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 2016, at 25.2%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 2.6%. The median was 10.8% and the figure for the United States was 12%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest25.2New York
Lowest2.6South Carolina
Median10.851 states
United States12History

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 9 %Alaska: 19.9 %Arizona: 5.5 %Arkansas: 5 %California: 17.5 %Colorado: 10.8 %Connecticut: 18.4 %Delaware: 13.3 %District of Columbia: 10.7 %Florida: 7.1 %Georgia: 4.9 %Hawaii: 20.9 %Idaho: 6.8 %Illinois: 15.3 %Indiana: 11.4 %Iowa: 10.5 %Kansas: 10.3 %Kentucky: 13.4 %Louisiana: 4.9 %Maine: 13.5 %Maryland: 12.3 %Massachusetts: 12.9 %Michigan: 15.5 %Minnesota: 15.2 %Mississippi: 8.1 %Missouri: 10.7 %Montana: 13.9 %Nebraska: 8.5 %Nevada: 15 %New Hampshire: 11 %New Jersey: 16.6 %New Mexico: 8.2 %New York: 25.2 %North Carolina: 4.1 %North Dakota: 7 %Ohio: 14.1 %Oklahoma: 6.6 %Oregon: 15.8 %Pennsylvania: 12.7 %Rhode Island: 16.9 %South Carolina: 2.6 %South Dakota: 7 %Tennessee: 6.4 %Texas: 5.3 %Utah: 6 %Vermont: 12.9 %Virginia: 6 %Washington: 18.7 %West Virginia: 13.2 %Wisconsin: 9 %Wyoming: 7.3 %
  • Under 6.1
  • 6.1 to 8.2
  • 8.2 to 11
  • 11 to 13
  • 13 to 16
  • 16 and over
%, 2016. 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, 2016

New York: 25.2 %New York25.2Hawaii: 20.9 %Hawaii20.9Alaska: 19.9 %Alaska19.9Washington: 18.7 %Washington18.7Connecticut: 18.4 %Connecticut18.4California: 17.5 %California17.5Rhode Island: 16.9 %Rhode Island16.9New Jersey: 16.6 %New Jersey16.6Oregon: 15.8 %Oregon15.8Michigan: 15.5 %Michigan15.5Illinois: 15.3 %Illinois15.3Minnesota: 15.2 %Minnesota15.2Nevada: 15 %Nevada15Ohio: 14.1 %Ohio14.1Montana: 13.9 %Montana13.9Maine: 13.5 %Maine13.5Kentucky: 13.4 %Kentucky13.4Delaware: 13.3 %Delaware13.3West Virginia: 13.2 %West Virginia13.2Massachusetts: 12.9 %Massachusetts12.9Vermont: 12.9 %Vermont12.9Pennsylvania: 12.7 %Pennsylvania12.7Maryland: 12.3 %Maryland12.3Indiana: 11.4 %Indiana11.4New Hampshire: 11 %New Hampshire11Colorado: 10.8 %Colorado10.8District of Columbia: 10.7 %District of Columbia10.7Missouri: 10.7 %Missouri10.7Iowa: 10.5 %Iowa10.5Kansas: 10.3 %Kansas10.3Alabama: 9 %Alabama9Wisconsin: 9 %Wisconsin9Nebraska: 8.5 %Nebraska8.5New Mexico: 8.2 %New Mexico8.2Mississippi: 8.1 %Mississippi8.1Wyoming: 7.3 %Wyoming7.3Florida: 7.1 %Florida7.1North Dakota: 7 %North Dakota7South Dakota: 7 %South Dakota7Idaho: 6.8 %Idaho6.8Oklahoma: 6.6 %Oklahoma6.6Tennessee: 6.4 %Tennessee6.4Utah: 6 %Utah6Virginia: 6 %Virginia6Arizona: 5.5 %Arizona5.5Texas: 5.3 %Texas5.3Arkansas: 5 %Arkansas5Georgia: 4.9 %Georgia4.9Louisiana: 4.9 %Louisiana4.9North Carolina: 4.1 %North Carolina4.1South Carolina: 2.6 %South Carolina2.6New York: 25.2 %New York25.2Hawaii: 20.9 %Hawaii20.9Alaska: 19.9 %Alaska19.9Washington: 18.7 %Washington18.7Connecticut: 18.4 %Connecticut18.4California: 17.5 %California17.5Rhode Island: 16.9 %Rhode Island16.9New Jersey: 16.6 %New Jersey16.6Oregon: 15.8 %Oregon15.8Michigan: 15.5 %Michigan15.5Illinois: 15.3 %Illinois15.3Minnesota: 15.2 %Minnesota15.2Nevada: 15 %Nevada15Ohio: 14.1 %Ohio14.1Montana: 13.9 %Montana13.9Maine: 13.5 %Maine13.5Kentucky: 13.4 %Kentucky13.4Delaware: 13.3 %Delaware13.3West Virginia: 13.2 %West Virginia13.2Massachusetts: 12.9 %Massachusetts12.9Vermont: 12.9 %Vermont12.9Pennsylvania: 12.7 %Pennsylvania12.7Maryland: 12.3 %Maryland12.3Indiana: 11.4 %Indiana11.4New Hampshire: 11 %New Hampshire11Colorado: 10.8 %Colorado10.8District of Columbia: 10.7 %District of Columbia10.7Missouri: 10.7 %Missouri10.7Iowa: 10.5 %Iowa10.5Kansas: 10.3 %Kansas10.3Alabama: 9 %Alabama9Wisconsin: 9 %Wisconsin9Nebraska: 8.5 %Nebraska8.5New Mexico: 8.2 %New Mexico8.2Mississippi: 8.1 %Mississippi8.1Wyoming: 7.3 %Wyoming7.3Florida: 7.1 %Florida7.1North Dakota: 7 %North Dakota7South Dakota: 7 %South Dakota7Idaho: 6.8 %Idaho6.8Oklahoma: 6.6 %Oklahoma6.6Tennessee: 6.4 %Tennessee6.4Utah: 6 %Utah6Virginia: 6 %Virginia6Arizona: 5.5 %Arizona5.5Texas: 5.3 %Texas5.3Arkansas: 5 %Arkansas5Georgia: 4.9 %Georgia4.9Louisiana: 4.9 %Louisiana4.9North Carolina: 4.1 %North Carolina4.1South Carolina: 2.6 %South Carolina2.6
%. 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

RankStates2016 (%)Change on 2015
1New York25.2-0.8 pts
2Hawaii20.9-0.8 pts
3Alaska19.9-1.8 pts
4Washington18.7+0.7 pts
5Connecticut18.4+1 pts
6California17.5+0.3 pts
7Rhode Island16.9+2 pts
8New Jersey16.60 pts
9Oregon15.8-0.4 pts
10Michigan15.5-1 pts
11Illinois15.3-0.7 pts
12Minnesota15.2+0.2 pts
13Nevada15-1.5 pts
14Ohio14.1+0.5 pts
15Montana13.90 pts
16Maine13.5-0.1 pts
17Kentucky13.4+1.3 pts
18Delaware13.3+2.9 pts
19West Virginia13.2-0.5 pts
20Massachusetts12.9-1.3 pts
20Vermont12.9-1.8 pts
22Pennsylvania12.7-1.7 pts
23Maryland12.3+0.1 pts
24Indiana11.4+0.1 pts
25New Hampshire11-0.4 pts
26Colorado10.8+1.5 pts
27District of Columbia10.7-1.4 pts
27Missouri10.7+0.9 pts
29Iowa10.5-1.7 pts
30Kansas10.3-0.5 pts
31Alabama9-2 pts
31Wisconsin9-0.4 pts
33Nebraska8.5-0.5 pts
34New Mexico8.2+0.3 pts
35Mississippi8.1+1.3 pts
36Wyoming7.3-0.9 pts
37Florida7.1-1.3 pts
38North Dakota7+0.2 pts
38South Dakota7+0.1 pts
40Idaho6.8-0.5 pts
41Oklahoma6.6-0.8 pts
42Tennessee6.4-0.1 pts
43Utah6+0.8 pts
43Virginia6-0.9 pts
45Arizona5.5-0.6 pts
46Texas5.3-0.3 pts
47Arkansas5-1.4 pts
48Georgia4.9-0.2 pts
48Louisiana4.9-1.9 pts
50North Carolina4.10 pts
51South Carolina2.6-0.3 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, 2016) [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, 2016. 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=2016. 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, 2016. 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=2016.

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, 2016 [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=2016 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2016,
  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, 2016}},
  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=2016. 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, 2016
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=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-representation-rate/us-states?period=2016.
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 25.2% in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union representation rate?

South Carolina, with 2.6% in 2016.

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