 9 %Colorado9Delaware: 8.7 %Delaware8.7Kansas: 8.7 %Kansas8.7Alabama: 8.5 %Alabama8.5Nebraska: 8.4 %Nebraska8.4Indiana: 8.3 %Indiana8.3Wisconsin: 8.1 %Wisconsin8.1Kentucky: 8 %Kentucky8Wyoming: 7.3 %Wyoming7.3New Mexico: 7.1 %New Mexico7.1Iowa: 6.3 %Iowa6.3Mississippi: 6.3 %Mississippi6.3Florida: 6.2 %Florida6.2Oklahoma: 6.2 %Oklahoma6.2North Dakota: 6 %North Dakota6Arizona: 5.7 %Arizona5.7South Dakota: 5.6 %South Dakota5.6Louisiana: 5.3 %Louisiana5.3Arkansas: 5.2 %Arkansas5.2Idaho: 4.9 %Idaho4.9Tennessee: 4.6 %Tennessee4.6Utah: 4.4 %Utah4.4Georgia: 4.1 %Georgia4.1Texas: 4 %Texas4Virginia: 4 %Virginia4North Carolina: 2.3 %North Carolina2.3South Carolina: 2.2 %South Carolina2.2Hawaii: 23.5 %Hawaii23.5New York: 21 %New York21Washington: 18.8 %Washington18.8Rhode Island: 17.4 %Rhode Island17.4Alaska: 17.1 %Alaska17.1New Jersey: 15.7 %New Jersey15.7California: 15.2 %California15.2Nevada: 14.6 %Nevada14.6Connecticut: 14.5 %Connecticut14.5Oregon: 14.4 %Oregon14.4Minnesota: 13.7 %Minnesota13.7Illinois: 13.6 %Illinois13.6Michigan: 13.6 %Michigan13.6Massachusetts: 12 %Massachusetts12Pennsylvania: 12 %Pennsylvania12Ohio: 11.9 %Ohio11.9Maine: 11.8 %Maine11.8Maryland: 11.3 %Maryland11.3Vermont: 11.2 %Vermont11.2Missouri: 11.1 %Missouri11.1Montana: 10.5 %Montana10.5New Hampshire: 10.3 %New Hampshire10.3West Virginia: 10.2 %West Virginia10.2District of Columbia: 9.3 %District of Columbia9.3Colorado: 9 %Colorado9Delaware: 8.7 %Delaware8.7Kansas: 8.7 %Kansas8.7Alabama: 8.5 %Alabama8.5Nebraska: 8.4 %Nebraska8.4Indiana: 8.3 %Indiana8.3Wisconsin: 8.1 %Wisconsin8.1Kentucky: 8 %Kentucky8Wyoming: 7.3 %Wyoming7.3New Mexico: 7.1 %New Mexico7.1Iowa: 6.3 %Iowa6.3Mississippi: 6.3 %Mississippi6.3Florida: 6.2 %Florida6.2Oklahoma: 6.2 %Oklahoma6.2North Dakota: 6 %North Dakota6Arizona: 5.7 %Arizona5.7South Dakota: 5.6 %South Dakota5.6Louisiana: 5.3 %Louisiana5.3Arkansas: 5.2 %Arkansas5.2Idaho: 4.9 %Idaho4.9Tennessee: 4.6 %Tennessee4.6Utah: 4.4 %Utah4.4Georgia: 4.1 %Georgia4.1Texas: 4 %Texas4Virginia: 4 %Virginia4North Carolina: 2.3 %North Carolina2.3South Carolina: 2.2 %South Carolina2.2
%. 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

RankStates2019 (%)Change on 2018
1Hawaii23.5+0.4 pts
2New York21-1.3 pts
3Washington18.8-1 pts
4Rhode Island17.40 pts
5Alaska17.1-1.4 pts
6New Jersey15.7+0.8 pts
7California15.2+0.5 pts
8Nevada14.6+0.7 pts
9Connecticut14.5-1.5 pts
10Oregon14.4+0.5 pts
11Minnesota13.7-1.3 pts
12Illinois13.6-0.2 pts
12Michigan13.6-0.9 pts
14Massachusetts12-1.7 pts
14Pennsylvania12-0.6 pts
16Ohio11.9-0.7 pts
17Maine11.8-1.1 pts
18Maryland11.3+0.3 pts
19Vermont11.2+0.7 pts
20Missouri11.1+1.7 pts
21Montana10.5-1.3 pts
22New Hampshire10.3+0.1 pts
23West Virginia10.2+0.2 pts
24District of Columbia9.3-0.6 pts
25Colorado9-2 pts
26Delaware8.7-1.6 pts
26Kansas8.7+1.7 pts
28Alabama8.5-0.7 pts
29Nebraska8.4+1.8 pts
30Indiana8.3-0.5 pts
31Wisconsin8.10 pts
32Kentucky8-0.9 pts
33Wyoming7.3+0.8 pts
34New Mexico7.1+0.3 pts
35Iowa6.3-1.4 pts
35Mississippi6.3+1.2 pts
37Florida6.2+0.6 pts
37Oklahoma6.2+0.5 pts
39North Dakota6+0.8 pts
40Arizona5.7+0.4 pts
41South Dakota5.60 pts
42Louisiana5.3+0.3 pts
43Arkansas5.2+0.4 pts
44Idaho4.9+0.2 pts
45Tennessee4.6-0.9 pts
46Utah4.4+0.3 pts
47Georgia4.1-0.4 pts
48Texas4-0.3 pts
48Virginia4-0.3 pts
50North Carolina2.3-0.4 pts
51South Carolina2.2-0.5 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, 2019) [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, 2019. 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=2019. 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, 2019. 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=2019.

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, 2019 [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=2019 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2019,
  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, 2019}},
  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=2019. 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, 2019
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=2019
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2019.
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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Questions

Which state has the highest union membership rate?

Hawaii, with 23.5% in 2019, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union membership rate?

South Carolina, with 2.2% in 2019.

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