In states where unions remained stronger, working people saw a bigger share of overall gains from economic growth: Percentage point change in union density vs. share of productivity growth that went to typical workers' compensation, by state, 1979–2024
| State | Percentage point change in union density, 1979-2024 | Share of productivity growth that went to typical workers’ compensation, 1979-2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | -16.6 | 27.4% |
| Alaska | -17.0 | 18.4% |
| Arizona | -11.6 | 27.2% |
| Arkansas | -11.1 | 47.1% |
| California | -12.2 | 13.2% |
| Colorado | -11.5 | 30.3% |
| Connecticut | -11.8 | 20.4% |
| Delaware | -19.5 | 15.3% |
| Florida | -8.5 | 27.7% |
| Georgia | -9.1 | 20.9% |
| Hawaii | -8.0 | 21.5% |
| Idaho | -15.8 | 29.5% |
| Illinois | -17.2 | 15.5% |
| Indiana | -23.3 | 20.8% |
| Iowa | -18.7 | 27.0% |
| Kansas | -8.4 | 23.7% |
| Kentucky | -14.3 | 27.1% |
| Louisiana | -10.5 | 25.9% |
| Maine | -8.6 | 39.9% |
| Maryland | -13.1 | 26.1% |
| Massachusetts | -10.7 | 28.5% |
| Michigan | -23.7 | 12.7% |
| Minnesota | -14.7 | 26.2% |
| Mississippi | -7.5 | 37.5% |
| Missouri | -13.4 | 24.9% |
| Montana | -15.8 | 41.6% |
| Nebraska | -10.7 | 25.7% |
| Nevada | -13.9 | 23.2% |
| New Hampshire | -6.0 | 32.7% |
| New Jersey | -13.6 | 27.5% |
| New Mexico | -8.0 | 22.5% |
| New York | -15.3 | 15.8% |
| North Carolina | -6.9 | 22.9% |
| North Dakota | -10.1 | 35.3% |
| Ohio | -20.7 | 19.8% |
| Oklahoma | -8.2 | 26.1% |
| Oregon | -15.5 | 22.1% |
| Pennsylvania | -21.8 | 21.9% |
| Rhode Island | -10.7 | 34.6% |
| South Carolina | -6.2 | 32.0% |
| South Dakota | -11.4 | 37.7% |
| Tennessee | -18.9 | 29.2% |
| Texas | -8.5 | 17.5% |
| Utah | -13.3 | 21.7% |
| Vermont | -2.2 | 44.5% |
| Virginia | -11.0 | 30.1% |
| Washington | -19.2 | 14.9% |
| West Virginia | -21.5 | 17.3% |
| Wisconsin | -22.3 | 33.4% |
| Wyoming | -14.5 | 22.9% |
Notes: The trendline shows that where unionization declined 10 percentage points less, the share of productivity growth between 1979 and 2024 that went to typical workers' compensation was 6.9 percentage points higher on average. The R-squared is 0.19. For more details on the gap between productivity and pay and how it is calculated, see https://www.epi.org/productivity-pay-gap/.
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; total U.S. economy hours and employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Office of Productivity and Technology; employment data from the BLS, Current Employment Statistics (CES) survey; wage data from the Current Population Survey, Outgoing Rotation Group (CPS-ORG); consumer price index data from the EPI, State of Working America Data Library; compensation data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA); and state and national GDP and Personal Income data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), 1978–1979 and 2022–2024.