1
Technical information:
Media contact:
(202) 691-6378
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
691-5902
USDL 07-0113
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Thursday, January 25, 2007
UNION MEMBERS IN 2006
In 2006, 12.0 percent of employed wage and salary workers were union members, down from 12.5
percent a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. The
number of persons belonging to a union fell by 326,000 in 2006 to 15.4 million. The union membership rate
has steadily declined from 20.1 percent in 1983, the first year for which comparable union data are available.
Some highlights from the 2006 data are:
• Workers in the public sector had a union membership rate nearly five times that of private sector
employees.
• Education, training, and library occupations had the highest unionization rate among all occupations,
at 37 percent.
• The unionization rate was higher for men than for women.
• Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white, Asian, or Hispanic workers.
Membership by Industry and Occupation
The union membership rate for government workers (36.2 percent) was substantially higher than for
private industry workers (7.4 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest
union membership rate, 41.9 percent. This group includes several heavily unionized occupations, such as
teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Among major private industries, transportation and utilities had the
highest union membership rate, at 23.2 percent, followed by construction (13.0 percent). Within the information industry, telecommunications had a 20.7 percent union membership rate. Financial activities had the
lowest unionization rate in 2006—1.9 percent. (See table 3.)
Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations (37.3 percent) and protective
service occupations (34.7 percent) had the highest unionization rates in 2006. Transportation and material
moving occupations (18.5 percent), construction and extraction occupations (17.6 percent), installation,
maintenance, and repair occupations (15.8 percent), community and social services occupations (15.6 percent), and production occupations (15.5 percent) also had higher-than-average rates. Sales and related
occupations (3.1 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (3.5 percent) had the lowest
unionization rates. (See table 3.)
2
Demographic Characteristics of Union Members
In 2006, the union membership rate was higher for men (13.0 percent) than for women (10.9 percent).
(See table 1.) The gap between their rates has narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate for men
was about 10 percentage points higher than the rate for women. This narrowing occurred because the union
membership rate for men declined more rapidly than the rate for women over the period.
Black workers were more likely to be union members (14.5 percent) than were whites (11.7 percent),
Asians (10.4 percent), or Hispanics (9.8 percent). Among age groups, union membership rates were highest
among workers 45 to 64 years old (16.0 percent) and were lowest among those ages 16 to 24 (4.4 percent). Full-time workers were more than twice as likely as part-time workers to be union members, 13.1
and 6.3 percent, respectively. (See table 1.)
Union Representation of Nonmembers
About 1.5 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union on their main job in 2006,
while not being union members themselves. (See table 1.) Slightly more than half of these workers were
employed in government. (See table 3.)
Earnings
In 2006, full-time wage and salary workers who were union members had median usual weekly earnings
of $833, compared with a median of $642 for wage and salary workers who were not represented by
unions. (See table 2.) The difference reflects a variety of influences in addition to coverage by a collective
bargaining agreement, including variations in the distributions of union members and nonunion employees by
occupation, industry, firm size, or geographic region. (For a discussion of the problem of differentiating
between the influence of unionization status and the influence of other worker characteristics on employee
earnings, see “Measuring union-nonunion earnings differences,” Monthly Labor Review, June 1990.)
Union Membership by State
In 2006, 29 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the U.S.
average, 12.0 percent, while 20 states had higher rates and 1 state posted the same rate. All states in the
East North Central, Middle Atlantic, and Pacific divisions reported union membership rates at or above the
national average, and all states in the East South Central and West South Central divisions had rates below it.
Union membership rates were down in 30 states and the District of Columbia, up in 17 states, and
unchanged in 3 states from 2005. (See table 5 and chart 1.)
Among the five states reporting union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2006, North Carolina and
South Carolina continued to post the lowest rates (3.3 percent each). The next lowest rates were recorded
in Virginia (4.0 percent), Georgia (4.4 percent), and Texas (4.9 percent). Four states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2006—Hawaii (24.7 percent), New York (24.4 percent), Alaska (22.2
percent), and New Jersey (20.1 percent). Hawaii and New York have recorded the highest union membership rates among all states for 10 of the past 11 years.
The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.3 million) and New York (2.0 million).
Just under half (7.5 million) of the 15.4 million union members in the U.S. lived in six states (California,
2.3 million; New York, 2.0 million; Illinois, 0.9 million; Michigan, 0.8 million; New Jersey, 0.8 million; and
Pennsylvania, 0.7 million), though these states accounted for about one-third of wage and salary employment
nationally.
3
State union membership levels depend on both the employment level and union membership rate. Texas
(with the second largest number of employed wage and salary workers) had less than one-quarter as many
union members as New York (the third largest), despite having over 1.6 million more wage and salary
employees. Similarly, Florida (with the fourth largest employment level) and Minnesota (the twenty-first) had
virtually the same number of union members, even though Florida’s wage and salary employment level was
three times that of Minnesota.
Technical Note
The estimates in this release are obtained from the Current
Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information
on the labor force, employment, and unemployment. The survey
is conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the
U.S. Census Bureau from a scientifically selected national
sample of about 60,000 households. The union membership and
earnings data are tabulated from one-quarter of the CPS monthly
sample and are limited to wage and salary workers. All selfemployed workers are excluded.
Union membership data for 2006 are not strictly comparable
with data for 2005 and earlier years because of the introduction
in January 2006 of revised population controls used in the CPS.
The effect of the revised population controls on the union
membership estimates is unknown. However, the effect of the
new controls on the monthly CPS estimates was to decrease the
December 2005 employment level by 123,000 and the unemployment level by 8,000. The updated controls had little or
no effect on unemployment rates and other ratios. For
additional information, see “Adjustments to Household Survey
Population Estimates in January 2006” in the February 2006
issue of Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps06adj.pdf.
Information in this release will be made available to sensory
impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200,
TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
Reliability of the estimates
Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling and
nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire
population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample
estimates may differ from the “true” population values they
represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies
depending upon the particular sample selected, and this
variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate.
There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, that
an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more than 1.6
standard errors from the “true” population value because of
sampling error. BLS analyses are generally conducted at the 90percent level of confidence.
The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error.
Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the
failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability or
unwillingness of respondents to provide correct information, and errors made in the collection or processing of the
data.
For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the
CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the
“Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” section of
Employment and Earnings.
Definitions
The principal definitions used in this release are described
briefly below.
Union members. Data refer to members of a labor union or
an employee association similar to a union.
Represented by unions. Data refer to union members, as well
as workers who have no union affiliation but whose jobs are
covered by a union or an employee association contract.
Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before taxes
and other deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the case
of multiple jobholders). Prior to 1994, respondents were asked
how much they usually earned per week. Since January 1994,
respondents have been asked to identify the easiest way for
them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, biweekly, twice
monthly, monthly, annually, other) and how much they usually
earn in the reported time period. Earnings reported on a basis
other than weekly are converted to a weekly equivalent. The
term “usual” is as perceived by the respondent. If the
respondent asks for a definition of usual, interviewers are
instructed to define the term as more than half of the weeks
worked during the past 4 or 5 months.
Median earnings. The median is the amount which divides
a given earnings distribution into two equal groups, one having
earnings above the median and the other having earnings below
the median. The estimating procedure places each reported or
calculated weekly earnings value into $50-wide intervals which
are centered around multiples of $50. The actual value is
estimated through the linear interpolation of the interval in
which the median lies.
Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages,
salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The
group includes employees in both the private and public
sectors, but, for the purposes of the union membership and
earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless
of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.
Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours or
more per week at their sole or principal job.
Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer than
35 hours per week at their sole or principal job.
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Refers to persons who
identified themselves in the enumeration process as being
Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. Persons whose ethnicity is
identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Table 1. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by selected characteristics
(Numbers in thousands)
2005
Members of
unions 1
Characteristic
Total
employed
2006
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
Members of
unions 1
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over ..........................................................
16 to 24 years ........................................................................
25 years and over ..................................................................
25 to 34 years ......................................................................
35 to 44 years ......................................................................
45 to 54 years ......................................................................
55 to 64 years ......................................................................
65 years and over ................................................................
125,889
19,283
106,606
28,450
30,654
28,714
15,158
3,631
15,685
878
14,808
3,044
4,211
4,731
2,496
325
12.5
4.6
13.9
10.7
13.7
16.5
16.5
8.9
17,223
1,019
16,204
3,368
4,579
5,158
2,732
366
13.7
5.3
15.2
11.8
14.9
18.0
18.0
10.1
128,237
19,538
108,699
28,805
30,526
29,401
16,095
3,872
15,359
857
14,502
2,899
3,997
4,710
2,568
328
12.0
4.4
13.3
10.1
13.1
16.0
16.0
8.5
16,860
978
15,883
3,195
4,356
5,131
2,832
370
13.1
5.0
14.6
11.1
14.3
17.5
17.6
9.5
Men, 16 years and over .........................................................
16 to 24 years ......................................................................
25 years and over ................................................................
25 to 34 years ....................................................................
35 to 44 years ....................................................................
45 to 54 years ....................................................................
55 to 64 years ....................................................................
65 years and over ..............................................................
65,466
9,860
55,606
15,559
16,196
14,421
7,606
1,824
8,870
523
8,347
1,754
2,422
2,658
1,346
167
13.5
5.3
15.0
11.3
15.0
18.4
17.7
9.1
9,597
603
8,994
1,915
2,582
2,849
1,458
190
14.7
6.1
16.2
12.3
15.9
19.8
19.2
10.4
66,811
10,130
56,682
15,677
16,159
14,867
7,990
1,989
8,657
543
8,114
1,650
2,309
2,617
1,370
167
13.0
5.4
14.3
10.5
14.3
17.6
17.1
8.4
9,360
608
8,752
1,793
2,488
2,807
1,474
190
14.0
6.0
15.4
11.4
15.4
18.9
18.4
9.6
Women, 16 years and over ...................................................
16 to 24 years ......................................................................
25 years and over ................................................................
25 to 34 years ....................................................................
35 to 44 years ....................................................................
45 to 54 years ....................................................................
55 to 64 years ....................................................................
65 years and over ..............................................................
60,423
9,423
51,000
12,891
14,457
14,293
7,552
1,806
6,815
354
6,461
1,290
1,790
2,073
1,150
158
11.3
3.8
12.7
10.0
12.4
14.5
15.2
8.8
7,626
417
7,210
1,454
1,997
2,309
1,274
176
12.6
4.4
14.1
11.3
13.8
16.2
16.9
9.8
61,426
9,408
52,018
13,127
14,368
14,534
8,106
1,883
6,702
315
6,388
1,249
1,687
2,093
1,198
160
10.9
3.3
12.3
9.5
11.7
14.4
14.8
8.5
7,501
370
7,131
1,401
1,867
2,325
1,358
180
12.2
3.9
13.7
10.7
13.0
16.0
16.8
9.5
White, 16 years and over ........................................................ 102,967
Men ....................................................................................... 54,462
Women ................................................................................. 48,505
12,520
7,275
5,245
12.2
13.4
10.8
13,755
7,858
5,897
13.4
14.4
12.2
104,668
55,459
49,209
12,259
7,115
5,144
11.7
12.8
10.5
13,424
7,668
5,756
12.8
13.8
11.7
Black or African American, 16 years and over ....................... 14,459
Men .......................................................................................
6,603
Women .................................................................................
7,857
2,178
1,062
1,115
15.1
16.1
14.2
2,391
1,166
1,225
16.5
17.7
15.6
14,878
6,788
8,090
2,163
1,056
1,107
14.5
15.6
13.7
2,391
1,158
1,233
16.1
17.1
15.2
5,479
2,881
2,598
614
314
299
11.2
10.9
11.5
666
337
329
12.2
11.7
12.7
5,703
3,015
2,688
592
286
306
10.4
9.5
11.4
657
316
340
11.5
10.5
12.7
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over ...................... 17,191
Men ....................................................................................... 10,324
Women .................................................................................
6,866
1,793
1,093
700
10.4
10.6
10.2
1,981
1,185
796
11.5
11.5
11.6
18,121
10,842
7,279
1,770
1,064
706
9.8
9.8
9.7
1,935
1,144
791
10.7
10.6
10.9
14,207
1,441
13.7
6.5
15,551
1,630
15.0
7.4
106,106
21,863
13,938
1,382
13.1
6.3
15,244
1,573
14.4
7.2
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
Asian, 16 years and over ........................................................
Men .......................................................................................
Women .................................................................................
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS 3
Full-time workers .................................................................... 103,560
Part-time workers ................................................................... 22,052
1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union.
2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose
jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
3 The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours
usually worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or part-time
status on the principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple
jobholders.
NOTE: Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population controls
used in the household survey. Estimates for the above race groups (white,
black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are
not presented for all races. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is identified as
Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by
ethnicity as well as race. Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and
part-time workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of
whether or not their businesses are incorporated.
Table 2. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics
2005
2006
Total
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by
unions 2
Nonunion
Total
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by
unions 2
Nonunion
Total, 16 years and over ..............................................
16 to 24 years ............................................................
25 years and over ......................................................
25 to 34 years ..........................................................
35 to 44 years ..........................................................
45 to 54 years ..........................................................
55 to 64 years ..........................................................
65 years and over ....................................................
$651
397
696
610
731
748
742
569
$801
502
820
735
844
854
852
679
$795
502
815
729
837
851
851
683
$622
392
669
595
708
722
716
551
$671
409
718
621
748
773
765
583
$833
526
850
773
853
888
882
675
$827
523
845
766
849
884
883
667
$642
404
691
606
728
750
741
573
Men, 16 years and over .............................................
16 to 24 years ..........................................................
25 years and over ....................................................
25 to 34 years ........................................................
35 to 44 years ........................................................
45 to 54 years ........................................................
55 to 64 years ........................................................
65 years and over ..................................................
722
409
771
644
822
853
855
644
857
513
876
763
921
911
888
758
855
511
876
760
918
912
895
768
692
403
749
624
800
831
840
625
743
418
797
661
836
897
902
658
887
526
904
831
918
936
928
650
885
521
902
822
914
939
930
653
717
413
771
640
816
883
893
659
Women, 16 years and over .......................................
16 to 24 years ..........................................................
25 years and over ....................................................
25 to 34 years ........................................................
35 to 44 years ........................................................
45 to 54 years ........................................................
55 to 64 years ........................................................
65 years and over ..................................................
585
381
612
573
621
644
639
492
731
484
743
693
740
760
795
610
726
487
738
682
735
758
785
599
559
377
593
548
603
619
610
480
600
395
627
583
645
659
658
510
758
527
768
727
759
807
819
690
753
529
763
716
755
798
822
678
579
391
607
565
626
628
627
495
White, 16 years and over ............................................
Men ...........................................................................
Women .....................................................................
672
743
596
830
884
749
824
884
743
641
714
576
690
761
609
859
909
777
854
907
772
659
735
588
Black or African American, 16 years and over ...........
Men ...........................................................................
Women .....................................................................
520
559
499
656
689
632
653
682
630
500
523
478
554
591
519
707
745
665
694
734
656
520
557
502
Asian, 16 years and over ............................................
Men ...........................................................................
Women .....................................................................
753
825
665
809
819
789
805
817
785
744
827
643
784
882
699
834
838
828
840
852
824
774
888
681
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over ..........
Men ...........................................................................
Women .....................................................................
471
489
429
673
713
609
661
704
606
449
473
414
486
505
440
686
732
607
681
724
614
469
490
420
Characteristic
AGE AND SEX
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO
ETHNICITY, AND SEX
1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee
association similar to a union.
2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee
association similar to a union as well as workers who report no union
affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee
association contract.
NOTE: Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population
controls used in the household survey. Estimates for the above race
groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to
totals because data are not presented for all races. In addition,
persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of
any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as race.
Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers.
Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not
their businesses are incorporated.
Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry
(Numbers in thousands)
2005
Members of
unions 1
Occupation and industry
Total
employed
2006
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
42,226
5,639
13.4
6,385
15.1
15,955
10,921
5,034
26,271
3,067
2,593
1,305
2,100
1,261
7,813
793
485
308
4,845
142
221
125
346
71
3,006
5.0
4.4
6.1
18.4
4.6
8.5
9.6
16.5
5.6
38.5
939
585
354
5,447
172
259
140
376
83
3,354
1,957
6,175
21,074
2,971
2,843
7,361
152
782
2,446
286
1,051
316
7.8
12.7
11.6
9.6
37.0
4.3
4,525
3,373
32,541
13,630
18,911
504
288
2,385
451
1,934
12,907
898
7,296
4,713
17,142
9,007
8,135
Members of
unions 1
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
43,105
5,522
12.8
6,288
14.6
5.9
5.4
7.0
20.7
5.6
10.0
10.7
17.9
6.6
42.9
16,471
11,260
5,210
26,635
3,069
2,669
1,315
2,099
1,282
7,888
802
478
324
4,721
133
197
130
327
68
2,942
4.9
4.2
6.2
17.7
4.3
7.4
9.9
15.6
5.3
37.3
964
595
369
5,324
172
236
155
356
73
3,287
5.9
5.3
7.1
20.0
5.6
8.9
11.8
17.0
5.7
41.7
171
892
2,659
317
1,109
362
8.8
14.4
12.6
10.7
39.0
4.9
1,930
6,383
21,569
2,999
2,919
7,478
124
800
2,460
312
1,012
321
6.4
12.5
11.4
10.4
34.7
4.3
140
904
2,658
340
1,067
353
7.2
14.2
12.3
11.3
36.6
4.7
11.1
8.5
7.3
3.3
10.2
553
317
2,671
519
2,152
12.2
9.4
8.2
3.8
11.4
4,703
3,471
32,986
13,883
19,103
507
307
2,319
430
1,889
10.8
8.9
7.0
3.1
9.9
561
337
2,573
489
2,084
11.9
9.7
7.8
3.5
10.9
2,129
35
1,283
811
16.5
3.9
17.6
17.2
2,238
38
1,348
851
17.3
4.3
18.5
18.1
13,366
880
7,617
4,870
2,138
31
1,337
771
16.0
3.5
17.6
15.8
2,248
33
1,396
820
16.8
3.7
18.3
16.8
3,086
1,539
1,547
18.0
17.1
19.0
3,271
1,617
1,655
19.1
17.9
20.3
17,211
8,964
8,247
2,920
1,392
1,528
17.0
15.5
18.5
3,094
1,468
1,626
18.0
16.4
19.7
OCCUPATION
Management, professional, and related occupations ...............
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations .......................................................................
Management occupations ................................................
Business and financial operations occupations ................
Professional and related occupations ...................................
Computer and mathematical occupations ........................
Architecture and engineering occupations .......................
Life, physical, and social science occupations .................
Community and social services occupations ....................
Legal occupations .............................................................
Education, training, and library occupations .....................
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media
occupations ...................................................................
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ...........
Service occupations .................................................................
Healthcare support occupations ...........................................
Protective service occupations .............................................
Food preparation and serving related occupations ..............
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance
occupations .......................................................................
Personal care and service occupations ................................
Sales and office occupations ....................................................
Sales and related occupations .............................................
Office and administrative support occupations .....................
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations ...........................................................................
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ...........................
Construction and extraction occupations ..............................
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ...............
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations ...........................................................................
Production occupations ........................................................
Transportation and material moving occupations .................
See footnotes at end of table.
Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry—Continued
(Numbers in thousands)
2005
Members of
unions 1
Occupation and industry
Total
employed
2006
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
105,508
1,021
104,487
600
8,053
15,518
9,845
5,673
18,989
4,017
14,973
5,212
4,379
833
2,934
765
277
534
1,096
8,619
6,304
4,114
2,190
2,315
10,951
6,468
4,483
17,357
3,312
14,045
10,658
1,869
8,790
1,459
7,331
5,596
4,799
8,255
28
8,227
48
1,057
2,017
1,310
707
1,021
236
785
1,252
1,024
228
398
68
42
46
234
195
102
59
44
92
292
98
194
1,434
435
999
333
118
215
122
93
181
175
7.8
2.7
7.9
8.0
13.1
13.0
13.3
12.5
5.4
5.9
5.2
24.0
23.4
27.4
13.6
8.8
15.0
8.6
21.4
2.3
1.6
1.4
2.0
4.0
2.7
1.5
4.3
8.3
13.1
7.1
3.1
6.3
2.4
8.3
1.3
3.2
3.7
8,962
30
8,931
57
1,111
2,127
1,382
746
1,122
259
864
1,309
1,071
239
422
74
43
48
248
238
132
77
54
107
341
120
221
1,632
511
1,121
377
134
243
130
113
194
188
8.5
3.0
8.5
9.5
13.8
13.7
14.0
13.1
5.9
6.4
5.8
25.1
24.4
28.6
14.4
9.7
15.5
9.0
22.6
2.8
2.1
1.9
2.5
4.6
3.1
1.9
4.9
9.4
15.4
8.0
3.5
7.2
2.8
8.9
1.5
3.5
3.9
Public sector ............................................................................. 20,381
Federal goverment ...............................................................
3,427
State government .................................................................
5,874
Local government ................................................................. 11,080
7,430
954
1,838
4,638
36.5
27.8
31.3
41.9
8,262
1,134
2,056
5,071
40.5
33.1
35.0
45.8
Members of
unions 1
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
107,846
1,059
106,786
632
8,444
15,643
10,072
5,571
19,245
4,100
15,145
5,299
4,459
840
3,105
833
296
522
1,183
8,841
6,503
4,308
2,195
2,338
11,398
6,601
4,798
17,853
3,540
14,313
10,638
1,781
8,857
1,422
7,436
5,689
4,873
7,981
25
7,957
48
1,097
1,827
1,190
637
957
201
756
1,227
991
237
372
58
30
31
245
168
92
52
40
77
274
90
184
1,483
478
1,005
326
112
214
131
83
177
172
7.4
2.3
7.5
7.5
13.0
11.7
11.8
11.4
5.0
4.9
5.0
23.2
22.2
28.2
12.0
7.0
10.3
5.9
20.7
1.9
1.4
1.2
1.8
3.3
2.4
1.4
3.8
8.3
13.5
7.0
3.1
6.3
2.4
9.2
1.1
3.1
3.5
8,688
27
8,660
56
1,146
1,949
1,263
686
1,023
215
808
1,287
1,042
245
404
63
32
40
261
206
123
73
50
82
329
116
213
1,694
562
1,132
370
126
244
141
103
198
191
8.1
2.6
8.1
8.8
13.6
12.5
12.5
12.3
5.3
5.2
5.3
24.3
23.4
29.1
13.0
7.5
10.6
7.6
22.1
2.3
1.9
1.7
2.3
3.5
2.9
1.8
4.4
9.5
15.9
7.9
3.5
7.1
2.8
9.9
1.4
3.5
3.9
20,392
3,381
6,102
10,908
7,378
960
1,843
4,575
36.2
28.4
30.2
41.9
8,172
1,139
2,049
4,984
40.1
33.7
33.6
45.7
INDUSTRY
Private sector ............................................................................
Agriculture and related industries ...........................................
Nonagricultural industries .......................................................
Mining ..................................................................................
Construction ........................................................................
Manufacturing ......................................................................
Durable goods .................................................................
Nondurable goods ...........................................................
Wholesale and retail trade ...................................................
Wholesale trade ...............................................................
Retail trade ......................................................................
Transportation and utilities ..................................................
Transportation and warehousing .....................................
Utilities .............................................................................
Information 3 ........................................................................
Publishing, except Internet ..............................................
Motion pictures and sound recording ..............................
Broadcasting, except Internet ..........................................
Telecommunications ........................................................
Financial activities ...............................................................
Finance and insurance ....................................................
Finance .......................................................................
Insurance ....................................................................
Real estate and rental and leasing ..................................
Professional and business services ....................................
Professional and technical services ................................
Management, administrative, and waste services ...........
Education and health services .............................................
Educational services ........................................................
Health care and social assistance ...................................
Leisure and hospitality .........................................................
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .................................
Accommodation and food services ..................................
Accommodation ...........................................................
Food services and drinking places ..............................
Other services 3 ...................................................................
Other services, except private households ......................
1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union.
2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose
jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
3 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
NOTE: Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population controls
used in the household survey. Data refer to the sole or principal job of fulland part-time workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of
whether or not their businesses are incorporated.
Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry
2005
2006
Total
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by
unions 2
Nonunion
Total
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by
unions 2
Nonunion
$937
$942
$937
$937
$967
$966
$962
$968
997
1,083
871
902
1,132
1,105
965
725
1,052
798
1,015
1,137
854
932
1,009
1,133
978
880
1,147
913
1,029
1,146
866
924
1,029
1,133
1,011
865
1,155
898
995
1,076
872
894
1,141
1,101
959
693
1,042
710
1,045
1,127
930
928
1,166
1,155
984
740
1,144
819
1,042
1,144
950
956
1,057
1,148
1,114
886
1,422
929
1,060
1,154
947
948
1,103
1,157
1,086
872
1,415
917
1,044
1,125
928
921
1,170
1,155
977
707
1,136
725
819
878
413
410
678
356
983
932
643
466
896
439
925
932
629
462
886
442
808
867
392
405
568
350
841
905
422
423
693
371
968
995
638
484
918
484
964
979
629
481
913
482
823
889
404
417
585
366
394
409
575
622
550
528
558
681
623
689
518
549
675
625
682
378
397
562
622
528
406
407
589
628
572
524
530
706
671
713
520
529
697
656
705
393
397
578
627
549
623
372
604
705
910
(3)
913
915
903
(3)
903
913
585
369
554
666
653
387
619
742
934
(3)
941
931
925
(3)
933
922
608
383
582
709
540
538
543
709
698
721
704
693
717
510
511
508
557
559
556
741
730
752
733
723
743
519
525
512
Occupation and industry
OCCUPATION
Management, professional, and related occupations .......................
Management, business, and financial operations
occupations ...............................................................................
Management occupations ........................................................
Business and financial operations occupations ........................
Professional and related occupations ...........................................
Computer and mathematical occupations ................................
Architecture and engineering occupations ...............................
Life, physical, and social science occupations .........................
Community and social services occupations ............................
Legal occupations .....................................................................
Education, training, and library occupations .............................
Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media
occupations ...........................................................................
Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ...................
Service occupations .........................................................................
Healthcare support occupations ...................................................
Protective service occupations .....................................................
Food preparation and serving related occupations ......................
Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance
occupations ...............................................................................
Personal care and service occupations ........................................
Sales and office occupations ............................................................
Sales and related occupations .....................................................
Office and administrative support occupations .............................
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance
occupations ...................................................................................
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ...................................
Construction and extraction occupations ......................................
Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations .......................
Production, transportation, and material moving
occupations ...................................................................................
Production occupations ................................................................
Transportation and material moving occupations .........................
See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry—Continued
2005
2006
Total
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by
unions 2
Nonunion
Total
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by
unions 2
Nonunion
Private sector ....................................................................................
Agriculture and related industries ...................................................
Nonagricultural industries ...............................................................
Mining ..........................................................................................
Construction ................................................................................
Manufacturing ..............................................................................
Durable goods .........................................................................
Nondurable goods ...................................................................
Wholesale and retail trade ...........................................................
Wholesale trade .......................................................................
Retail trade ..............................................................................
Transportation and utilities ..........................................................
Transportation and warehousing .............................................
Utilities .....................................................................................
Information 4 ................................................................................
Publishing, except Internet ......................................................
Motion pictures and sound recording ......................................
Broadcasting, except Internet ..................................................
Telecommunications ................................................................
Financial activities .......................................................................
Finance and insurance ............................................................
Finance ...............................................................................
Insurance ............................................................................
Real estate and rental and leasing ..........................................
Professional and business services ............................................
Professional and technical services ........................................
Management, administrative, and waste services ...................
Education and health services .....................................................
Educational services ................................................................
Health care and social assistance ...........................................
Leisure and hospitality .................................................................
Arts, entertainment, and recreation .........................................
Accommodation and food services ..........................................
Accommodation ...................................................................
Food services and drinking places ......................................
Other services 4 ...........................................................................
Other services, except private households ..............................
$625
402
629
885
619
676
704
624
566
692
515
726
688
941
832
755
751
749
927
741
765
765
764
653
739
961
488
627
737
607
409
521
388
455
372
535
579
$757
(3)
758
(3)
933
722
751
676
615
678
590
864
829
960
931
860
(3)
(3)
937
698
692
650
(3)
711
663
770
586
731
818
684
513
652
487
515
400
694
698
$752
(3)
753
989
926
719
747
672
610
676
585
860
827
954
925
867
(3)
(3)
935
696
696
667
729
696
673
858
578
736
809
692
510
618
486
510
406
698
701
$615
402
617
870
590
667
695
618
562
694
513
676
640
931
810
740
691
738
923
743
767
768
766
649
743
963
485
617
718
601
405
515
384
438
372
524
572
$645
422
648
912
642
702
729
650
578
725
520
739
700
978
871
848
813
737
947
757
794
811
767
663
749
996
504
648
750
620
417
545
399
490
382
568
597
$792
(3)
793
(3)
969
755
785
694
637
780
583
876
831
1,041
998
(3)
(3)
(3)
986
674
657
(3)
(3)
701
744
940
653
751
816
703
538
617
515
567
480
816
824
$785
(3)
786
1,044
956
753
780
697
632
778
582
876
828
1,051
990
950
(3)
(3)
982
691
674
673
(3)
700
752
966
643
745
806
700
533
604
515
570
481
794
800
$631
420
634
899
610
692
719
640
575
720
518
697
661
939
841
830
748
722
928
759
799
817
769
660
749
996
499
635
737
614
412
537
395
481
381
550
588
Public sector .....................................................................................
Federal goverment .......................................................................
State government .........................................................................
Local government .........................................................................
758
882
733
738
850
873
802
858
842
879
798
844
692
887
684
633
773
919
746
754
871
896
835
876
865
900
824
868
717
938
699
656
Occupation and industry
INDUSTRY
1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union.
2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but
whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
3 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000.
4 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
NOTE:
Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population
controls used in the household survey. Data refer to the sole or principal
job of full- and part-time workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers
regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.
Table 5. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state
(Numbers in thousands)
2005
Members of
unions 1
State
Total
employed
Alabama .....................................................................
1,909
Alaska .........................................................................
275
Arizona .......................................................................
2,366
Arkansas .....................................................................
1,138
California .................................................................... 14,687
Colorado .....................................................................
2,052
Connecticut .................................................................
1,550
Delaware ....................................................................
386
District of Columbia ....................................................
259
Florida .........................................................................
7,389
2006
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
195
63
145
54
2,424
170
247
46
29
401
10.2
22.8
6.1
4.8
16.5
8.3
15.9
11.8
11.3
5.4
223
66
181
68
2,610
193
263
50
33
532
11.7
24.1
7.7
6.0
17.8
9.4
17.0
12.9
12.8
7.2
Members of
unions 1
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
1,930
280
2,584
1,130
14,501
2,154
1,591
396
246
7,676
170
62
197
58
2,273
165
247
43
25
397
8.8
22.2
7.6
5.1
15.7
7.7
15.6
10.8
10.3
5.2
194
67
250
67
2,444
186
263
45
30
497
10.0
23.8
9.7
6.0
16.9
8.6
16.5
11.4
12.2
6.5
Georgia .......................................................................
Hawaii .........................................................................
Idaho ...........................................................................
Illinois ..........................................................................
Indiana ........................................................................
Iowa ............................................................................
Kansas ........................................................................
Kentucky .....................................................................
Louisiana ....................................................................
Maine ..........................................................................
3,765
545
606
5,473
2,789
1,369
1,210
1,696
1,778
582
190
141
31
927
346
157
85
164
114
69
5.0
25.8
5.2
16.9
12.4
11.5
7.0
9.7
6.4
11.9
226
145
38
965
368
185
115
184
132
79
6.0
26.7
6.3
17.6
13.2
13.5
9.5
10.8
7.4
13.6
3,974
562
620
5,684
2,787
1,424
1,236
1,752
1,676
584
176
139
37
931
334
161
99
172
107
69
4.4
24.7
6.0
16.4
12.0
11.3
8.0
9.8
6.4
11.9
230
146
45
979
362
199
115
196
121
79
5.8
25.9
7.2
17.2
13.0
14.0
9.3
11.2
7.2
13.5
Maryland .....................................................................
Massachusetts ............................................................
Michigan .....................................................................
Minnesota ...................................................................
Mississippi ..................................................................
Missouri ......................................................................
Montana ......................................................................
Nebraska ....................................................................
Nevada .......................................................................
New Hampshire ..........................................................
2,530
2,886
4,288
2,494
1,089
2,532
391
830
1,051
627
337
402
880
392
77
290
42
69
145
65
13.3
13.9
20.5
15.7
7.1
11.5
10.7
8.3
13.8
10.4
379
431
916
410
105
319
48
79
158
72
15.0
14.9
21.4
16.4
9.7
12.6
12.2
9.5
15.1
11.5
2,614
2,859
4,299
2,479
1,065
2,610
397
831
1,124
620
342
414
842
395
60
284
48
66
167
63
13.1
14.5
19.6
16.0
5.6
10.9
12.2
7.9
14.8
10.1
386
438
879
416
78
310
52
79
191
70
14.8
15.3
20.4
16.8
7.3
11.9
13.1
9.5
17.0
11.3
New Jersey .................................................................
New Mexico ................................................................
New York ....................................................................
North Carolina ............................................................
North Dakota ..............................................................
Ohio ............................................................................
Oklahoma ...................................................................
Oregon ........................................................................
Pennsylvania ..............................................................
Rhode Island ..............................................................
3,868
777
8,008
3,631
289
5,039
1,432
1,470
5,456
494
791
63
2,090
107
21
804
77
213
753
79
20.5
8.1
26.1
2.9
7.3
16.0
5.4
14.5
13.8
15.9
838
83
2,201
143
26
866
91
231
818
83
21.7
10.7
27.5
3.9
9.2
17.2
6.4
15.7
15.0
16.8
3,827
796
8,115
3,810
300
5,170
1,453
1,527
5,457
498
770
62
1,981
126
20
734
93
211
745
76
20.1
7.8
24.4
3.3
6.8
14.2
6.4
13.8
13.6
15.3
825
92
2,060
155
24
801
112
225
802
79
21.6
11.5
25.4
4.1
8.0
15.5
7.7
14.7
14.7
16.0
South Carolina ............................................................
South Dakota ..............................................................
Tennessee ..................................................................
Texas ..........................................................................
Utah ............................................................................
Vermont ......................................................................
Virginia ........................................................................
Washington .................................................................
West Virginia ..............................................................
Wisconsin ...................................................................
Wyoming .....................................................................
1,739
350
2,368
9,485
1,035
287
3,406
2,746
688
2,551
228
40
21
128
506
51
31
165
523
99
410
18
2.3
5.9
5.4
5.3
4.9
10.8
4.8
19.1
14.4
16.1
7.9
58
29
156
590
63
37
211
559
107
438
22
3.3
8.2
6.6
6.2
6.1
13.0
6.2
20.4
15.5
17.2
9.5
1,775
351
2,550
9,751
1,121
305
3,446
2,772
710
2,587
235
59
21
153
476
61
34
139
549
101
386
19
3.3
5.9
6.0
4.9
5.4
11.0
4.0
19.8
14.2
14.9
8.3
74
25
174
576
69
39
179
583
110
415
24
4.2
7.2
6.8
5.9
6.1
12.9
5.2
21.0
15.5
16.1
10.0
1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union.
2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association
similar to a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but
whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
NOTE: Beginning in January 2006, data reflect revised population
controls used in the household survey. Data refer to the sole or principal
job of full- and part-time workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers
regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.