Data / Rankings / Union membership rate / US states

US states by union membership rate

Hawaii had the highest union membership rate of 51 states in 2023, at 24.1%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 2.3%. The median was 8.8% and the figure for the United States was 10%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest24.1Hawaii
Lowest2.3South Carolina
Median8.851 states
United States10History

Map of states, 2023

Alabama: 7.5 %Alaska: 14.8 %Arizona: 4.2 %Arkansas: 5.1 %California: 15.4 %Colorado: 6.9 %Connecticut: 15.9 %Delaware: 8.8 %District of Columbia: 9.1 %Florida: 4.7 %Georgia: 4.6 %Hawaii: 24.1 %Idaho: 4.5 %Illinois: 12.8 %Indiana: 8 %Iowa: 7.2 %Kansas: 8.9 %Kentucky: 8.8 %Louisiana: 4.3 %Maine: 9.2 %Maryland: 10.7 %Massachusetts: 12.6 %Michigan: 12.8 %Minnesota: 13.3 %Mississippi: 7 %Missouri: 9.3 %Montana: 11.8 %Nebraska: 7.3 %Nevada: 12.4 %New Hampshire: 9.3 %New Jersey: 16.1 %New Mexico: 7.5 %New York: 20.6 %North Carolina: 2.7 %North Dakota: 6.2 %Ohio: 12.5 %Oklahoma: 6.8 %Oregon: 14.1 %Pennsylvania: 12.9 %Rhode Island: 12.3 %South Carolina: 2.3 %South Dakota: 3.6 %Tennessee: 6 %Texas: 4.5 %Utah: 4.1 %Vermont: 14.3 %Virginia: 4.3 %Washington: 16.5 %West Virginia: 8.7 %Wisconsin: 7.4 %Wyoming: 5.6 %
  • Under 4.5
  • 4.5 to 7
  • 7 to 8.8
  • 8.8 to 12
  • 12 to 14
  • 14 and over
%, 2023. 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, 2023

Hawaii: 24.1 %Hawaii24.1New York: 20.6 %New York20.6Washington: 16.5 %Washington16.5New Jersey: 16.1 %New Jersey16.1Connecticut: 15.9 %Connecticut15.9California: 15.4 %California15.4Alaska: 14.8 %Alaska14.8Vermont: 14.3 %Vermont14.3Oregon: 14.1 %Oregon14.1Minnesota: 13.3 %Minnesota13.3Pennsylvania: 12.9 %Pennsylvania12.9Illinois: 12.8 %Illinois12.8Michigan: 12.8 %Michigan12.8Massachusetts: 12.6 %Massachusetts12.6Ohio: 12.5 %Ohio12.5Nevada: 12.4 %Nevada12.4Rhode Island: 12.3 %Rhode Island12.3Montana: 11.8 %Montana11.8Maryland: 10.7 %Maryland10.7Missouri: 9.3 %Missouri9.3New Hampshire: 9.3 %New Hampshire9.3Maine: 9.2 %Maine9.2District of Columbia: 9.1 %District of Columbia9.1Kansas: 8.9 %Kansas8.9Delaware: 8.8 %Delaware8.8Kentucky: 8.8 %Kentucky8.8West Virginia: 8.7 %West Virginia8.7Indiana: 8 %Indiana8Alabama: 7.5 %Alabama7.5New Mexico: 7.5 %New Mexico7.5Wisconsin: 7.4 %Wisconsin7.4Nebraska: 7.3 %Nebraska7.3Iowa: 7.2 %Iowa7.2Mississippi: 7 %Mississippi7Colorado: 6.9 %Colorado6.9Oklahoma: 6.8 %Oklahoma6.8North Dakota: 6.2 %North Dakota6.2Tennessee: 6 %Tennessee6Wyoming: 5.6 %Wyoming5.6Arkansas: 5.1 %Arkansas5.1Florida: 4.7 %Florida4.7Georgia: 4.6 %Georgia4.6Idaho: 4.5 %Idaho4.5Texas: 4.5 %Texas4.5Louisiana: 4.3 %Louisiana4.3Virginia: 4.3 %Virginia4.3Arizona: 4.2 %Arizona4.2Utah: 4.1 %Utah4.1South Dakota: 3.6 %South Dakota3.6North Carolina: 2.7 %North Carolina2.7South Carolina: 2.3 %South Carolina2.3Hawaii: 24.1 %Hawaii24.1New York: 20.6 %New York20.6Washington: 16.5 %Washington16.5New Jersey: 16.1 %New Jersey16.1Connecticut: 15.9 %Connecticut15.9California: 15.4 %California15.4Alaska: 14.8 %Alaska14.8Vermont: 14.3 %Vermont14.3Oregon: 14.1 %Oregon14.1Minnesota: 13.3 %Minnesota13.3Pennsylvania: 12.9 %Pennsylvania12.9Illinois: 12.8 %Illinois12.8Michigan: 12.8 %Michigan12.8Massachusetts: 12.6 %Massachusetts12.6Ohio: 12.5 %Ohio12.5Nevada: 12.4 %Nevada12.4Rhode Island: 12.3 %Rhode Island12.3Montana: 11.8 %Montana11.8Maryland: 10.7 %Maryland10.7Missouri: 9.3 %Missouri9.3New Hampshire: 9.3 %New Hampshire9.3Maine: 9.2 %Maine9.2District of Columbia: 9.1 %District of Columbia9.1Kansas: 8.9 %Kansas8.9Delaware: 8.8 %Delaware8.8Kentucky: 8.8 %Kentucky8.8West Virginia: 8.7 %West Virginia8.7Indiana: 8 %Indiana8Alabama: 7.5 %Alabama7.5New Mexico: 7.5 %New Mexico7.5Wisconsin: 7.4 %Wisconsin7.4Nebraska: 7.3 %Nebraska7.3Iowa: 7.2 %Iowa7.2Mississippi: 7 %Mississippi7Colorado: 6.9 %Colorado6.9Oklahoma: 6.8 %Oklahoma6.8North Dakota: 6.2 %North Dakota6.2Tennessee: 6 %Tennessee6Wyoming: 5.6 %Wyoming5.6Arkansas: 5.1 %Arkansas5.1Florida: 4.7 %Florida4.7Georgia: 4.6 %Georgia4.6Idaho: 4.5 %Idaho4.5Texas: 4.5 %Texas4.5Louisiana: 4.3 %Louisiana4.3Virginia: 4.3 %Virginia4.3Arizona: 4.2 %Arizona4.2Utah: 4.1 %Utah4.1South Dakota: 3.6 %South Dakota3.6North Carolina: 2.7 %North Carolina2.7South Carolina: 2.3 %South Carolina2.3
%. 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

RankStates2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Hawaii24.1+2.2 pts
2New York20.6-0.1 pts
3Washington16.5-1.5 pts
4New Jersey16.1+1.2 pts
5Connecticut15.9+1.7 pts
6California15.4-0.7 pts
7Alaska14.8-1.2 pts
8Vermont14.3+2.2 pts
9Oregon14.1-1.4 pts
10Minnesota13.3-0.9 pts
11Pennsylvania12.9+0.2 pts
12Illinois12.8-0.3 pts
12Michigan12.8-1.2 pts
14Massachusetts12.6-0.1 pts
15Ohio12.5-0.3 pts
16Nevada12.4+1.1 pts
17Rhode Island12.3-3.8 pts
18Montana11.8+0.6 pts
19Maryland10.7-0.9 pts
20Missouri9.3-0.3 pts
20New Hampshire9.3-0.8 pts
22Maine9.20 pts
23District of Columbia9.10 pts
24Kansas8.9-0.9 pts
25Delaware8.8+0.3 pts
25Kentucky8.8+0.9 pts
27West Virginia8.7-0.5 pts
28Indiana8+0.6 pts
29Alabama7.5+0.3 pts
29New Mexico7.5-1.3 pts
31Wisconsin7.4+0.3 pts
32Nebraska7.3+0.8 pts
33Iowa7.2+0.2 pts
34Mississippi7+1.4 pts
35Colorado6.9+0.2 pts
36Oklahoma6.8+1.3 pts
37North Dakota6.2-0.2 pts
38Tennessee6+0.5 pts
39Wyoming5.60 pts
40Arkansas5.1+0.2 pts
41Florida4.7+0.2 pts
42Georgia4.6+0.2 pts
43Idaho4.5-0.2 pts
43Texas4.5+0.4 pts
45Louisiana4.3+0.1 pts
45Virginia4.3+0.6 pts
47Arizona4.2-1.3 pts
48Utah4.1+0.2 pts
49South Dakota3.6+0.5 pts
50North Carolina2.7-0.1 pts
51South Carolina2.3+0.6 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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

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, 2023 [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=2023 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2023.
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 24.1% in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union membership rate?

South Carolina, with 2.3% in 2023.

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