Drop in union membership has taken $52 weekly out of nonunion working men’s wages: Additional weekly wages that nonunion private-sector workers would earn had the share of workers in a union (union density) remained the same as in 1979, by gender, 1979–2013 (2013 dollars)
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 1980 | 4.55 | 1.81 |
| 1981 | 7.34 | 2.50 |
| 1983 | 16.93 | 4.77 |
| 1984 | 22.11 | 6.18 |
| 1985 | 25.90 | 7.39 |
| 1986 | 28.29 | 8.14 |
| 1987 | 29.63 | 8.60 |
| 1988 | 31.24 | 9.19 |
| 1989 | 32.36 | 9.76 |
| 1990 | 33.57 | 10.07 |
| 1991 | 33.57 | 10.27 |
| 1992 | 33.58 | 10.57 |
| 1993 | 34.83 | 10.89 |
| 1995 | 38.96 | 11.74 |
| 1996 | 38.38 | 11.62 |
| 1997 | 40.31 | 12.33 |
| 1998 | 42.69 | 12.74 |
| 1999 | 43.50 | 12.84 |
| 2000 | 45.00 | 13.41 |
| 2001 | 46.29 | 13.48 |
| 2002 | 48.02 | 13.76 |
| 2003 | 49.62 | 13.91 |
| 2004 | 49.55 | 13.63 |
| 2005 | 50.49 | 13.89 |
| 2006 | 51.14 | 13.86 |
| 2007 | 51.98 | 14.09 |
| 2008 | 50.01 | 13.48 |
| 2009 | 50.07 | 12.87 |
| 2010 | 49.09 | 12.63 |
| 2011 | 50.08 | 13.48 |
| 2012 | 52.48 | 13.80 |
| 2013 | $52.39 | $13.80 |
Notes: Sample restricted to nonunion full-time workers in the private sector ages 16 to 64.
Source: Adapted from Figure C in Jake Rosenfeld, Patrick Denice and Jennifer Laird, Union Decline Lowers Wages of Nonunion Workers, Economic Policy Institute, August 2016. Data points are authors’ compilations from the Current Population Survey (CPS) May Supplement microdata and CPS Outgoing Rotation Group microdata.