Drop in union membership has taken $13 to $58 out of the weekly wages of workers with less than a college degree: Additional weekly wages that nonunion private-sector workers without a college degree would earn had the share of workers in a union (union density) remained the same as in 1979, 1979—2013 (2013 dollars)
| Year | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| 1980 | 4.82 | 1.87 |
| 1981 | 8.07 | 2.63 |
| 1983 | 18.61 | 4.94 |
| 1984 | 24.56 | 6.28 |
| 1985 | 28.66 | 7.46 |
| 1986 | 31.08 | 8.14 |
| 1987 | 32.58 | 8.61 |
| 1988 | 34.27 | 9.15 |
| 1989 | 35.80 | 9.60 |
| 1990 | 36.93 | 9.91 |
| 1991 | 36.88 | 10.04 |
| 1992 | 37.24 | 10.28 |
| 1993 | 38.82 | 10.61 |
| 1995 | 43.85 | 11.47 |
| 1996 | 42.63 | 11.21 |
| 1997 | 45.28 | 11.78 |
| 1998 | 47.87 | 12.27 |
| 1999 | 48.27 | 12.51 |
| 2000 | 49.74 | 12.93 |
| 2001 | 51.49 | 12.97 |
| 2002 | 53.57 | 13.27 |
| 2003 | 54.62 | 13.19 |
| 2004 | 54.80 | 12.85 |
| 2005 | 56.60 | 12.97 |
| 2006 | 57.52 | 13.15 |
| 2007 | 58.94 | 13.41 |
| 2008 | 56.21 | 12.60 |
| 2009 | 55.60 | 12.20 |
| 2010 | 54.73 | 11.81 |
| 2011 | 55.82 | 12.38 |
| 2012 | 58.32 | 12.77 |
| 2013 | $58.31 | $12.59 |
Notes: Sample restricted to nonunion full-time workers in the private sector ages 16 to 64. See the text and Methodological Appendix for details on the analysis.
Source: Authors’ compilations from the Current Population Survey (CPS) May Supplement microdata and CPS Outgoing Rotation Group microdata.