Share of workers represented by a union ranges from 3.0% in South Carolina to 25.5% in Hawaii: Union density of the 50 U.S. states plus D.C., in descending order and grouped into high-, medium-, and low-union-density states

 

High union density Medium union density Low union density
HI 25.5% MD 13.1% CO 8.1%
NY 21.8% MT 12.8% WI 7.8%
WA 18.5% ME 12.5% ND 7.1%
AK 17.3% KY 10.9% OK 7.0%
CA 16.9% NH 10.9% WY 6.9%
NJ 16.9% DC 10.8% TN 6.2%
CT 16.7% KS 10.3% FL 6.0%
OR 16.5% MO 10.1% ID 5.7%
RI 15.4% WV 10.0% TX 5.3%
VT 14.9% DE 9.5% AR 5.3%
MI 14.7% NM 9.5% VA 5.3%
MN 14.7% IN 9.4% AZ 5.2%
MA 14.3% IA 8.6% LA 5.1%
IL 14.0% NE 8.5% GA 5.1%
OH 13.6% MS 8.3% SD 4.0%
NV 13.6% UT 8.3% NC 3.4%
PA 13.4% AL 8.3% SC 3.0%
Economic Policy Institute

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.

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 2022 to 2024 for each state to give a more accurate estimate of states’ typical unionization rates over time. 

Source: EPI analysis of 2022–2024 Current Population Survey Outgoing Rotation Group (CPS-ORG) microdata for all workers ages 16 and older.

View the underlying data on epi.org.