As a share of the total workforce, union representation is highest in New York (25 percent), Hawaii (21 percent) and Alaska (20 percent). By comparison, union workers account for less than 5 percent of the workforce in Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina and South Carolina. Factors influencing the presence of labor unions include types of industries employing workers and individual states' right-to-work protections.
The following table lists estimated 2016 labor union statistics by state. Note that a small number of nonunion members are represented by union contracts, so union representation is slightly higher than reported union membership estimates.
| State | Union Representation Rate | Union Represented Employees | Union Membership Rate | Union Members |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 9.0% | 170,000 | 8.1% | 153,000 |
| Alaska | 19.9% | 59,000 | 18.5% | 55,000 |
| Arizona | 5.5% | 151,000 | 4.5% | 122,000 |
| Arkansas | 5.0% | 59,000 | 3.9% | 47,000 |
| California | 17.5% | 2,796,000 | 15.9% | 2,551,000 |
| Colorado | 10.8% | 263,000 | 9.8% | 238,000 |
| Connecticut | 18.4% | 288,000 | 17.5% | 275,000 |
| Delaware | 13.3% | 56,000 | 11.4% | 48,000 |
| District of Columbia | 10.7% | 37,000 | 9.5% | 32,000 |
| Florida | 7.1% | 574,000 | 5.6% | 456,000 |
| Georgia | 4.9% | 210,000 | 3.9% | 165,000 |
| Hawaii | 20.9% | 125,000 | 19.9% | 119,000 |
| Idaho | 6.8% | 47,000 | 6.1% | 42,000 |
| Illinois | 15.3% | 856,000 | 14.5% | 812,000 |
| Indiana | 11.4% | 335,000 | 10.4% | 304,000 |
| Iowa | 10.5% | 153,000 | 8.9% | 129,000 |
| Kansas | 10.3% | 132,000 | 8.6% | 109,000 |
| Kentucky | 13.4% | 228,000 | 11.1% | 190,000 |
| Louisiana | 4.9% | 88,000 | 4.2% | 76,000 |
| Maine | 13.5% | 77,000 | 11.4% | 65,000 |
| Maryland | 12.3% | 347,000 | 11.0% | 310,000 |
| Massachusetts | 12.9% | 407,000 | 12.1% | 381,000 |
| Michigan | 15.5% | 651,000 | 14.4% | 606,000 |
| Minnesota | 15.2% | 388,000 | 14.2% | 365,000 |
| Mississippi | 8.1% | 90,000 | 6.6% | 73,000 |
| Missouri | 10.7% | 290,000 | 9.7% | 262,000 |
| Montana | 13.9% | 58,000 | 11.9% | 50,000 |
| Nebraska | 8.5% | 74,000 | 7.4% | 64,000 |
| Nevada | 15.0% | 182,000 | 12.1% | 146,000 |
| New Hampshire | 11.0% | 74,000 | 9.4% | 63,000 |
| New Jersey | 16.6% | 666,000 | 16.1% | 644,000 |
| New Mexico | 8.2% | 64,000 | 6.3% | 49,000 |
| New York | 25.2% | 2,075,000 | 23.6% | 1,942,000 |
| North Carolina | 4.1% | 174,000 | 3.0% | 129,000 |
| North Dakota | 7.0% | 25,000 | 5.5% | 20,000 |
| Ohio | 14.1% | 702,000 | 12.4% | 617,000 |
| Oklahoma | 6.6% | 97,000 | 5.4% | 80,000 |
| Oregon | 15.8% | 267,000 | 13.5% | 228,000 |
| Pennsylvania | 12.7% | 724,000 | 12.1% | 685,000 |
| Rhode Island | 16.9% | 81,000 | 15.5% | 74,000 |
| South Carolina | 2.6% | 52,000 | 1.6% | 32,000 |
| South Dakota | 7.0% | 26,000 | 5.2% | 20,000 |
| Tennessee | 6.4% | 174,000 | 5.7% | 158,000 |
| Texas | 5.3% | 606,000 | 4.0% | 462,000 |
| Utah | 6.0% | 79,000 | 4.7% | 62,000 |
| Vermont | 12.9% | 37,000 | 11.5% | 33,000 |
| Virginia | 6.0% | 226,000 | 4.3% | 160,000 |
| Washington | 18.7% | 577,000 | 17.4% | 539,000 |
| West Virginia | 13.2% | 88,000 | 11.8% | 79,000 |
| Wisconsin | 9.0% | 244,000 | 8.1% | 219,000 |
| Wyoming | 7.3% | 18,000 | 6.3% | 16,000 |
SOURCE: BLS, 2016 annual averages
Historical State Union Representation Data
Statistics indicate union membership among private sector employees has slowly declined for the past several decades. For the public workforce, union membership has remained stable:
