Data / Rankings / Union representation rate / US states

US states by union representation rate

New York had the highest union representation rate of 51 states in 2014, at 25.8%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 3.2%. The median was 11.6% and the figure for the United States was 12.3%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest25.8New York
Lowest3.2South Carolina
Median11.651 states
United States12.3History

Map of states, 2014

Alabama: 12.1 %Alaska: 24.4 %Arizona: 6.7 %Arkansas: 5.4 %California: 17.5 %Colorado: 10.7 %Connecticut: 15.7 %Delaware: 11.3 %District of Columbia: 10.7 %Florida: 7 %Georgia: 4.9 %Hawaii: 22.9 %Idaho: 6.7 %Illinois: 16 %Indiana: 12 %Iowa: 12.6 %Kansas: 9 %Kentucky: 12.8 %Louisiana: 6.4 %Maine: 12.5 %Maryland: 13.3 %Massachusetts: 14.7 %Michigan: 15.7 %Minnesota: 15 %Mississippi: 4.5 %Missouri: 9.7 %Montana: 13.8 %Nebraska: 9 %Nevada: 16.4 %New Hampshire: 11.5 %New Jersey: 17.2 %New Mexico: 7.4 %New York: 25.8 %North Carolina: 3.2 %North Dakota: 6.9 %Ohio: 13.9 %Oklahoma: 7.2 %Oregon: 17 %Pennsylvania: 13.7 %Rhode Island: 15.8 %South Carolina: 3.2 %South Dakota: 6 %Tennessee: 5.6 %Texas: 6.2 %Utah: 4.6 %Vermont: 13.1 %Virginia: 6.2 %Washington: 18.4 %West Virginia: 11.6 %Wisconsin: 12.5 %Wyoming: 7.5 %
  • Under 6.2
  • 6.2 to 7.5
  • 7.5 to 12
  • 12 to 13
  • 13 to 16
  • 16 and over
%, 2014. Source: BLS, Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>). Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2014

New York: 25.8 %New York25.8Alaska: 24.4 %Alaska24.4Hawaii: 22.9 %Hawaii22.9Washington: 18.4 %Washington18.4California: 17.5 %California17.5New Jersey: 17.2 %New Jersey17.2Oregon: 17 %Oregon17Nevada: 16.4 %Nevada16.4Illinois: 16 %Illinois16Rhode Island: 15.8 %Rhode Island15.8Connecticut: 15.7 %Connecticut15.7Michigan: 15.7 %Michigan15.7Minnesota: 15 %Minnesota15Massachusetts: 14.7 %Massachusetts14.7Ohio: 13.9 %Ohio13.9Montana: 13.8 %Montana13.8Pennsylvania: 13.7 %Pennsylvania13.7Maryland: 13.3 %Maryland13.3Vermont: 13.1 %Vermont13.1Kentucky: 12.8 %Kentucky12.8Iowa: 12.6 %Iowa12.6Maine: 12.5 %Maine12.5Wisconsin: 12.5 %Wisconsin12.5Alabama: 12.1 %Alabama12.1Indiana: 12 %Indiana12West Virginia: 11.6 %West Virginia11.6New Hampshire: 11.5 %New Hampshire11.5Delaware: 11.3 %Delaware11.3Colorado: 10.7 %Colorado10.7District of Columbia: 10.7 %District of Columbia10.7Missouri: 9.7 %Missouri9.7Kansas: 9 %Kansas9Nebraska: 9 %Nebraska9Wyoming: 7.5 %Wyoming7.5New Mexico: 7.4 %New Mexico7.4Oklahoma: 7.2 %Oklahoma7.2Florida: 7 %Florida7North Dakota: 6.9 %North Dakota6.9Arizona: 6.7 %Arizona6.7Idaho: 6.7 %Idaho6.7Louisiana: 6.4 %Louisiana6.4Texas: 6.2 %Texas6.2Virginia: 6.2 %Virginia6.2South Dakota: 6 %South Dakota6Tennessee: 5.6 %Tennessee5.6Arkansas: 5.4 %Arkansas5.4Georgia: 4.9 %Georgia4.9Utah: 4.6 %Utah4.6Mississippi: 4.5 %Mississippi4.5North Carolina: 3.2 %North Carolina3.2South Carolina: 3.2 %South Carolina3.2New York: 25.8 %New York25.8Alaska: 24.4 %Alaska24.4Hawaii: 22.9 %Hawaii22.9Washington: 18.4 %Washington18.4California: 17.5 %California17.5New Jersey: 17.2 %New Jersey17.2Oregon: 17 %Oregon17Nevada: 16.4 %Nevada16.4Illinois: 16 %Illinois16Rhode Island: 15.8 %Rhode Island15.8Connecticut: 15.7 %Connecticut15.7Michigan: 15.7 %Michigan15.7Minnesota: 15 %Minnesota15Massachusetts: 14.7 %Massachusetts14.7Ohio: 13.9 %Ohio13.9Montana: 13.8 %Montana13.8Pennsylvania: 13.7 %Pennsylvania13.7Maryland: 13.3 %Maryland13.3Vermont: 13.1 %Vermont13.1Kentucky: 12.8 %Kentucky12.8Iowa: 12.6 %Iowa12.6Maine: 12.5 %Maine12.5Wisconsin: 12.5 %Wisconsin12.5Alabama: 12.1 %Alabama12.1Indiana: 12 %Indiana12West Virginia: 11.6 %West Virginia11.6New Hampshire: 11.5 %New Hampshire11.5Delaware: 11.3 %Delaware11.3Colorado: 10.7 %Colorado10.7District of Columbia: 10.7 %District of Columbia10.7Missouri: 9.7 %Missouri9.7Kansas: 9 %Kansas9Nebraska: 9 %Nebraska9Wyoming: 7.5 %Wyoming7.5New Mexico: 7.4 %New Mexico7.4Oklahoma: 7.2 %Oklahoma7.2Florida: 7 %Florida7North Dakota: 6.9 %North Dakota6.9Arizona: 6.7 %Arizona6.7Idaho: 6.7 %Idaho6.7Louisiana: 6.4 %Louisiana6.4Texas: 6.2 %Texas6.2Virginia: 6.2 %Virginia6.2South Dakota: 6 %South Dakota6Tennessee: 5.6 %Tennessee5.6Arkansas: 5.4 %Arkansas5.4Georgia: 4.9 %Georgia4.9Utah: 4.6 %Utah4.6Mississippi: 4.5 %Mississippi4.5North Carolina: 3.2 %North Carolina3.2South Carolina: 3.2 %South Carolina3.2
%. Source: BLS, Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

Full ranking

RankStates2014 (%)Change on 2013
1New York25.80 pts
2Alaska24.4-0.1 pts
3Hawaii22.9-0.7 pts
4Washington18.4-1.3 pts
5California17.5+0.1 pts
6New Jersey17.2+0.6 pts
7Oregon17+2.2 pts
8Nevada16.4+0.3 pts
9Illinois16-0.3 pts
10Rhode Island15.8-2 pts
11Connecticut15.7+1.4 pts
11Michigan15.7-1.2 pts
13Minnesota150 pts
14Massachusetts14.7+0.1 pts
15Ohio13.9-0.2 pts
16Montana13.8-1 pts
17Pennsylvania13.70 pts
18Maryland13.3+0.2 pts
19Vermont13.1-0.1 pts
20Kentucky12.8-0.2 pts
21Iowa12.6+0.6 pts
22Maine12.5-0.6 pts
22Wisconsin12.5-0.6 pts
24Alabama12.1+0.4 pts
25Indiana12+1.7 pts
26West Virginia11.6-1.9 pts
27New Hampshire11.5+0.8 pts
28Delaware11.3+0.3 pts
29Colorado10.7+1.5 pts
29District of Columbia10.7-0.3 pts
31Missouri9.7-0.7 pts
32Kansas9+0.6 pts
32Nebraska90 pts
34Wyoming7.5+1.1 pts
35New Mexico7.4+0.1 pts
36Oklahoma7.2-2.3 pts
37Florida7+0.1 pts
38North Dakota6.9-1.6 pts
39Arizona6.7+0.7 pts
39Idaho6.7+0.9 pts
41Louisiana6.4+0.9 pts
42Texas6.2+0.2 pts
42Virginia6.2-0.2 pts
44South Dakota6+0.2 pts
45Tennessee5.6-1.8 pts
46Arkansas5.4+1.3 pts
47Georgia4.9-1.4 pts
48Utah4.6-0.8 pts
49Mississippi4.5+0.3 pts
50North Carolina3.2-1.6 pts
50South Carolina3.2-1.5 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Wage and salary workers represented by unions, 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 LUU0204899700 for the nation).

Represented workers are union members plus workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract. 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.

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: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<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: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>) (US states by union representation 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: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>), US states by union representation 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-representation-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: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>). US states by union representation 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-representation-rate/us-states?period=2014.

Harvard

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2026) Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>), US states by union representation rate, 2014 [Dataset]. Available at: https://download.bls.gov/pub/time.series/lu/lu.data.1.AllData, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-representation-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: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>): US states by union representation 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-representation-rate/us-states?period=2014. Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<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: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>): US states by union representation 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-representation-rate/us-states?period=2014
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-representation-rate/us-states?period=2014.
N1  - Publisher attribution: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Union affiliation data from the Current Population Survey: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<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 representation rate?

New York, with 25.8% in 2014, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union representation rate?

South Carolina, with 3.2% 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: represented by unions, percent of employed wage and salary workers, nation and states (LUU0204899700 and LUU02048997<state FIPS>). Retrieved 2026-10-18.

US states: more rankings