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 2015, at 26%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 2.9%. The median was 11.3% and the figure for the United States was 12.3%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest26New York
Lowest2.9South Carolina
Median11.351 states
United States12.3History

Map of states, 2015

Alabama: 11 %Alaska: 21.7 %Arizona: 6.1 %Arkansas: 6.4 %California: 17.2 %Colorado: 9.3 %Connecticut: 17.4 %Delaware: 10.4 %District of Columbia: 12.1 %Florida: 8.4 %Georgia: 5.1 %Hawaii: 21.7 %Idaho: 7.3 %Illinois: 16 %Indiana: 11.3 %Iowa: 12.2 %Kansas: 10.8 %Kentucky: 12.1 %Louisiana: 6.8 %Maine: 13.6 %Maryland: 12.2 %Massachusetts: 14.2 %Michigan: 16.5 %Minnesota: 15 %Mississippi: 6.8 %Missouri: 9.8 %Montana: 13.9 %Nebraska: 9 %Nevada: 16.5 %New Hampshire: 11.4 %New Jersey: 16.6 %New Mexico: 7.9 %New York: 26 %North Carolina: 4.1 %North Dakota: 6.8 %Ohio: 13.6 %Oklahoma: 7.4 %Oregon: 16.2 %Pennsylvania: 14.4 %Rhode Island: 14.9 %South Carolina: 2.9 %South Dakota: 6.9 %Tennessee: 6.5 %Texas: 5.6 %Utah: 5.2 %Vermont: 14.7 %Virginia: 6.9 %Washington: 18 %West Virginia: 13.7 %Wisconsin: 9.4 %Wyoming: 8.2 %
  • Under 6.8
  • 6.8 to 8.3
  • 8.3 to 11
  • 11 to 14
  • 14 to 16
  • 16 and over
%, 2015. 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, 2015

New York: 26 %New York26Alaska: 21.7 %Alaska21.7Hawaii: 21.7 %Hawaii21.7Washington: 18 %Washington18Connecticut: 17.4 %Connecticut17.4California: 17.2 %California17.2New Jersey: 16.6 %New Jersey16.6Michigan: 16.5 %Michigan16.5Nevada: 16.5 %Nevada16.5Oregon: 16.2 %Oregon16.2Illinois: 16 %Illinois16Minnesota: 15 %Minnesota15Rhode Island: 14.9 %Rhode Island14.9Vermont: 14.7 %Vermont14.7Pennsylvania: 14.4 %Pennsylvania14.4Massachusetts: 14.2 %Massachusetts14.2Montana: 13.9 %Montana13.9West Virginia: 13.7 %West Virginia13.7Maine: 13.6 %Maine13.6Ohio: 13.6 %Ohio13.6Iowa: 12.2 %Iowa12.2Maryland: 12.2 %Maryland12.2District of Columbia: 12.1 %District of Columbia12.1Kentucky: 12.1 %Kentucky12.1New Hampshire: 11.4 %New Hampshire11.4Indiana: 11.3 %Indiana11.3Alabama: 11 %Alabama11Kansas: 10.8 %Kansas10.8Delaware: 10.4 %Delaware10.4Missouri: 9.8 %Missouri9.8Wisconsin: 9.4 %Wisconsin9.4Colorado: 9.3 %Colorado9.3Nebraska: 9 %Nebraska9Florida: 8.4 %Florida8.4Wyoming: 8.2 %Wyoming8.2New Mexico: 7.9 %New Mexico7.9Oklahoma: 7.4 %Oklahoma7.4Idaho: 7.3 %Idaho7.3South Dakota: 6.9 %South Dakota6.9Virginia: 6.9 %Virginia6.9Louisiana: 6.8 %Louisiana6.8Mississippi: 6.8 %Mississippi6.8North Dakota: 6.8 %North Dakota6.8Tennessee: 6.5 %Tennessee6.5Arkansas: 6.4 %Arkansas6.4Arizona: 6.1 %Arizona6.1Texas: 5.6 %Texas5.6Utah: 5.2 %Utah5.2Georgia: 5.1 %Georgia5.1North Carolina: 4.1 %North Carolina4.1South Carolina: 2.9 %South Carolina2.9New York: 26 %New York26Alaska: 21.7 %Alaska21.7Hawaii: 21.7 %Hawaii21.7Washington: 18 %Washington18Connecticut: 17.4 %Connecticut17.4California: 17.2 %California17.2New Jersey: 16.6 %New Jersey16.6Michigan: 16.5 %Michigan16.5Nevada: 16.5 %Nevada16.5Oregon: 16.2 %Oregon16.2Illinois: 16 %Illinois16Minnesota: 15 %Minnesota15Rhode Island: 14.9 %Rhode Island14.9Vermont: 14.7 %Vermont14.7Pennsylvania: 14.4 %Pennsylvania14.4Massachusetts: 14.2 %Massachusetts14.2Montana: 13.9 %Montana13.9West Virginia: 13.7 %West Virginia13.7Maine: 13.6 %Maine13.6Ohio: 13.6 %Ohio13.6Iowa: 12.2 %Iowa12.2Maryland: 12.2 %Maryland12.2District of Columbia: 12.1 %District of Columbia12.1Kentucky: 12.1 %Kentucky12.1New Hampshire: 11.4 %New Hampshire11.4Indiana: 11.3 %Indiana11.3Alabama: 11 %Alabama11Kansas: 10.8 %Kansas10.8Delaware: 10.4 %Delaware10.4Missouri: 9.8 %Missouri9.8Wisconsin: 9.4 %Wisconsin9.4Colorado: 9.3 %Colorado9.3Nebraska: 9 %Nebraska9Florida: 8.4 %Florida8.4Wyoming: 8.2 %Wyoming8.2New Mexico: 7.9 %New Mexico7.9Oklahoma: 7.4 %Oklahoma7.4Idaho: 7.3 %Idaho7.3South Dakota: 6.9 %South Dakota6.9Virginia: 6.9 %Virginia6.9Louisiana: 6.8 %Louisiana6.8Mississippi: 6.8 %Mississippi6.8North Dakota: 6.8 %North Dakota6.8Tennessee: 6.5 %Tennessee6.5Arkansas: 6.4 %Arkansas6.4Arizona: 6.1 %Arizona6.1Texas: 5.6 %Texas5.6Utah: 5.2 %Utah5.2Georgia: 5.1 %Georgia5.1North Carolina: 4.1 %North Carolina4.1South Carolina: 2.9 %South Carolina2.9
%. 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

RankStates2015 (%)Change on 2014
1New York26+0.2 pts
2Alaska21.7-2.7 pts
2Hawaii21.7-1.2 pts
4Washington18-0.4 pts
5Connecticut17.4+1.7 pts
6California17.2-0.3 pts
7New Jersey16.6-0.6 pts
8Michigan16.5+0.8 pts
8Nevada16.5+0.1 pts
10Oregon16.2-0.8 pts
11Illinois160 pts
12Minnesota150 pts
13Rhode Island14.9-0.9 pts
14Vermont14.7+1.6 pts
15Pennsylvania14.4+0.7 pts
16Massachusetts14.2-0.5 pts
17Montana13.9+0.1 pts
18West Virginia13.7+2.1 pts
19Maine13.6+1.1 pts
19Ohio13.6-0.3 pts
21Iowa12.2-0.4 pts
21Maryland12.2-1.1 pts
23District of Columbia12.1+1.4 pts
23Kentucky12.1-0.7 pts
25New Hampshire11.4-0.1 pts
26Indiana11.3-0.7 pts
27Alabama11-1.1 pts
28Kansas10.8+1.8 pts
29Delaware10.4-0.9 pts
30Missouri9.8+0.1 pts
31Wisconsin9.4-3.1 pts
32Colorado9.3-1.4 pts
33Nebraska90 pts
34Florida8.4+1.4 pts
35Wyoming8.2+0.7 pts
36New Mexico7.9+0.5 pts
37Oklahoma7.4+0.2 pts
38Idaho7.3+0.6 pts
39South Dakota6.9+0.9 pts
39Virginia6.9+0.7 pts
41Louisiana6.8+0.4 pts
41Mississippi6.8+2.3 pts
41North Dakota6.8-0.1 pts
44Tennessee6.5+0.9 pts
45Arkansas6.4+1 pts
46Arizona6.1-0.6 pts
47Texas5.6-0.6 pts
48Utah5.2+0.6 pts
49Georgia5.1+0.2 pts
50North Carolina4.1+0.9 pts
51South Carolina2.9-0.3 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, 2015) [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, 2015. 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=2015. 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, 2015. 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=2015.

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, 2015 [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=2015 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2015,
  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, 2015}},
  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=2015. 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, 2015
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=2015
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-representation-rate/us-states?period=2015.
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 26% in 2015, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union representation rate?

South Carolina, with 2.9% in 2015.

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