Residents of high-union-density states are more likely to have health insurance: Average uninsured rate (2019) in high-, medium-, and low-union-density states, 2019
Union density | Uninsured rate |
---|---|
Low | 11.3% |
Medium | 7.4 |
High | 6.8 |
Notes: Union density is defined as the share of workers in the state who are represented by a union, including union members and other workers who are covered by a union contract, based on the variable “union” from EPI extracts of CPS-ORG microdata. We average union density data across 2015 to 2019 for each state to give a more accurate estimate of states’ typical unionization rates over time. Low-union-density states are the 17 states with the lowest average union densities from 2015–2019 (all less than 8%). Medium-union-density states are the 17 states (including D.C.) in the middle of the union-density rankings (with union densities ranging from 8.3% to 13.3%). High-union-density states are the 17 states with the highest average union densities from 2015–2019 (greater than or equal to 13.5%). See Table 1 for more detail about these groupings.
Sources: EPI analysis of 2015–2019 Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group (CPS-ORG) microdata for all workers ages 16 and older; Keisler-Starkey and Bunch, “Health Insurance Coverage in the United States,” U.S. Census Bureau, September 2020.