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Bureau of Labor Statistics
Technical information:
(202) 691-6378
http://www.bls.gov/cps/
Media contact:
(202) 691-5902
United States
Department
of Labor
Washington, D.C. 20212
USDL 09-0095
For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
UNION MEMBERS IN 2008
In 2008, union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage and salary workers, up from
12.1 percent a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
The number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16.1 million. In 1983, the first year for
which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were
17.7 million union workers.
The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS). The
CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment and unemployment among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over.
Some highlights from the 2008 data are:
•
Government workers were nearly five times more likely to belong to a union than were private
sector employees.
•
Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the highest unionization rate at 38.7
percent.
•
Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white, Asian, or Hispanic
workers.
•
Among states, New York had the highest union membership rate (24.9 percent) and North
Carolina had the lowest rate (3.5 percent).
Membership by Industry and Occupation
The union membership rate for public sector workers (36.8 percent) was substantially higher than
the rate for private industry workers (7.6 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers
had the highest union membership rate, 42.2 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 (22.2 percent), telecommunications (19.3 percent), and construction (15.6 percent). In 2008, unionization rates were relatively
low in financial activities (1.8 percent) and professional and business services (2.1 percent). (See
table 3.)
2
Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations (38.7 percent) and
protective service occupations (35.4 percent) had the highest unionization rates in 2008. Sales and
related occupations (3.3 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (4.3 percent) had the
lowest unionization rates. (See table 3.)
Demographic Characteristics of Union Members
The union membership rate was higher for men (13.4 percent) than for women (11.4 percent) in
2008. (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. Between 1983 and 2008, the
union membership rate for men declined by 11.3 percentage points, while the rate for women declined
by 3.2 percentage points.
In 2008, black workers were more likely to be union members (14.5 percent) than workers who
were white (12.2 percent), Asian (10.6 percent), or Hispanic (10.6 percent). Black men had the highest
union membership rate (15.9 percent), while Asian men had the lowest rate (9.6 percent).
By age, union membership rates were highest among workers 55 to 64 years old (16.6 percent) and
45 to 54 years old (16.0 percent). The lowest union membership rates occurred among those ages 16 to
24 (5.0 percent). Full-time workers were about twice as likely as part-time workers to be union
members, 13.7 compared with 6.7 percent. (See table 1.)
Union Representation of Nonmembers
About 1.7 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union on their main job in 2008,
while not being union members themselves. (See table 1.) About half of these workers were employed
in government. (See table 3.)
Earnings
In 2008, among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $886 while those who were not represented by unions had median weekly earnings of $691.
(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 2008, 29 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the U.S.
average, 12.4 percent, while 20 states had higher rates, and 1 state had 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 rose over the year in 26 states and the District of Columbia, declined
in 20 states, and were unchanged in 4 states. (See table 5 and chart 1.)
3
Six states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2008, with North Carolina having the
lowest rate (3.5 percent). The next lowest rates were recorded in Georgia (3.7 percent), South Carolina
(3.9 percent), Virginia (4.1 percent), Texas (4.5 percent), and Louisiana (4.6 percent). Three states had
union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2008—New York (24.9 percent), Hawaii (24.3 percent),
and Alaska (23.5 percent).
The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.7 million) and New York (2.0 million). About half (8.0 million) of the 16.1 million union members in the U.S. lived in just 6 states
(California, 2.7 million; New York, 2.0 million; Illinois, 0.9 million; Pennsylvania, 0.8 million; Michigan, 0.8 million; and Ohio, 0.7 million), though these states accounted for only one-third of wage and
salary employment nationally.
State union membership levels depend on both the employment level and union membership rate.
Texas, with 449,000 union members in 2008, had less than one-quarter as many union members as New
York, despite having over 1.8 million more wage and salary employees. Similarly, North Carolina and
Hawaii had a comparable number of union members (132,000 and 136,000, respectively), though North
Carolina's wage and salary employment level, at 3.8 million, was almost seven times that of Hawaii at
562,000.
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 self-employed
workers are excluded.
Union membership data for 2008 are not strictly
comparable with data for 2007 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 decrease the December 2007 employment
level by 598,000 and the unemployment level by 40,000.
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 2008" available on the BLS Web site at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.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: 1800-877-8339.
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 90-percent 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" available on the BLS Web site 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.
Nonunion. Data refer to workers who are neither
members of a union nor represented by a union on their job.
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 $50wide 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)
2007
Characteristic
Members
of
unions 1
Total
employed
2008
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
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
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
129,377
18,705
110,672
29,276
29,708
29,787
17,430
4,471
16,098
930
15,168
3,120
3,993
4,767
2,887
401
12.4
5.0
13.7
10.7
13.4
16.0
16.6
9.0
17,761
1,062
16,699
3,443
4,365
5,228
3,209
454
13.7
5.7
15.1
11.8
14.7
17.6
18.4
10.2
AGE AND SEX
Total, 16 years and over ........................................................... 129,767
16 to 24 years .........................................................................
19,395
25 years and over ................................................................... 110,372
25 to 34 years ........................................................................
29,409
35 to 44 years ........................................................................
30,296
45 to 54 years ........................................................................
29,731
55 to 64 years ........................................................................
16,752
65 years and over ..................................................................
4,183
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 ..................................................................
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
66,846
9,537
57,309
15,780
15,653
14,988
8,657
2,230
8,938
555
8,383
1,750
2,307
2,608
1,525
193
13.4
5.8
14.6
11.1
14.7
17.4
17.6
8.7
9,724
617
9,107
1,909
2,491
2,812
1,682
213
14.5
6.5
15.9
12.1
15.9
18.8
19.4
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 ..................................................................
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
62,532
9,168
53,364
13,496
14,055
14,799
8,773
2,241
7,160
374
6,785
1,370
1,685
2,159
1,363
208
11.4
4.1
12.7
10.1
12.0
14.6
15.5
9.3
8,036
445
7,592
1,534
1,874
2,416
1,527
241
12.9
4.8
14.2
11.4
13.3
16.3
17.4
10.7
White, 16 years and over ........................................................ 105,515
Men ........................................................................................
55,771
Women ..................................................................................
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
105,052
55,197
49,855
12,863
7,309
5,555
12.2
13.2
11.1
14,222
7,961
6,261
13.5
14.4
12.6
RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX
Black or African American, 16 years and over .......................
Men ........................................................................................
Women ..................................................................................
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
15,030
6,809
8,221
2,178
1,081
1,097
14.5
15.9
13.3
2,370
1,159
1,211
15.8
17.0
14.7
Asian, 16 years and over ........................................................
Men ........................................................................................
Women ..................................................................................
6,016
3,168
2,849
654
324
330
10.9
10.2
11.6
720
348
372
12.0
11.0
13.1
6,157
3,216
2,941
653
310
344
10.6
9.6
11.7
714
339
374
11.6
10.6
12.7
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over ......................
Men ........................................................................................
Women ..................................................................................
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
18,572
10,998
7,574
1,960
1,204
756
10.6
11.0
10.0
2,168
1,317
852
11.7
12.0
11.2
Full-time workers .................................................................... 107,339
Part-time workers ...................................................................
22,172
14,201
1,437
13.2
6.5
15,570
1,635
14.5
7.4
106,648
22,497
14,561
1,505
13.7
6.7
16,029
1,697
15.0
7.5
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
2007
Characteristic
Total
Members of
unions 1
2008
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion 3
Total
Members of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion 3
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 ..........................................................
$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
$722
443
761
666
804
822
825
644
$886
560
903
801
933
944
927
771
$880
549
898
793
926
941
922
773
$691
434
736
645
775
785
790
627
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 ..........................................................
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
798
461
857
704
915
944
943
753
939
571
957
845
994
1,003
967
864
937
565
956
839
991
1,005
965
886
766
451
828
682
896
922
935
736
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 ..........................................................
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
638
420
670
623
682
707
711
563
809
546
825
748
842
853
875
693
800
530
818
740
838
847
866
672
615
416
645
609
657
674
675
542
White, 16 years and over ................................................
Men ................................................................................
Women ..........................................................................
716
788
626
889
937
814
884
934
807
684
757
603
742
825
654
914
967
837
907
965
828
712
789
627
Black or African American, 16 years and over ...............
Men ................................................................................
Women ..........................................................................
569
600
533
732
768
697
727
763
691
533
573
513
589
620
554
720
756
674
712
751
668
564
598
523
Asian, 16 years and over ................................................
Men ................................................................................
Women ..........................................................................
830
936
731
853
867
842
881
898
871
823
940
712
861
966
753
902
927
880
908
939
880
852
973
737
Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over ..............
Men ................................................................................
Women ..........................................................................
503
520
473
736
793
675
729
782
672
487
505
446
529
559
501
733
778
654
724
765
656
512
526
487
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.
3 Data refer to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented
by a union on their job.
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 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry
(Numbers in thousands)
2007
Occupation and industry
Members
of
unions 1
Total
employed
2008
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
44,547
5,853
13.1
6,656
14.9
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
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
4,642
3,631
32,978
14,079
18,900
13,325
876
7,708
4,742
17,133
8,903
8,231
497
289
2,386
462
1,925
2,252
23
1,434
794
2,699
1,243
1,456
10.7
8.0
7.2
3.3
10.2
16.9
2.7
18.6
16.8
15.8
14.0
17.7
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
45,538
6,110
13.4
6,948
15.3
6.0
5.4
7.2
20.5
5.8
8.7
10.9
17.1
6.4
41.5
17,326
11,843
5,483
28,212
3,488
2,746
1,209
2,222
1,318
8,424
866
564
302
5,244
170
203
106
363
74
3,259
5.0
4.8
5.5
18.6
4.9
7.4
8.8
16.3
5.6
38.7
1,039
679
360
5,909
210
233
132
406
87
3,630
6.0
5.7
6.6
20.9
6.0
8.5
10.9
18.3
6.6
43.1
182
992
2,692
332
1,127
371
9.3
15.1
12.4
11.1
37.2
4.9
1,994
6,813
22,114
3,028
3,023
7,694
141
928
2,624
296
1,069
401
7.1
13.6
11.9
9.8
35.4
5.2
167
1,045
2,831
317
1,122
444
8.4
15.3
12.8
10.5
37.1
5.8
549
314
2,659
521
2,138
2,363
28
1,480
855
2,874
1,314
1,560
11.8
8.6
8.1
3.7
11.3
17.7
3.2
19.2
18.0
16.8
14.8
19.0
4,648
3,721
32,479
13,708
18,770
12,444
901
6,876
4,668
16,802
8,601
8,202
534
324
2,395
447
1,949
2,208
39
1,391
778
2,760
1,269
1,491
11.5
8.7
7.4
3.3
10.4
17.7
4.3
20.2
16.7
16.4
14.8
18.2
592
357
2,710
531
2,179
2,303
46
1,445
812
2,968
1,370
1,599
12.7
9.6
8.3
3.9
11.6
18.5
5.1
21.0
17.4
17.7
15.9
19.5
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)
2007
Occupation and industry
Members
of
unions 1
Total
employed
2008
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
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
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
Total
employed
Represented
by unions 2
Total
Percent
of
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
108,073
1,057
107,016
776
7,652
15,131
9,728
5,403
18,622
3,635
14,987
5,544
4,639
906
3,056
717
337
561
1,184
8,654
6,536
4,312
2,224
2,118
11,967
7,234
4,733
18,841
3,657
15,184
11,187
2,044
9,144
1,447
7,696
5,585
4,785
8,265
30
8,236
54
1,195
1,723
1,139
584
976
194
782
1,231
988
243
388
52
38
53
228
157
86
45
41
71
253
93
159
1,723
504
1,219
361
131
231
115
116
175
164
7.6
2.8
7.7
6.9
15.6
11.4
11.7
10.8
5.2
5.3
5.2
22.2
21.3
26.9
12.7
7.2
11.4
9.5
19.3
1.8
1.3
1.0
1.9
3.3
2.1
1.3
3.4
9.1
13.8
8.0
3.2
6.4
2.5
7.9
1.5
3.1
3.4
9,084
35
9,049
61
1,241
1,862
1,223
639
1,096
214
881
1,298
1,041
257
420
62
39
59
242
199
115
62
53
84
324
128
196
1,940
584
1,356
408
150
258
120
138
200
185
8.4
3.4
8.5
7.9
16.2
12.3
12.6
11.8
5.9
5.9
5.9
23.4
22.4
28.3
13.7
8.7
11.7
10.6
20.4
2.3
1.8
1.4
2.4
4.0
2.7
1.8
4.1
10.3
16.0
8.9
3.6
7.3
2.8
8.3
1.8
3.6
3.9
21,305
3,542
6,176
11,586
7,832
994
1,955
4,884
36.8
28.1
31.6
42.2
8,676
1,167
2,167
5,342
40.7
33.0
35.1
46.1
INDUSTRY
Private sector .............................................................................. 108,714
Agriculture and related industries .............................................
1,046
Nonagriculture and related industries ....................................... 107,668
Mining ....................................................................................
705
Construction ..........................................................................
8,561
Manufacturing ........................................................................
15,341
Durable goods manufacturing ...........................................
9,770
Nondurable goods manufacturing .....................................
5,571
Wholesale and retail trade .....................................................
18,896
Wholesale trade .................................................................
3,951
Retail trade ........................................................................
14,945
Transportation and utilities ....................................................
5,488
Transportation and warehousing .......................................
4,654
Utilities ...............................................................................
834
3,211
Information 3 ..........................................................................
Publishing, except Internet ................................................
850
Motion pictures and sound recording ................................
309
Broadcasting, except Internet ............................................
588
Telecommunications ..........................................................
1,186
Financial activities .................................................................
8,858
Finance and insurance ......................................................
6,531
Finance .........................................................................
4,313
Insurance ......................................................................
2,218
Real estate and rental and leasing ....................................
2,327
Professional and business services ......................................
12,022
Professional and technical services ..................................
6,962
Management, administrative, and waste services .............
5,060
Education and health services ...............................................
18,120
Educational services ..........................................................
3,513
Health care and social assistance .....................................
14,607
Leisure and hospitality ...........................................................
10,956
Arts, entertainment, and recreation ...................................
1,966
Accommodation and food services ....................................
8,990
Accommodation .............................................................
1,414
Food services and drinking places ................................
7,575
3
5,510
Other services .....................................................................
Other services, except private households ........................
4,727
Public sector .............................................................................
Federal ...................................................................................
State .......................................................................................
Local .......................................................................................
21,053
3,423
6,384
11,246
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 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
2007
Occupation and industry
Total
Members
of
unions 1
2008
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion 3
Total
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion 3
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.
$996
$996
$992
$996
$1,025
$1,028
$1,017
$1,028
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
1,128
1,204
974
980
1,242
1,244
1,035
788
1,174
866
1,113
1,235
925
1,018
1,149
1,223
1,169
983
1,186
974
1,120
1,236
943
1,004
1,139
1,243
1,144
978
1,265
957
1,129
1,199
978
973
1,248
1,244
1,018
743
1,169
765
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
882
962
475
465
748
402
1,110
1,070
691
526
990
502
1,098
1,061
679
526
983
496
858
943
440
457
620
398
422
434
598
643
581
551
585
717
648
726
543
585
715
648
724
407
420
587
643
560
431
475
614
656
601
596
580
741
679
749
593
570
736
683
744
412
463
603
655
585
670
372
646
749
577
581
570
973
(4)
976
975
759
761
757
961
(4)
968
962
753
755
750
617
369
597
709
540
552
523
702
420
688
774
594
595
593
990
(4)
992
1,002
777
765
789
984
(4)
989
994
770
759
779
647
418
621
729
560
567
550
Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry—Continued
2007
Occupation and industry
Total
Members
of
unions 1
2008
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion 3
Total
Members
of
unions 1
Represented
by unions 2
Nonunion 3
INDUSTRY
Private sector ..........................................................................
Agriculture and related industries .........................................
Nonagriculture and related industries ...................................
Mining ................................................................................
Construction ......................................................................
Manufacturing ....................................................................
Durable goods manufacturing .......................................
Nondurable goods manufacturing .................................
Wholesale and retail trade .................................................
Wholesale trade .............................................................
Retail trade ....................................................................
Transportation and utilities ................................................
Transportation and warehousing ...................................
Utilities ...........................................................................
Information 5 ......................................................................
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 5 .................................................................
Other services, except private households ....................
$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
(4)
819
960
1,000
783
818
714
639
756
608
902
846
1,056
1,000
931
(4)
4
( )
1,003
728
722
717
4
( )
739
800
991
733
779
824
752
580
633
534
554
476
803
822
$813
(4)
814
950
993
779
815
712
632
753
601
894
835
1,052
994
933
4
( )
(4)
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
$694
444
698
1,007
712
741
772
685
603
741
564
787
744
1,061
898
856
883
806
969
814
857
864
846
703
835
1,065
544
685
773
661
470
590
435
508
417
610
629
$838
(4)
840
1,024
1,014
796
829
729
643
775
598
958
897
1,161
1,011
(4)
(4)
(4)
1,006
782
762
4
( )
4
( )
789
814
1,129
682
795
892
756
584
651
563
605
497
878
893
$829
(4)
831
1,032
1,012
795
827
729
638
763
596
950
895
1,142
1,001
979
(4)
944
1,000
782
774
829
4
( )
783
817
1,140
695
798
868
768
575
638
552
602
491
810
849
$680
446
683
1,003
668
733
763
675
601
739
561
747
710
1,010
871
846
800
794
953
816
859
865
849
696
836
1,064
538
671
762
652
462
586
427
494
416
606
622
Public sector .........................................................................
Federal ...............................................................................
State ...................................................................................
Local ...................................................................................
816
965
772
787
901
927
865
907
896
933
856
899
749
996
731
688
842
972
812
814
923
949
900
925
918
959
889
917
766
989
753
719
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 refer to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented
by a union on their job.
4 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000.
5 Includes other industries, not shown separately.
NOTE: 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)
2007
Members of
unions 1
State
Total
employed
Total
Percent
of
employed
2008
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 ...................................................................................
1,895
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
1,858
289
2,579
1,158
14,889
2,254
1,625
391
288
7,573
181
68
227
68
2,740
181
275
52
35
482
9.8
23.5
8.8
5.9
18.4
8.0
16.9
13.4
12.2
6.4
199
71
254
85
2,909
208
291
57
41
601
10.7
24.7
9.8
7.3
19.5
9.2
17.9
14.7
14.3
7.9
Georgia .................................................................................
Hawaii ...................................................................................
Idaho .....................................................................................
Illinois ....................................................................................
Indiana ..................................................................................
Iowa ......................................................................................
Kansas ..................................................................................
Kentucky ...............................................................................
Louisiana ..............................................................................
Maine ....................................................................................
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
4,084
562
602
5,662
2,811
1,437
1,273
1,703
1,724
574
151
136
42
939
349
153
89
146
80
71
3.7
24.3
7.1
16.6
12.4
10.6
7.0
8.6
4.6
12.3
189
143
48
993
386
187
111
163
97
84
4.6
25.5
8.0
17.5
13.7
13.0
8.7
9.6
5.6
14.7
Maryland ...............................................................................
Massachusetts ......................................................................
Michigan ...............................................................................
Minnesota .............................................................................
Mississippi ............................................................................
Missouri ................................................................................
Montana ................................................................................
Nebraska ..............................................................................
Nevada .................................................................................
New Hampshire ....................................................................
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
2,610
2,909
4,089
2,430
1,089
2,543
389
840
1,192
635
329
458
771
392
57
285
47
70
199
67
12.6
15.7
18.8
16.1
5.3
11.2
12.2
8.3
16.7
10.6
380
491
801
412
79
327
61
90
217
79
14.5
16.9
19.6
17.0
7.3
12.8
15.7
10.7
18.2
12.4
New Jersey ...........................................................................
New Mexico ..........................................................................
New York ..............................................................................
North Carolina ......................................................................
North Dakota ........................................................................
Ohio ......................................................................................
Oklahoma .............................................................................
Oregon ..................................................................................
Pennsylvania ........................................................................
Rhode Island ........................................................................
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
3,843
807
8,165
3,799
308
5,046
1,529
1,566
5,504
471
703
58
2,029
132
19
716
102
259
847
78
18.3
7.2
24.9
3.5
6.1
14.2
6.6
16.6
15.4
16.5
731
94
2,170
189
25
783
127
272
899
82
19.0
11.6
26.6
5.0
8.2
15.5
8.3
17.4
16.3
17.4
South Carolina ......................................................................
South Dakota ........................................................................
Tennessee ............................................................................
Texas ....................................................................................
Utah ......................................................................................
Vermont ................................................................................
Virginia ..................................................................................
Washington ...........................................................................
West Virginia ........................................................................
Wisconsin .............................................................................
Wyoming ...............................................................................
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
1,792
369
2,534
9,991
1,178
284
3,597
2,912
736
2,642
241
70
18
139
449
68
29
146
578
101
396
19
3.9
5.0
5.5
4.5
5.8
10.4
4.1
19.8
13.8
15.0
7.7
105
24
166
559
84
36
178
626
112
422
21
5.8
6.4
6.6
5.6
7.1
12.8
5.0
21.5
15.3
16.0
8.9
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 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 = 12.4 percent)
Chart 1. Union membership rates by state, 2008 annual averages