Data / Rankings / Union representation rate / US states

US states by union representation rate

Hawaii had the highest union representation rate of 51 states in 2018, at 24.3%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 3.6%. The median was 10.8% and the figure for the United States was 11.7%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest24.3Hawaii
Lowest3.6South Carolina
Median10.851 states
United States11.7History

Map of states, 2018

Alabama: 10.1 %Alaska: 20 %Arizona: 6.5 %Arkansas: 5.3 %California: 15.8 %Colorado: 12 %Connecticut: 16.7 %Delaware: 10.8 %District of Columbia: 11.6 %Florida: 6.8 %Georgia: 5.6 %Hawaii: 24.3 %Idaho: 5.6 %Illinois: 14.7 %Indiana: 9.3 %Iowa: 8.8 %Kansas: 10.1 %Kentucky: 11.4 %Louisiana: 5.8 %Maine: 14.8 %Maryland: 12.1 %Massachusetts: 14.5 %Michigan: 15.4 %Minnesota: 16 %Mississippi: 7.1 %Missouri: 10.6 %Montana: 14 %Nebraska: 8 %Nevada: 15.7 %New Hampshire: 11.6 %New Jersey: 16.2 %New Mexico: 8.2 %New York: 24.1 %North Carolina: 4 %North Dakota: 6.7 %Ohio: 14.3 %Oklahoma: 7.4 %Oregon: 14.7 %Pennsylvania: 13.4 %Rhode Island: 18.5 %South Carolina: 3.6 %South Dakota: 7.1 %Tennessee: 6.4 %Texas: 5.4 %Utah: 5.7 %Vermont: 11.6 %Virginia: 5.5 %Washington: 20.5 %West Virginia: 10.8 %Wisconsin: 8.6 %Wyoming: 7.7 %
  • Under 6
  • 6 to 7.9
  • 7.9 to 11
  • 11 to 14
  • 14 to 16
  • 16 and over
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Hawaii: 24.3 %Hawaii24.3New York: 24.1 %New York24.1Washington: 20.5 %Washington20.5Alaska: 20 %Alaska20Rhode Island: 18.5 %Rhode Island18.5Connecticut: 16.7 %Connecticut16.7New Jersey: 16.2 %New Jersey16.2Minnesota: 16 %Minnesota16California: 15.8 %California15.8Nevada: 15.7 %Nevada15.7Michigan: 15.4 %Michigan15.4Maine: 14.8 %Maine14.8Illinois: 14.7 %Illinois14.7Oregon: 14.7 %Oregon14.7Massachusetts: 14.5 %Massachusetts14.5Ohio: 14.3 %Ohio14.3Montana: 14 %Montana14Pennsylvania: 13.4 %Pennsylvania13.4Maryland: 12.1 %Maryland12.1Colorado: 12 %Colorado12District of Columbia: 11.6 %District of Columbia11.6New Hampshire: 11.6 %New Hampshire11.6Vermont: 11.6 %Vermont11.6Kentucky: 11.4 %Kentucky11.4Delaware: 10.8 %Delaware10.8West Virginia: 10.8 %West Virginia10.8Missouri: 10.6 %Missouri10.6Alabama: 10.1 %Alabama10.1Kansas: 10.1 %Kansas10.1Indiana: 9.3 %Indiana9.3Iowa: 8.8 %Iowa8.8Wisconsin: 8.6 %Wisconsin8.6New Mexico: 8.2 %New Mexico8.2Nebraska: 8 %Nebraska8Wyoming: 7.7 %Wyoming7.7Oklahoma: 7.4 %Oklahoma7.4Mississippi: 7.1 %Mississippi7.1South Dakota: 7.1 %South Dakota7.1Florida: 6.8 %Florida6.8North Dakota: 6.7 %North Dakota6.7Arizona: 6.5 %Arizona6.5Tennessee: 6.4 %Tennessee6.4Louisiana: 5.8 %Louisiana5.8Utah: 5.7 %Utah5.7Georgia: 5.6 %Georgia5.6Idaho: 5.6 %Idaho5.6Virginia: 5.5 %Virginia5.5Texas: 5.4 %Texas5.4Arkansas: 5.3 %Arkansas5.3North Carolina: 4 %North Carolina4South Carolina: 3.6 %South Carolina3.6Hawaii: 24.3 %Hawaii24.3New York: 24.1 %New York24.1Washington: 20.5 %Washington20.5Alaska: 20 %Alaska20Rhode Island: 18.5 %Rhode Island18.5Connecticut: 16.7 %Connecticut16.7New Jersey: 16.2 %New Jersey16.2Minnesota: 16 %Minnesota16California: 15.8 %California15.8Nevada: 15.7 %Nevada15.7Michigan: 15.4 %Michigan15.4Maine: 14.8 %Maine14.8Illinois: 14.7 %Illinois14.7Oregon: 14.7 %Oregon14.7Massachusetts: 14.5 %Massachusetts14.5Ohio: 14.3 %Ohio14.3Montana: 14 %Montana14Pennsylvania: 13.4 %Pennsylvania13.4Maryland: 12.1 %Maryland12.1Colorado: 12 %Colorado12District of Columbia: 11.6 %District of Columbia11.6New Hampshire: 11.6 %New Hampshire11.6Vermont: 11.6 %Vermont11.6Kentucky: 11.4 %Kentucky11.4Delaware: 10.8 %Delaware10.8West Virginia: 10.8 %West Virginia10.8Missouri: 10.6 %Missouri10.6Alabama: 10.1 %Alabama10.1Kansas: 10.1 %Kansas10.1Indiana: 9.3 %Indiana9.3Iowa: 8.8 %Iowa8.8Wisconsin: 8.6 %Wisconsin8.6New Mexico: 8.2 %New Mexico8.2Nebraska: 8 %Nebraska8Wyoming: 7.7 %Wyoming7.7Oklahoma: 7.4 %Oklahoma7.4Mississippi: 7.1 %Mississippi7.1South Dakota: 7.1 %South Dakota7.1Florida: 6.8 %Florida6.8North Dakota: 6.7 %North Dakota6.7Arizona: 6.5 %Arizona6.5Tennessee: 6.4 %Tennessee6.4Louisiana: 5.8 %Louisiana5.8Utah: 5.7 %Utah5.7Georgia: 5.6 %Georgia5.6Idaho: 5.6 %Idaho5.6Virginia: 5.5 %Virginia5.5Texas: 5.4 %Texas5.4Arkansas: 5.3 %Arkansas5.3North Carolina: 4 %North Carolina4South Carolina: 3.6 %South Carolina3.6
%. 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

RankStates2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Hawaii24.3+1.4 pts
2New York24.1-1.2 pts
3Washington20.5+0.3 pts
4Alaska20+0.6 pts
5Rhode Island18.5+1.3 pts
6Connecticut16.7-1.2 pts
7New Jersey16.2-0.9 pts
8Minnesota16+0.1 pts
9California15.8-1.1 pts
10Nevada15.7+1.1 pts
11Michigan15.4-1.4 pts
12Maine14.8+0.8 pts
13Illinois14.7-1.1 pts
13Oregon14.7-1 pts
15Massachusetts14.5+1.2 pts
16Ohio14.3+0.7 pts
17Montana14+0.4 pts
18Pennsylvania13.4+0.4 pts
19Maryland12.1+0.3 pts
20Colorado12+1 pts
21District of Columbia11.6+0.1 pts
21New Hampshire11.6-1.4 pts
21Vermont11.6-0.5 pts
24Kentucky11.4-1.4 pts
25Delaware10.8-0.4 pts
25West Virginia10.8-1.1 pts
27Missouri10.6+0.5 pts
28Alabama10.1+2 pts
28Kansas10.10 pts
30Indiana9.3-0.4 pts
31Iowa8.8+0.2 pts
32Wisconsin8.6-0.4 pts
33New Mexico8.2-0.1 pts
34Nebraska8-1.1 pts
35Wyoming7.7+1 pts
36Oklahoma7.4+0.3 pts
37Mississippi7.1+0.1 pts
37South Dakota7.1+0.4 pts
39Florida6.8+0.2 pts
40North Dakota6.7-0.1 pts
41Arizona6.5+1.3 pts
42Tennessee6.40 pts
43Louisiana5.8+0.4 pts
44Utah5.7+0.3 pts
45Georgia5.6+0.6 pts
45Idaho5.6-0.2 pts
47Virginia5.5-0.3 pts
48Texas5.4-0.4 pts
49Arkansas5.3-0.8 pts
50North Carolina40 pts
51South Carolina3.6-0.3 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-representation-rate/us-states?period=2018.
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?

Hawaii, with 24.3% in 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union representation rate?

South Carolina, with 3.6% in 2018.

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