Trends in private-sector union coverage rates in manufacturing and (nonagricultural) nonmanufacturing, 1977–2019
| Manufacturing | Nonagriculture, nonmanufacturing | |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | 37.6% | 17.6% |
| 1978 | 36.7% | 16.9% |
| 1979 | 38.2% | 17.2% |
| 1980 | 34.8% | 16.7% |
| 1981 | 33.8% | 15.4% |
| 1982 | 32.2% | 14.9% |
| 1983 | 30.5% | 14.5% |
| 1984 | 28.4% | 13.2% |
| 1985 | 26.9% | 12.3% |
| 1986 | 25.8% | 11.8% |
| 1987 | 24.7% | 11.3% |
| 1988 | 23.8% | 11.0% |
| 1989 | 23.1% | 10.6% |
| 1990 | 22.2% | 10.6% |
| 1991 | 21.8% | 10.4% |
| 1992 | 21.0% | 10.2% |
| 1993 | 20.3% | 10.0% |
| 1994 | 19.6% | 9.9% |
| 1995 | 18.7% | 9.4% |
| 1996 | 18.3% | 9.2% |
| 1997 | 17.2% | 9.1% |
| 1998 | 16.8% | 8.8% |
| 1999 | 16.6% | 8.8% |
| 2000 | 15.6% | 8.6% |
| 2001 | 15.5% | 8.6% |
| 2002 | 15.1% | 8.3% |
| 2003 | 14.3% | 8.1% |
| 2004 | 13.9% | 7.8% |
| 2005 | 13.7% | 7.6% |
| 2006 | 12.5% | 7.4% |
| 2007 | 12.0% | 7.6% |
| 2008 | 12.3% | 7.8% |
| 2009 | 11.9% | 7.4% |
| 2010 | 11.6% | 7.1% |
| 2011 | 11.2% | 7.1% |
| 2012 | 10.5% | 6.9% |
| 2013 | 11.0% | 7.0% |
| 2014 | 10.5% | 7.0% |
| 2015 | 10.0% | 7.1% |
| 2016 | 9.6% | 7.0% |
| 2017 | 10.0% | 6.9% |
| 2018 | 9.7% | 6.8% |
| 2019 | 9.4% | 6.8% |
Sources: For the years 1973–1981 the May Current Population Survey (CPS); for the years 1983-2019 the CPS Outgoing Rotation Group (ORG) earnings files. Unionstats.com, Hirsh and Macpherson 2020.