Amid dramatic decline in union membership since the 1970s, Black workers have held onto the highest rate of union membership for decades: Union membership rates, by race and ethnicity, 1973–2021
| Year | White | Black | Hispanic | AAPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 23.0% | 29.0% | 31.2% | |
| 1974 | 22.9% | 27.9% | 27.6% | |
| 1975 | 21.4% | 28.4% | 24.9% | |
| 1976 | 21.2% | 29.4% | 24.2% | |
| 1977 | 22.8% | 30.8% | 26.3% | |
| 1978 | 22.1% | 29.5% | 26.1% | |
| 1979 | 23.0% | 32.2% | 26.2% | |
| 1980 | 22.0% | 30.3% | 26.2% | |
| 1981 | 20.8% | 27.4% | 19.6% | |
| 1982 | 20.0% | 27.2% | 20.3% | |
| 1983 | 19.2% | 27.1% | 21.0% | |
| 1984 | 17.8% | 25.7% | 20.2% | |
| 1985 | 17.2% | 24.1% | 18.9% | |
| 1986 | 16.7% | 23.4% | 17.8% | |
| 1987 | 16.3% | 22.4% | 17.2% | |
| 1988 | 16.0% | 22.9% | 16.0% | |
| 1989 | 15.8% | 22.1% | 15.2% | 15.8% |
| 1990 | 15.5% | 21.0% | 14.4% | 16.0% |
| 1991 | 15.4% | 21.1% | 15.3% | 15.9% |
| 1992 | 15.1% | 21.1% | 14.6% | 14.3% |
| 1993 | 15.1% | 20.6% | 14.8% | 14.0% |
| 1994 | 15.0% | 20.2% | 14.2% | 16.0% |
| 1995 | 14.4% | 19.8% | 13.0% | 15.1% |
| 1996 | 14.2% | 18.9% | 12.9% | 12.2% |
| 1997 | 13.9% | 17.8% | 11.8% | 12.5% |
| 1998 | 13.7% | 17.7% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 1999 | 13.7% | 17.1% | 11.9% | 12.3% |
| 2000 | 13.4% | 17.2% | 11.2% | 11.5% |
| 2001 | 13.5% | 17.1% | 11.1% | 11.5% |
| 2002 | 13.3% | 17.2% | 10.6% | 11.6% |
| 2003 | 12.8% | 16.5% | 10.7% | 11.6% |
| 2004 | 12.7% | 15.1% | 10.1% | 11.6% |
| 2005 | 12.5% | 15.1% | 10.4% | 11.6% |
| 2006 | 12.1% | 14.5% | 9.8% | 10.8% |
| 2007 | 12.3% | 14.2% | 9.8% | 11.2% |
| 2008 | 12.6% | 14.4% | 10.6% | 11.0% |
| 2009 | 12.6% | 14.0% | 10.2% | 11.7% |
| 2010 | 12.1% | 13.5% | 10.0% | 10.9% |
| 2011 | 12.1% | 13.5% | 9.7% | 10.4% |
| 2012 | 11.4% | 13.2% | 9.8% | 9.8% |
| 2013 | 11.4% | 13.6% | 9.4% | 9.9% |
| 2014 | 11.3% | 13.1% | 9.2% | 10.7% |
| 2015 | 11.2% | 13.3% | 9.4% | 10.1% |
| 2016 | 11.0% | 12.9% | 8.8% | 9.3% |
| 2017 | 11.1% | 12.4% | 9.3% | 9.1% |
| 2018 | 10.8% | 12.4% | 9.1% | 8.8% |
| 2019 | 10.7% | 11.2% | 8.9% | 9.4% |
| 2020 | 11.0% | 12.3% | 9.8% | 9.3% |
| 2021 | 10.7% | 11.6% | 9.0% | 8.2% |
Notes: AAPI refers to Asian American and Pacific Islander. Race and ethnicity categories are mutually exclusive (i.e., white non-Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, AAPI non-Hispanic, and Hispanic any race). 1982 data on union membership is the average of 1981 and 1983, as there were no union status questions in the 1982 CPS.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey data from EPI Microdata Extracts, Version 1.0.29 (2022); https://microdata.epi.org.
Source: Economic Policy Institute analysis of Current Population Survey May, 1973–1981, and Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group, 1983–2021, public data series from EPI Microdata Extracts, Version 1.0.29 (2022); https://microdata.epi.org.