Access to employer-provided retirements plan fell less in places where unionization fell less: Percentage point (ppt) change in union density vs. percentage point change in access to employer-provided retirement plan, by state, 1979–2023
| State | Percentage point change in union density, 1979-2023 | Percentage point change in the share of workers with access to an employer-provided retirement plan, 1979-2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | -16.6 | -11.4 |
| Alaska | -17.0 | -4.7 |
| Arizona | -11.6 | -17.7 |
| Arkansas | -11.1 | 0.8 |
| California | -12.2 | -10.6 |
| Colorado | -11.5 | -4.4 |
| Connecticut | -11.8 | -9.8 |
| Delaware | -19.5 | -11.6 |
| Florida | -8.5 | -8.5 |
| Georgia | -9.1 | -13.5 |
| Hawaii | -8.0 | -5.4 |
| Idaho | -15.8 | -4.2 |
| Illinois | -17.2 | -16.9 |
| Indiana | -23.3 | -16.3 |
| Iowa | -18.7 | -8.9 |
| Kansas | -8.4 | -8.6 |
| Kentucky | -14.3 | -15.6 |
| Louisiana | -10.5 | -8.8 |
| Maine | -8.6 | 1.2 |
| Maryland | -13.1 | -14.0 |
| Massachusetts | -10.7 | -5.4 |
| Michigan | -23.7 | -17.7 |
| Minnesota | -14.7 | 2.4 |
| Mississippi | -7.5 | -4.8 |
| Missouri | -13.4 | -12.9 |
| Montana | -15.8 | -6.3 |
| Nebraska | -10.7 | 6.3 |
| Nevada | -13.9 | -5.5 |
| New Hampshire | -6.0 | -7.8 |
| New Jersey | -13.6 | -10.4 |
| New Mexico | -8.0 | -4.7 |
| New York | -15.3 | -15.5 |
| North Carolina | -6.9 | -13.4 |
| North Dakota | -10.1 | 9.1 |
| Ohio | -20.7 | -15.3 |
| Oklahoma | -8.2 | -1.2 |
| Oregon | -15.5 | -6.7 |
| Pennsylvania | -21.8 | -19.1 |
| Rhode Island | -10.7 | -18.0 |
| South Carolina | -6.2 | -6.9 |
| South Dakota | -11.4 | 2.2 |
| Tennessee | -18.9 | -16.3 |
| Texas | -8.5 | -8.9 |
| Utah | -13.3 | -10.1 |
| Vermont | -2.2 | 7.8 |
| Virginia | -11.0 | -11.0 |
| Washington | -19.2 | -13.5 |
| West Virginia | -21.5 | -15.2 |
| Wisconsin | -22.3 | -5.5 |
| Wyoming | -14.5 | -1.8 |
Notes: The trendline shows that where unionization declined 10 percentage points less, access to employer-provided retirement plans declined 6.7 percentage points less on average. The R-squared for the trendline is 0.24.
Source: EPI analysis of 1978-1979 and 2022–2024 Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group (CPS-ORG) data for all workers ages 16 and older; Annual Social and Economic Supplement, IPUMS CPS.