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Bureau of Labor Statistics
Technical information:
Media contact:
(202) 691-6378
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
(202) 691-5902
United States
Department
of Labor
Washington, D.C. 20212
USDL 08-0092
For release: 10:00 A.M. EST
Friday, January 25, 2008
UNION MEMBERS IN 2007
In 2007, the number of workers belonging to a union rose by 311,000 to 15.7 million, the U.S.
Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Union members accounted for 12.1 percent of employed wage and salary workers, essentially unchanged from 12.0 percent in 2006. In 1983, the
first year for which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent. Some
highlights from the 2007 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
37.2 percent, followed closely by protective service occupations at 35.2 percent.
• Among demographic groups, the union membership rate was highest for black men and lowest for
Hispanic women.
• Wage and salary workers ages 45 to 54 (15.7 percent) and ages 55 to 64 (16.1 percent) were more
likely to be union members than were workers ages 16 to 24 (4.8 percent).
Membership by Industry and Occupation
The union membership rate for public sector workers (35.9 percent) was substantially higher than for private industry workers (7.5 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers had the highest union
membership rate, 41.8 percent. This group includes many workers in several heavily unionized occupations,
such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Private sector industries with high unionization rates include
transportation and utilities (22.1 percent), telecommunications (19.7 percent), and construction (13.9 percent).
In 2007, unionization rates were relatively low in agriculture and related industries (1.5 percent) and in financial activities (2.0 percent). (See table 3.)
Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations (37.2 percent) and protective
service occupations (35.2 percent) had the highest unionization rates in 2007. Farming, fishing, and forestry
occupations (2.7 percent) and sales and related occupations (3.3 percent) had the lowest unionization rates.
(See table 3.)
2
Demographic Characteristics of Union Members
In 2007, the union membership rate was higher for men (13.0 percent) than for women (11.1 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. The rates for both men and women declined between 1983 and 2007, but the rate for men declined much more rapidly.
Black workers were more likely to be union members (14.3 percent) than were whites (11.8 percent),
Asians (10.9 percent), or Hispanics (9.8 percent). Within these major groups, black men had the highest
union membership rate (15.8 percent) while Hispanic women had the lowest rate (9.6 percent).
Among age groups, union membership rates were highest among workers 55 to 64 years old (16.1 percent) and 45 to 54 years old (15.7 percent). The lowest union membership rates occurred among those ages
16 to 24 (4.8 percent). Full-time workers were about twice as likely as part-time workers to be union members, 13.2 compared with 6.5 percent. (See table 1.)
Union Representation of Nonmembers
About 1.6 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union on their main job in 2007, 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 2007, among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median usual weekly earnings of
$863 while those who were not represented by unions had median weekly earnings of $663. (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 2007, 30 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the U.S. average, 12.1 percent, while 20 states had higher rates. All states in the Middle Atlantic and Pacific divisions
reported union membership rates 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 from those of 2006 in
27 states, up in 20 states, and unchanged in 3 states and the District of Columbia. (See table 5 and chart 1.)
Among the five states reporting union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2007, North Carolina
posted the lowest rate (3.0 percent). The next lowest rates were recorded in Virginia (3.7 percent), South
Carolina (4.1 percent), Georgia (4.4 percent), and Texas (4.7 percent). Four states had union membership
rates over 20.0 percent in 2007—New York (25.2 percent), Alaska (23.8 percent), Hawaii (23.4 percent),
and Washington (20.2 percent).
The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.5 million) and New York (2.1 million). Nearly
half (7.8 million) of the 15.7 million union members in the U.S. lived in 6 states (California, 2.5 million; New
York, 2.1 million; Illinois, 0.8 million; Michigan, 0.8 million; Pennsylvania, 0.8 million; and New Jersey, 0.7
million) though these states accounted for only 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
had less than one-quarter as many union members as New York despite having over 1.7 million more wage
and salary employees. Similarly, Tennessee and Hawaii had comparable numbers of union members even
though Tennessee’s wage and salary employment level was more than four and one-half times that of Hawaii.
Technical Note
The estimates in this release are obtained from the Current
Population Survey (CPS), which provides 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. The data in this release are
annual averages.
Union membership data for 2007 are not strictly comparable
with data for 2006 and earlier years because of the introduction
of updated population controls with the release of January data.
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 increase the
December 2006 employment level by 153,000 and the unemployment level by 10,000. 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 2007” in the February 2007
issue of Employment and Earnings, available on the Internet at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps07adj.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 state section of this release
preserves the long-time practice of highlighting the direction of
the movements in state union membership rates and levels
regardless of their statistical significance.
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
Household Data section of the “Explanatory Notes and Estimates of Error” at http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_methods.
pdf.
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)
2006
Characteristic
Members
of
unions 1
Total
employed
2007
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
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
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
129,767
19,395
110,372
29,409
30,296
29,731
16,752
4,183
15,670
939
14,731
3,050
3,972
4,664
2,691
355
12.1
4.8
13.3
10.4
13.1
15.7
16.1
8.5
17,243
1,068
16,176
3,358
4,362
5,087
2,967
402
13.3
5.5
14.7
11.4
14.4
17.1
17.7
9.6
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over ........................................................... 128,237
16 to 24 years .........................................................................
19,538
25 years and over ................................................................... 108,699
25 to 34 years .......................................................................
28,805
35 to 44 years .......................................................................
30,526
45 to 54 years .......................................................................
29,401
55 to 64 years .......................................................................
16,095
65 years and over .................................................................
3,872
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 .................................................................
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
67,468
9,959
57,509
15,994
16,070
15,040
8,286
2,119
8,767
551
8,217
1,736
2,318
2,578
1,403
181
13.0
5.5
14.3
10.9
14.4
17.1
16.9
8.5
9,494
627
8,867
1,884
2,501
2,745
1,532
205
14.1
6.3
15.4
11.8
15.6
18.3
18.5
9.7
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 .................................................................
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
62,299
9,436
52,863
13,416
14,226
14,691
8,466
2,065
6,903
388
6,514
1,313
1,653
2,086
1,288
174
11.1
4.1
12.3
9.8
11.6
14.2
15.2
8.4
7,749
441
7,308
1,474
1,861
2,341
1,435
197
12.4
4.7
13.8
11.0
13.1
15.9
17.0
9.5
White, 16 years and over ........................................................ 104,668
Men .......................................................................................
55,459
Women .................................................................................
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
105,515
55,771
49,743
12,487
7,134
5,352
11.8
12.8
10.8
13,715
7,708
6,007
13.0
13.8
12.1
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
Black or African American, 16 years and over .......................
Men .......................................................................................
Women .................................................................................
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
15,177
6,945
8,232
2,165
1,097
1,067
14.3
15.8
13.0
2,403
1,205
1,198
15.8
17.3
14.6
Asian, 16 years and over ........................................................
Men .......................................................................................
Women .................................................................................
5,703
3,015
2,688
592
286
306
10.4
9.5
11.4
657
316
340
11.5
10.5
12.7
6,016
3,168
2,849
654
324
330
10.9
10.2
11.6
720
348
372
12.0
11.0
13.1
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over ......................
Men .......................................................................................
Women .................................................................................
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
18,778
11,163
7,615
1,837
1,108
728
9.8
9.9
9.6
2,026
1,208
818
10.8
10.8
10.7
Full-time workers .................................................................... 106,106
Part-time workers ...................................................................
21,863
13,938
1,382
13.1
6.3
15,244
1,573
14.4
7.2
107,339
22,172
14,201
1,437
13.2
6.5
15,570
1,635
14.5
7.4
FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS 3
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: 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.
Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary
workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not
their businesses are incorporated. Updated population controls are introduced
annually with the release of January data.
Table 2. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics
2006
Characteristic
Total
Members of
unions 1
2007
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion
Total
Members of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion
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 .........................................................
$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
$695
424
738
643
769
790
803
605
$863
566
880
789
910
900
925
634
$857
551
876
781
907
899
921
682
$663
418
712
622
745
763
766
597
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 .........................................................
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
766
443
823
687
873
909
933
686
913
567
930
823
971
958
954
732
910
557
928
819
969
961
952
776
738
432
796
664
847
892
926
672
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 .........................................................
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
614
409
646
597
668
677
679
534
790
564
805
753
826
813
886
582
784
540
800
745
820
810
881
608
592
403
620
580
640
650
641
520
White, 16 years and over ................................................
Men ...............................................................................
Women .........................................................................
690
761
609
859
909
777
854
907
772
659
735
588
716
788
626
889
937
814
884
934
807
684
757
603
Black or African American, 16 years and over ...............
Men ...............................................................................
Women .........................................................................
554
591
519
707
745
665
694
734
656
520
557
502
569
600
533
732
768
697
727
763
691
533
573
513
Asian, 16 years and over ................................................
Men ...............................................................................
Women .........................................................................
784
882
699
834
838
828
840
852
824
774
888
681
830
936
731
853
867
842
881
898
871
823
940
712
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over ..............
Men ...............................................................................
Women .........................................................................
486
505
440
686
732
607
681
724
614
469
490
420
503
520
473
736
793
675
729
782
672
487
505
446
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: 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.
Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- time wage and salary workers.
Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their
businesses are incorporated.
Updated population controls are introduced
annually with the release of January data.
Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry
(Numbers in thousands)
2006
Occupation and industry
Members
of
unions 1
Total
employed
2007
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
43,105
5,522
12.8
6,288
14.6
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
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
4,703
3,471
32,986
13,883
19,103
507
307
2,319
430
1,889
13,366
880
7,617
4,870
17,211
8,964
8,247
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
44,547
5,853
13.1
6,656
14.9
5.9
5.3
7.1
20.0
5.6
8.9
11.8
17.0
5.7
41.7
17,003
11,656
5,348
27,543
3,252
2,744
1,270
2,187
1,288
8,288
849
530
319
5,004
157
215
113
326
71
3,087
5.0
4.5
6.0
18.2
4.8
7.8
8.9
14.9
5.5
37.2
1,020
633
386
5,636
188
240
138
375
83
3,439
6.0
5.4
7.2
20.5
5.8
8.7
10.9
17.1
6.4
41.5
140
904
2,658
340
1,067
353
7.2
14.2
12.3
11.3
36.6
4.7
1,955
6,558
21,784
2,987
3,025
7,500
152
883
2,481
304
1,066
325
7.8
13.5
11.4
10.2
35.2
4.3
182
992
2,692
332
1,127
371
9.3
15.1
12.4
11.1
37.2
4.9
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
4,642
3,631
32,978
14,079
18,900
497
289
2,386
462
1,925
10.7
8.0
7.2
3.3
10.2
549
314
2,659
521
2,138
11.8
8.6
8.1
3.7
11.3
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
13,325
876
7,708
4,742
2,252
23
1,434
794
16.9
2.7
18.6
16.8
2,363
28
1,480
855
17.7
3.2
19.2
18.0
2,920
1,392
1,528
17.0
15.5
18.5
3,094
1,468
1,626
18.0
16.4
19.7
17,133
8,903
8,231
2,699
1,243
1,456
15.8
14.0
17.7
2,874
1,314
1,560
16.8
14.8
19.0
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)
2006
Occupation and industry
Members
of
unions 1
Total
employed
2007
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
Private sector ............................................................................ 107,846
Agriculture and related industries .............................................
1,059
Nonagriculture and related industries ....................................... 106,786
Mining ....................................................................................
632
Construction ..........................................................................
8,444
Manufacturing ........................................................................
15,643
Durable goods ..................................................................
10,072
Nondurable goods ............................................................
5,571
Wholesale and retail trade .....................................................
19,245
Wholesale trade .................................................................
4,100
Retail trade ........................................................................
15,145
Transportation and utilities ....................................................
5,299
Transportation and warehousing .......................................
4,459
Utilities ...............................................................................
840
3
3,105
Information ..........................................................................
Publishing, except internet ................................................
833
Motion pictures and sound recording ................................
296
Broadcasting, except internet ............................................
522
Telecommunications ..........................................................
1,183
Financial activities .................................................................
8,841
Finance and insurance ......................................................
6,503
Finance .........................................................................
4,308
Insurance ......................................................................
2,195
Real estate and rental and leasing ....................................
2,338
Professional and business services ......................................
11,398
Professional and technical services ..................................
6,601
Management, administrative, and waste services .............
4,798
Education and health services ...............................................
17,853
Educational services ..........................................................
3,540
Health care and social assistance .....................................
14,313
Leisure and hospitality ...........................................................
10,638
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...................................
1,781
Accommodation and food services ....................................
8,857
Accommodation .............................................................
1,422
Food services and drinking places ................................
7,436
5,689
Other services 3 .....................................................................
Other services, except private households ........................
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
Public sector .............................................................................
Federal government ...............................................................
State government ...................................................................
Local government ...................................................................
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
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
108,714
1,046
107,668
705
8,561
15,341
9,770
5,571
18,896
3,951
14,945
5,488
4,654
834
3,211
850
309
588
1,186
8,858
6,531
4,313
2,218
2,327
12,022
6,962
5,060
18,120
3,513
14,607
10,956
1,966
8,990
1,414
7,575
5,510
4,727
8,114
16
8,098
66
1,193
1,734
1,107
628
990
205
785
1,211
974
237
389
62
35
51
233
174
99
55
45
74
290
98
191
1,591
444
1,147
302
122
180
109
70
159
150
7.5
1.5
7.5
9.3
13.9
11.3
11.3
11.3
5.2
5.2
5.3
22.1
20.9
28.4
12.1
7.3
11.5
8.7
19.7
2.0
1.5
1.3
2.0
3.2
2.4
1.4
3.8
8.8
12.6
7.9
2.8
6.2
2.0
7.7
.9
2.9
3.2
8,870
19
8,851
72
1,232
1,845
1,172
673
1,075
224
851
1,282
1,037
245
420
65
39
62
246
215
129
76
53
86
360
147
213
1,815
529
1,286
354
138
217
123
94
181
172
8.2
1.8
8.2
10.2
14.4
12.0
12.0
12.1
5.7
5.7
5.7
23.4
22.3
29.4
13.1
7.7
12.5
10.6
20.8
2.4
2.0
1.8
2.4
3.7
3.0
2.1
4.2
10.0
15.1
8.8
3.2
7.0
2.4
8.7
1.2
3.3
3.6
21,053
3,423
6,384
11,246
7,557
916
1,943
4,698
35.9
26.8
30.4
41.8
8,373
1,079
2,168
5,126
39.8
31.5
34.0
45.6
INDUSTRY
20,392
3,381
6,102
10,908
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: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and
salary workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or
not their businesses are incorporated. Updated population controls are introduced
annually with the release of January data.
Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry
2006
Occupation and industry
Total
Members of
unions 1
2007
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion
Total
Members of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion
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.
$967
$966
$962
$968
$996
$996
$992
$996
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
1,080
1,161
941
951
1,229
1,213
1,053
755
1,148
841
1,066
1,172
934
987
1,188
1,179
1,147
920
1,180
959
1,072
1,165
950
980
1,204
1,178
1,144
909
1,151
947
1,081
1,160
940
942
1,231
1,221
1,036
732
1,148
742
841
905
422
423
693
371
968
995
638
484
918
484
964
979
629
481
913
482
823
889
404
417
585
366
829
920
454
454
719
385
1,000
1,005
666
502
954
502
1,009
1,019
654
502
946
495
807
906
421
446
610
379
406
407
589
628
572
524
530
706
671
713
520
529
697
656
705
393
397
578
627
549
422
434
598
643
581
551
585
717
648
726
543
585
715
648
724
407
420
587
643
560
653
387
619
742
934
(3)
941
931
925
(3)
933
922
608
383
582
709
670
372
646
749
973
(3)
976
975
961
(3)
968
962
617
369
597
709
557
559
556
741
730
752
733
723
743
519
525
512
577
581
570
759
761
757
753
755
750
540
552
523
Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry—Continued
2006
Occupation and industry
Total
Members of
unions 1
2007
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion
Total
Members of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion
INDUSTRY
Private sector ........................................................................
Agriculture and related industries .........................................
Nonagriculture and related 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 ....................
$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
$666
412
670
969
673
719
744
669
587
720
538
738
696
994
891
881
889
786
951
782
820
835
795
691
783
1,031
524
671
766
644
440
587
413
492
399
581
600
$818
(3)
819
960
1,000
783
818
714
639
756
608
902
846
1,056
1,000
931
(3)
3
( )
1,003
728
722
717
3
( )
739
800
991
733
779
824
752
580
633
534
554
476
803
822
$813
(3)
814
950
993
779
815
712
632
753
601
894
835
1,052
994
933
3
( )
1,010
1,000
738
746
773
735
718
822
1,041
686
781
812
762
572
634
528
546
490
789
806
$651
411
654
975
624
708
732
659
584
717
532
695
657
954
867
877
797
770
927
784
822
836
799
690
782
1,031
519
657
754
632
431
581
410
481
398
574
593
Public sector .........................................................................
Federal government ...........................................................
State government ...............................................................
Local government ...............................................................
773
919
746
754
871
896
835
876
865
900
824
868
717
938
699
656
816
965
772
787
901
927
865
907
896
933
856
899
749
996
731
688
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: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-time wage and salary
workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their
businesses are incorporated. Updated population controls are introduced annually
with the release of January data.
Table 5. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state
(Numbers in thousands)
2006
Members of
unions 1
State
Total
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
2007
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Members of
unions 1
Total
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Alabama ...............................................................................
Alaska ...................................................................................
Arizona .................................................................................
Arkansas ...............................................................................
California ..............................................................................
Colorado ...............................................................................
Connecticut ...........................................................................
Delaware ..............................................................................
District of Columbia ..............................................................
Florida ...................................................................................
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
1,895
284
2,619
1,154
14,856
2,204
1,617
396
278
7,741
180
68
230
62
2,474
191
253
47
29
455
9.5
23.8
8.8
5.4
16.7
8.7
15.6
12.0
10.3
5.9
201
70
255
75
2,650
202
269
50
38
562
10.6
24.7
9.7
6.5
17.8
9.2
16.6
12.8
13.6
7.3
Georgia .................................................................................
Hawaii ...................................................................................
Idaho .....................................................................................
Illinois ....................................................................................
Indiana ..................................................................................
Iowa ......................................................................................
Kansas ..................................................................................
Kentucky ...............................................................................
Louisiana ..............................................................................
Maine ....................................................................................
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
4,181
556
635
5,802
2,779
1,417
1,274
1,734
1,670
574
186
130
33
842
333
149
89
157
94
67
4.4
23.4
5.3
14.5
12.0
10.5
7.0
9.1
5.6
11.7
226
135
41
884
359
185
110
192
108
79
5.4
24.2
6.4
15.2
12.9
13.1
8.7
11.1
6.5
13.8
Maryland ...............................................................................
Massachusetts ......................................................................
Michigan ...............................................................................
Minnesota .............................................................................
Mississippi ............................................................................
Missouri ................................................................................
Montana ................................................................................
Nebraska ..............................................................................
Nevada .................................................................................
New Hampshire ....................................................................
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
2,598
2,882
4,193
2,460
1,068
2,585
399
836
1,177
631
335
379
819
400
72
275
54
65
182
61
12.9
13.2
19.5
16.3
6.7
10.7
13.5
7.8
15.4
9.7
376
402
865
419
95
308
62
81
208
70
14.5
14.0
20.6
17.0
8.9
11.9
15.6
9.7
17.7
11.2
New Jersey ...........................................................................
New Mexico ..........................................................................
New York ..............................................................................
North Carolina ......................................................................
North Dakota ........................................................................
Ohio ......................................................................................
Oklahoma .............................................................................
Oregon ..................................................................................
Pennsylvania ........................................................................
Rhode Island ........................................................................
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
3,897
800
8,150
3,771
303
5,187
1,456
1,582
5,496
497
748
62
2,055
114
19
730
103
227
830
75
19.2
7.7
25.2
3.0
6.4
14.1
7.1
14.3
15.1
15.0
802
91
2,146
147
23
797
124
243
910
78
20.6
11.4
26.3
3.9
7.6
15.4
8.5
15.4
16.6
15.8
South Carolina ......................................................................
South Dakota ........................................................................
Tennessee ............................................................................
Texas ....................................................................................
Utah ......................................................................................
Vermont ................................................................................
Virginia ..................................................................................
Washington ...........................................................................
West Virginia ........................................................................
Wisconsin .............................................................................
Wyoming ...............................................................................
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
1,873
354
2,596
9,899
1,153
288
3,502
2,874
724
2,631
239
78
23
138
463
67
30
129
579
97
376
19
4.1
6.5
5.3
4.7
5.8
10.4
3.7
20.2
13.3
14.3
7.9
111
27
166
566
78
35
167
616
107
405
22
5.9
7.7
6.4
5.7
6.8
12.2
4.8
21.4
14.7
15.4
9.4
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: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and
salary workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether
or not their businesses are incorporated. Updated population controls are
introduced annually with the release of January data.
Pacific
ALASKA
CALIF.
ORE.
NEV.
WASH.
HAWAII
ARIZ.
UTAH
IDAHO
N.M.
COLO.
WYO.
MONT.
Mountain
TEXAS
LA.
ARK.
MO.
IOWA
MINN.
West
South Central
OKLA.
KAN.
NEB.
S.D.
N.D.
West
North Central
ALA.
TENN.
IND.
KY.
MICH.
OHIO
GA.
FLA.
S.C.
W.VA.
N.C.
VA.
MD.
PA.
#
N.Y.
#
#
South
Atlantic
DEL.
4.9% or less
5.0% - 9.9%
10.0% - 14.9%
15.0% - 19.9%
20.0% or more
D.C.
CONN. R.I.
#
#
MASS.
MAINE
N.H.
N.J.
#
VT.
New England
Middle
Atlantic
East
North Central
East
South Central
MISS.
ILL.
WIS.
(U.S. rate = 12.1 percent)
Chart 1. Union Membership rates by state, 2007 annual averages