Data / Rankings / Union membership rate / US states

US states by union membership rate

Hawaii had the highest union membership rate of 51 states in 2024, at 26.5%. North Carolina had the lowest, at 2.4%. The median was 8.6% and the figure for the United States was 9.9%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Keep it in a collection in your library.
Highest26.5Hawaii
Lowest2.4North Carolina
Median8.651 states
United States9.9History

Map of states, 2024

Alabama: 6.6 %Alaska: 17.7 %Arizona: 3.7 %Arkansas: 3.5 %California: 14.5 %Colorado: 7.7 %Connecticut: 16.5 %Delaware: 8.5 %District of Columbia: 10.6 %Florida: 5.1 %Georgia: 3.8 %Hawaii: 26.5 %Idaho: 5 %Illinois: 13.1 %Indiana: 9 %Iowa: 6.4 %Kansas: 6.3 %Kentucky: 8.8 %Louisiana: 3.9 %Maine: 13.1 %Maryland: 11.4 %Massachusetts: 14.6 %Michigan: 13.4 %Minnesota: 14.2 %Mississippi: 5.2 %Missouri: 8.6 %Montana: 11.9 %Nebraska: 6.8 %Nevada: 12.1 %New Hampshire: 9.2 %New Jersey: 16.2 %New Mexico: 7.5 %New York: 20.6 %North Carolina: 2.4 %North Dakota: 5 %Ohio: 12.1 %Oklahoma: 5.3 %Oregon: 15.9 %Pennsylvania: 11.7 %Rhode Island: 14.5 %South Carolina: 2.8 %South Dakota: 2.7 %Tennessee: 4.7 %Texas: 4.5 %Utah: 3.7 %Vermont: 14.3 %Virginia: 5.2 %Washington: 16 %West Virginia: 8.8 %Wisconsin: 6.4 %Wyoming: 5.6 %
  • Under 4.6
  • 4.6 to 6.1
  • 6.1 to 8.6
  • 8.6 to 12
  • 12 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2024. 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, 2024

Hawaii: 26.5 %Hawaii26.5New York: 20.6 %New York20.6Alaska: 17.7 %Alaska17.7Connecticut: 16.5 %Connecticut16.5New Jersey: 16.2 %New Jersey16.2Washington: 16 %Washington16Oregon: 15.9 %Oregon15.9Massachusetts: 14.6 %Massachusetts14.6California: 14.5 %California14.5Rhode Island: 14.5 %Rhode Island14.5Vermont: 14.3 %Vermont14.3Minnesota: 14.2 %Minnesota14.2Michigan: 13.4 %Michigan13.4Illinois: 13.1 %Illinois13.1Maine: 13.1 %Maine13.1Nevada: 12.1 %Nevada12.1Ohio: 12.1 %Ohio12.1Montana: 11.9 %Montana11.9Pennsylvania: 11.7 %Pennsylvania11.7Maryland: 11.4 %Maryland11.4District of Columbia: 10.6 %District of Columbia10.6New Hampshire: 9.2 %New Hampshire9.2Indiana: 9 %Indiana9Kentucky: 8.8 %Kentucky8.8West Virginia: 8.8 %West Virginia8.8Missouri: 8.6 %Missouri8.6Delaware: 8.5 %Delaware8.5Colorado: 7.7 %Colorado7.7New Mexico: 7.5 %New Mexico7.5Nebraska: 6.8 %Nebraska6.8Alabama: 6.6 %Alabama6.6Iowa: 6.4 %Iowa6.4Wisconsin: 6.4 %Wisconsin6.4Kansas: 6.3 %Kansas6.3Wyoming: 5.6 %Wyoming5.6Oklahoma: 5.3 %Oklahoma5.3Mississippi: 5.2 %Mississippi5.2Virginia: 5.2 %Virginia5.2Florida: 5.1 %Florida5.1Idaho: 5 %Idaho5North Dakota: 5 %North Dakota5Tennessee: 4.7 %Tennessee4.7Texas: 4.5 %Texas4.5Louisiana: 3.9 %Louisiana3.9Georgia: 3.8 %Georgia3.8Arizona: 3.7 %Arizona3.7Utah: 3.7 %Utah3.7Arkansas: 3.5 %Arkansas3.5South Carolina: 2.8 %South Carolina2.8South Dakota: 2.7 %South Dakota2.7North Carolina: 2.4 %North Carolina2.4Hawaii: 26.5 %Hawaii26.5New York: 20.6 %New York20.6Alaska: 17.7 %Alaska17.7Connecticut: 16.5 %Connecticut16.5New Jersey: 16.2 %New Jersey16.2Washington: 16 %Washington16Oregon: 15.9 %Oregon15.9Massachusetts: 14.6 %Massachusetts14.6California: 14.5 %California14.5Rhode Island: 14.5 %Rhode Island14.5Vermont: 14.3 %Vermont14.3Minnesota: 14.2 %Minnesota14.2Michigan: 13.4 %Michigan13.4Illinois: 13.1 %Illinois13.1Maine: 13.1 %Maine13.1Nevada: 12.1 %Nevada12.1Ohio: 12.1 %Ohio12.1Montana: 11.9 %Montana11.9Pennsylvania: 11.7 %Pennsylvania11.7Maryland: 11.4 %Maryland11.4District of Columbia: 10.6 %District of Columbia10.6New Hampshire: 9.2 %New Hampshire9.2Indiana: 9 %Indiana9Kentucky: 8.8 %Kentucky8.8West Virginia: 8.8 %West Virginia8.8Missouri: 8.6 %Missouri8.6Delaware: 8.5 %Delaware8.5Colorado: 7.7 %Colorado7.7New Mexico: 7.5 %New Mexico7.5Nebraska: 6.8 %Nebraska6.8Alabama: 6.6 %Alabama6.6Iowa: 6.4 %Iowa6.4Wisconsin: 6.4 %Wisconsin6.4Kansas: 6.3 %Kansas6.3Wyoming: 5.6 %Wyoming5.6Oklahoma: 5.3 %Oklahoma5.3Mississippi: 5.2 %Mississippi5.2Virginia: 5.2 %Virginia5.2Florida: 5.1 %Florida5.1Idaho: 5 %Idaho5North Dakota: 5 %North Dakota5Tennessee: 4.7 %Tennessee4.7Texas: 4.5 %Texas4.5Louisiana: 3.9 %Louisiana3.9Georgia: 3.8 %Georgia3.8Arizona: 3.7 %Arizona3.7Utah: 3.7 %Utah3.7Arkansas: 3.5 %Arkansas3.5South Carolina: 2.8 %South Carolina2.8South Dakota: 2.7 %South Dakota2.7North Carolina: 2.4 %North Carolina2.4
%. 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

RankStates2024 (%)Change on 2023
1Hawaii26.5+2.4 pts
2New York20.60 pts
3Alaska17.7+2.9 pts
4Connecticut16.5+0.6 pts
5New Jersey16.2+0.1 pts
6Washington16-0.5 pts
7Oregon15.9+1.8 pts
8Massachusetts14.6+2 pts
9California14.5-0.9 pts
9Rhode Island14.5+2.2 pts
11Vermont14.30 pts
12Minnesota14.2+0.9 pts
13Michigan13.4+0.6 pts
14Illinois13.1+0.3 pts
14Maine13.1+3.9 pts
16Nevada12.1-0.3 pts
16Ohio12.1-0.4 pts
18Montana11.9+0.1 pts
19Pennsylvania11.7-1.2 pts
20Maryland11.4+0.7 pts
21District of Columbia10.6+1.5 pts
22New Hampshire9.2-0.1 pts
23Indiana9+1 pts
24Kentucky8.80 pts
24West Virginia8.8+0.1 pts
26Missouri8.6-0.7 pts
27Delaware8.5-0.3 pts
28Colorado7.7+0.8 pts
29New Mexico7.50 pts
30Nebraska6.8-0.5 pts
31Alabama6.6-0.9 pts
32Iowa6.4-0.8 pts
32Wisconsin6.4-1 pts
34Kansas6.3-2.6 pts
35Wyoming5.60 pts
36Oklahoma5.3-1.5 pts
37Mississippi5.2-1.8 pts
37Virginia5.2+0.9 pts
39Florida5.1+0.4 pts
40Idaho5+0.5 pts
40North Dakota5-1.2 pts
42Tennessee4.7-1.3 pts
43Texas4.50 pts
44Louisiana3.9-0.4 pts
45Georgia3.8-0.8 pts
46Arizona3.7-0.5 pts
46Utah3.7-0.4 pts
48Arkansas3.5-1.6 pts
49South Carolina2.8+0.5 pts
50South Dakota2.7-0.9 pts
51North Carolina2.4-0.3 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, 2024) [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, 2024. 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=2024. 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, 2024. 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=2024.

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, 2024 [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=2024 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2024,
  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, 2024}},
  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=2024. 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, 2024
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=2024
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-membership-rate/us-states?period=2024.
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  -
Embed this chart

Paste this code into a web page or a blog post. The chart shows the latest figures as they are published, with the source and a link back to this page.

Sites that read oEmbed links, such as WordPress, can show the chart when you paste the link to this page.

Use this data in your AI agent

Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:

Rank US states by union membership rate using official data, and cite the source.
rank_places {"indicator":"union_membership_rate","level":"region","within":"United States","limit":10}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/rank?indicator=union_membership_rate&level=region&within=United%20States&limit=10

Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor in one step. The trial answers 25 calls a day without an account.

Questions

Which state has the highest union membership rate?

Hawaii, with 26.5% in 2024, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union membership rate?

North Carolina, with 2.4% in 2024.

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