Union coverage rates of essential and nonessential workers, 2019
| Nonunion | Covered by a union contract | Total | Union coverage rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nonessential workers | 77,001,277 | 9,547,325 | 86,548,602 | 11% |
| Essential workers | 48,390,250 | 6,827,595 | 55,217,845 | 12% |
| Food and agriculture | 10,525,787 | 872,445 | 11,398,233 | 8% |
| Emergency services | 897,396 | 952,233 | 1,849,630 | 51% |
| Transportation, warehouse, and delivery | 3,018,808 | 953,281 | 3,972,089 | 24% |
| Industrial, commercial, residential facilities and services | 5,888,684 | 917,723 | 6,806,407 | 13% |
| Health care | 14,999,008 | 1,680,867 | 16,679,875 | 10% |
| Government and community-based services | 4,206,269 | 383,801 | 4,590,070 | 8% |
| Communications and IT | 2,956,703 | 232,437 | 3,189,140 | 7% |
| Financial sector | 2,980,258 | 90,146 | 3,070,404 | 3% |
| Energy sector | 959,575 | 368,185 | 1,327,760 | 28% |
| Water and wastewater management | 79,712 | 28,134 | 107,846 | 26% |
| Chemical sector | 238,419 | 32,741 | 271,160 | 12% |
| Critical manufacturing | 1,639,631 | 315,602 | 1,955,233 | 16% |
Note: Code for the definition of essential services used here is available upon request.
Source: Economic Policy Institute (EPI) analysis of Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group microdata, EPI Current Population Survey Extracts, Version 1.0.2 (2020), https://microdata.epi.org