Data / Rankings / Union representation rate / US states

US states by union representation rate

Hawaii had the highest union representation rate of 51 states in 2023, at 25.6%. South Carolina had the lowest, at 3%. The median was 10.1% and the figure for the United States was 11.2%. Source: the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Highest25.6Hawaii
Lowest3South Carolina
Median10.151 states
United States11.2History

Map of states, 2023

Alabama: 8.6 %Alaska: 15.2 %Arizona: 4.8 %Arkansas: 5.8 %California: 16.9 %Colorado: 8.6 %Connecticut: 16.9 %Delaware: 10.1 %District of Columbia: 10.4 %Florida: 6.1 %Georgia: 5.4 %Hawaii: 25.6 %Idaho: 5.5 %Illinois: 13.6 %Indiana: 9.1 %Iowa: 8.8 %Kansas: 10.6 %Kentucky: 11.3 %Louisiana: 5.2 %Maine: 10.8 %Maryland: 12.8 %Massachusetts: 13.6 %Michigan: 14.1 %Minnesota: 14.1 %Mississippi: 9.8 %Missouri: 10.4 %Montana: 13 %Nebraska: 9.4 %Nevada: 14.5 %New Hampshire: 10.9 %New Jersey: 17.3 %New Mexico: 9.1 %New York: 21.5 %North Carolina: 3.3 %North Dakota: 7.5 %Ohio: 13.5 %Oklahoma: 7.7 %Oregon: 15 %Pennsylvania: 14.2 %Rhode Island: 13.2 %South Carolina: 3 %South Dakota: 4.2 %Tennessee: 6.9 %Texas: 5.4 %Utah: 8.4 %Vermont: 15.4 %Virginia: 5.6 %Washington: 18.1 %West Virginia: 10.1 %Wisconsin: 8.4 %Wyoming: 6.6 %
  • Under 5.7
  • 5.7 to 8.5
  • 8.5 to 10
  • 10 to 13
  • 13 to 15
  • 15 and over
%, 2023. 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, 2023

Hawaii: 25.6 %Hawaii25.6New York: 21.5 %New York21.5Washington: 18.1 %Washington18.1New Jersey: 17.3 %New Jersey17.3California: 16.9 %California16.9Connecticut: 16.9 %Connecticut16.9Vermont: 15.4 %Vermont15.4Alaska: 15.2 %Alaska15.2Oregon: 15 %Oregon15Nevada: 14.5 %Nevada14.5Pennsylvania: 14.2 %Pennsylvania14.2Michigan: 14.1 %Michigan14.1Minnesota: 14.1 %Minnesota14.1Illinois: 13.6 %Illinois13.6Massachusetts: 13.6 %Massachusetts13.6Ohio: 13.5 %Ohio13.5Rhode Island: 13.2 %Rhode Island13.2Montana: 13 %Montana13Maryland: 12.8 %Maryland12.8Kentucky: 11.3 %Kentucky11.3New Hampshire: 10.9 %New Hampshire10.9Maine: 10.8 %Maine10.8Kansas: 10.6 %Kansas10.6District of Columbia: 10.4 %District of Columbia10.4Missouri: 10.4 %Missouri10.4Delaware: 10.1 %Delaware10.1West Virginia: 10.1 %West Virginia10.1Mississippi: 9.8 %Mississippi9.8Nebraska: 9.4 %Nebraska9.4Indiana: 9.1 %Indiana9.1New Mexico: 9.1 %New Mexico9.1Iowa: 8.8 %Iowa8.8Alabama: 8.6 %Alabama8.6Colorado: 8.6 %Colorado8.6Utah: 8.4 %Utah8.4Wisconsin: 8.4 %Wisconsin8.4Oklahoma: 7.7 %Oklahoma7.7North Dakota: 7.5 %North Dakota7.5Tennessee: 6.9 %Tennessee6.9Wyoming: 6.6 %Wyoming6.6Florida: 6.1 %Florida6.1Arkansas: 5.8 %Arkansas5.8Virginia: 5.6 %Virginia5.6Idaho: 5.5 %Idaho5.5Georgia: 5.4 %Georgia5.4Texas: 5.4 %Texas5.4Louisiana: 5.2 %Louisiana5.2Arizona: 4.8 %Arizona4.8South Dakota: 4.2 %South Dakota4.2North Carolina: 3.3 %North Carolina3.3South Carolina: 3 %South Carolina3Hawaii: 25.6 %Hawaii25.6New York: 21.5 %New York21.5Washington: 18.1 %Washington18.1New Jersey: 17.3 %New Jersey17.3California: 16.9 %California16.9Connecticut: 16.9 %Connecticut16.9Vermont: 15.4 %Vermont15.4Alaska: 15.2 %Alaska15.2Oregon: 15 %Oregon15Nevada: 14.5 %Nevada14.5Pennsylvania: 14.2 %Pennsylvania14.2Michigan: 14.1 %Michigan14.1Minnesota: 14.1 %Minnesota14.1Illinois: 13.6 %Illinois13.6Massachusetts: 13.6 %Massachusetts13.6Ohio: 13.5 %Ohio13.5Rhode Island: 13.2 %Rhode Island13.2Montana: 13 %Montana13Maryland: 12.8 %Maryland12.8Kentucky: 11.3 %Kentucky11.3New Hampshire: 10.9 %New Hampshire10.9Maine: 10.8 %Maine10.8Kansas: 10.6 %Kansas10.6District of Columbia: 10.4 %District of Columbia10.4Missouri: 10.4 %Missouri10.4Delaware: 10.1 %Delaware10.1West Virginia: 10.1 %West Virginia10.1Mississippi: 9.8 %Mississippi9.8Nebraska: 9.4 %Nebraska9.4Indiana: 9.1 %Indiana9.1New Mexico: 9.1 %New Mexico9.1Iowa: 8.8 %Iowa8.8Alabama: 8.6 %Alabama8.6Colorado: 8.6 %Colorado8.6Utah: 8.4 %Utah8.4Wisconsin: 8.4 %Wisconsin8.4Oklahoma: 7.7 %Oklahoma7.7North Dakota: 7.5 %North Dakota7.5Tennessee: 6.9 %Tennessee6.9Wyoming: 6.6 %Wyoming6.6Florida: 6.1 %Florida6.1Arkansas: 5.8 %Arkansas5.8Virginia: 5.6 %Virginia5.6Idaho: 5.5 %Idaho5.5Georgia: 5.4 %Georgia5.4Texas: 5.4 %Texas5.4Louisiana: 5.2 %Louisiana5.2Arizona: 4.8 %Arizona4.8South Dakota: 4.2 %South Dakota4.2North Carolina: 3.3 %North Carolina3.3South Carolina: 3 %South Carolina3
%. 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

RankStates2023 (%)Change on 2022
1Hawaii25.6+2.2 pts
2New York21.5-0.6 pts
3Washington18.1-1 pts
4New Jersey17.3+1.3 pts
5California16.9-0.7 pts
5Connecticut16.9+1.5 pts
7Vermont15.4+2 pts
8Alaska15.2-2.1 pts
9Oregon15-1.9 pts
10Nevada14.5+1.7 pts
11Pennsylvania14.2+0.6 pts
12Michigan14.1-1.2 pts
12Minnesota14.1-1.1 pts
14Illinois13.6-0.5 pts
14Massachusetts13.6-0.2 pts
16Ohio13.5-0.5 pts
17Rhode Island13.2-4.5 pts
18Montana13+0.7 pts
19Maryland12.8-0.4 pts
20Kentucky11.3+1 pts
21New Hampshire10.9-0.3 pts
22Maine10.8-0.7 pts
23Kansas10.6-1.5 pts
24District of Columbia10.40 pts
24Missouri10.4-0.2 pts
26Delaware10.1+0.7 pts
26West Virginia10.1+0.1 pts
28Mississippi9.8+2.6 pts
29Nebraska9.4+1.3 pts
30Indiana9.1+0.5 pts
30New Mexico9.1-1.5 pts
32Iowa8.8+0.1 pts
33Alabama8.6+0.2 pts
33Colorado8.6+1.1 pts
35Utah8.4-0.3 pts
35Wisconsin8.4+0.4 pts
37Oklahoma7.7+0.6 pts
38North Dakota7.5-0.1 pts
39Tennessee6.9+0.6 pts
40Wyoming6.6-0.7 pts
41Florida6.1+0.5 pts
42Arkansas5.8+0.1 pts
43Virginia5.6+1.1 pts
44Idaho5.5-0.4 pts
45Georgia5.40 pts
45Texas5.4+0.3 pts
47Louisiana5.20 pts
48Arizona4.8-1.4 pts
49South Dakota4.20 pts
50North Carolina3.3-0.6 pts
51South Carolina3+1 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, 2023) [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, 2023. 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=2023. 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, 2023. 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=2023.

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, 2023 [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=2023 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{bureau_us_states_by_union_2023,
  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, 2023}},
  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=2023. 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, 2023
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=2023
Y2  - 2026/10/18
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/union-representation-rate/us-states?period=2023.
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 25.6% in 2023, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Which state has the lowest union representation rate?

South Carolina, with 3% in 2023.

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