Data / Rankings / Union representation rate / US states

US states by union representation rate

Hawaii had the highest union representation rate of 51 states in 2021, at 24.1%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 2%. The median was 10.2% and the figure for the United States was 11.6%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest24.1Hawaii
Lowest2South Carolina
Median10.251 states
United States11.6History

Map of states, 2021

Alabama: 6.9 %Alaska: 17.2 %Arizona: 6.7 %Arkansas: 4.4 %California: 17.8 %Colorado: 7.5 %Connecticut: 16.3 %Delaware: 10.2 %District of Columbia: 9.9 %Florida: 6.1 %Georgia: 5.8 %Hawaii: 24.1 %Idaho: 5.5 %Illinois: 15.2 %Indiana: 10.2 %Iowa: 8.3 %Kansas: 11.4 %Kentucky: 9.8 %Louisiana: 5.7 %Maine: 14.7 %Maryland: 12.3 %Massachusetts: 13.6 %Michigan: 15.3 %Minnesota: 17.1 %Mississippi: 6.9 %Missouri: 10.2 %Montana: 12.9 %Nebraska: 8 %Nevada: 14.1 %New Hampshire: 11.3 %New Jersey: 17.9 %New Mexico: 9.1 %New York: 24.1 %North Carolina: 3.4 %North Dakota: 6.9 %Ohio: 13 %Oklahoma: 6.8 %Oregon: 18.8 %Pennsylvania: 13.6 %Rhode Island: 17.4 %South Carolina: 2 %South Dakota: 5 %Tennessee: 5.9 %Texas: 4.7 %Utah: 6.5 %Vermont: 14.2 %Virginia: 6.5 %Washington: 20 %West Virginia: 10.5 %Wisconsin: 9.3 %Wyoming: 6.9 %
  • Under 6
  • 6 to 6.9
  • 6.9 to 10
  • 10 to 13
  • 13 to 17
  • 17 and over
%, 2021. 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, 2021

Hawaii: 24.1 %Hawaii24.1New York: 24.1 %New York24.1Washington: 20 %Washington20Oregon: 18.8 %Oregon18.8New Jersey: 17.9 %New Jersey17.9California: 17.8 %California17.8Rhode Island: 17.4 %Rhode Island17.4Alaska: 17.2 %Alaska17.2Minnesota: 17.1 %Minnesota17.1Connecticut: 16.3 %Connecticut16.3Michigan: 15.3 %Michigan15.3Illinois: 15.2 %Illinois15.2Maine: 14.7 %Maine14.7Vermont: 14.2 %Vermont14.2Nevada: 14.1 %Nevada14.1Massachusetts: 13.6 %Massachusetts13.6Pennsylvania: 13.6 %Pennsylvania13.6Ohio: 13 %Ohio13Montana: 12.9 %Montana12.9Maryland: 12.3 %Maryland12.3Kansas: 11.4 %Kansas11.4New Hampshire: 11.3 %New Hampshire11.3West Virginia: 10.5 %West Virginia10.5Delaware: 10.2 %Delaware10.2Indiana: 10.2 %Indiana10.2Missouri: 10.2 %Missouri10.2District of Columbia: 9.9 %District of Columbia9.9Kentucky: 9.8 %Kentucky9.8Wisconsin: 9.3 %Wisconsin9.3New Mexico: 9.1 %New Mexico9.1Iowa: 8.3 %Iowa8.3Nebraska: 8 %Nebraska8Colorado: 7.5 %Colorado7.5Alabama: 6.9 %Alabama6.9Mississippi: 6.9 %Mississippi6.9North Dakota: 6.9 %North Dakota6.9Wyoming: 6.9 %Wyoming6.9Oklahoma: 6.8 %Oklahoma6.8Arizona: 6.7 %Arizona6.7Utah: 6.5 %Utah6.5Virginia: 6.5 %Virginia6.5Florida: 6.1 %Florida6.1Tennessee: 5.9 %Tennessee5.9Georgia: 5.8 %Georgia5.8Louisiana: 5.7 %Louisiana5.7Idaho: 5.5 %Idaho5.5South Dakota: 5 %South Dakota5Texas: 4.7 %Texas4.7Arkansas: 4.4 %Arkansas4.4North Carolina: 3.4 %North Carolina3.4South Carolina: 2 %South Carolina2Hawaii: 24.1 %Hawaii24.1New York: 24.1 %New York24.1Washington: 20 %Washington20Oregon: 18.8 %Oregon18.8New Jersey: 17.9 %New Jersey17.9California: 17.8 %California17.8Rhode Island: 17.4 %Rhode Island17.4Alaska: 17.2 %Alaska17.2Minnesota: 17.1 %Minnesota17.1Connecticut: 16.3 %Connecticut16.3Michigan: 15.3 %Michigan15.3Illinois: 15.2 %Illinois15.2Maine: 14.7 %Maine14.7Vermont: 14.2 %Vermont14.2Nevada: 14.1 %Nevada14.1Massachusetts: 13.6 %Massachusetts13.6Pennsylvania: 13.6 %Pennsylvania13.6Ohio: 13 %Ohio13Montana: 12.9 %Montana12.9Maryland: 12.3 %Maryland12.3Kansas: 11.4 %Kansas11.4New Hampshire: 11.3 %New Hampshire11.3West Virginia: 10.5 %West Virginia10.5Delaware: 10.2 %Delaware10.2Indiana: 10.2 %Indiana10.2Missouri: 10.2 %Missouri10.2District of Columbia: 9.9 %District of Columbia9.9Kentucky: 9.8 %Kentucky9.8Wisconsin: 9.3 %Wisconsin9.3New Mexico: 9.1 %New Mexico9.1Iowa: 8.3 %Iowa8.3Nebraska: 8 %Nebraska8Colorado: 7.5 %Colorado7.5Alabama: 6.9 %Alabama6.9Mississippi: 6.9 %Mississippi6.9North Dakota: 6.9 %North Dakota6.9Wyoming: 6.9 %Wyoming6.9Oklahoma: 6.8 %Oklahoma6.8Arizona: 6.7 %Arizona6.7Utah: 6.5 %Utah6.5Virginia: 6.5 %Virginia6.5Florida: 6.1 %Florida6.1Tennessee: 5.9 %Tennessee5.9Georgia: 5.8 %Georgia5.8Louisiana: 5.7 %Louisiana5.7Idaho: 5.5 %Idaho5.5South Dakota: 5 %South Dakota5Texas: 4.7 %Texas4.7Arkansas: 4.4 %Arkansas4.4North Carolina: 3.4 %North Carolina3.4South Carolina: 2 %South Carolina2
%. 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

RankStates2021 (%)Change on 2020
1Hawaii24.1-1.6 pts
1New York24.1+0.5 pts
3Washington20+1.4 pts
4Oregon18.8+1.5 pts
5New Jersey17.9+0.1 pts
6California17.8+0.2 pts
7Rhode Island17.4-1.7 pts
8Alaska17.2-2.3 pts
9Minnesota17.1+0.1 pts
10Connecticut16.3-2.1 pts
11Michigan15.3-1.3 pts
12Illinois15.20 pts
13Maine14.7-2 pts
14Vermont14.2+0.4 pts
15Nevada14.1-1.3 pts
16Massachusetts13.6+0.8 pts
16Pennsylvania13.6-1 pts
18Ohio13-1.2 pts
19Montana12.9-0.1 pts
20Maryland12.3-1.8 pts
21Kansas11.4+0.2 pts
22New Hampshire11.3+0.2 pts
23West Virginia10.5-0.8 pts
24Delaware10.2-0.1 pts
24Indiana10.2+0.7 pts
24Missouri10.2+0.1 pts
27District of Columbia9.9+0.4 pts
28Kentucky9.8+0.4 pts
29Wisconsin9.3-0.9 pts
30New Mexico9.1+0.5 pts
31Iowa8.3-0.8 pts
32Nebraska8-2.5 pts
33Colorado7.5-0.7 pts
34Alabama6.9-1.8 pts
34Mississippi6.9-1.4 pts
34North Dakota6.9-0.5 pts
34Wyoming6.9-2.4 pts
38Oklahoma6.8-0.8 pts
39Arizona6.7-0.4 pts
40Utah6.5+1.1 pts
40Virginia6.5+1.1 pts
42Florida6.1-1.8 pts
43Tennessee5.9+0.8 pts
44Georgia5.8-0.7 pts
45Louisiana5.7-1 pts
46Idaho5.5-0.9 pts
47South Dakota5-0.5 pts
48Texas4.7-1.3 pts
49Arkansas4.4-1.5 pts
50North Carolina3.4-0.5 pts
51South Carolina2-1.8 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

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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, 2021) [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, 2021. 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=2021. 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, 2021. 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=2021.

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, 2021 [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=2021 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2021,
  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, 2021}},
  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=2021. 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, 2021
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=2021
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-representation-rate/us-states?period=2021.
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 24.1% in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union representation rate?

South Carolina, with 2% in 2021.

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.

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