Labor union statistics at a glance
Labor union data in 2024 shows a labor market with sharp differences by sector, age, state, and pay. The headline is straightforward: union coverage is still a major feature of the U.S. workforce, but it is concentrated unevenly across industries and worker groups (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
If you want the fast read, the 2024 figures point to three big patterns:
- Union membership is much higher in the public sector than the private sector (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
- Younger workers are less likely to be union members than middle-aged workers, and earnings tend to rise across several age bands (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
- Some states and occupations have union rates several times higher than others, which makes location and job type a major part of the story (BLS Union Membership state table 2024; BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Contents
- Core 2024 union membership numbers
- Who is most likely to be in a union?
- Industry and occupation differences
- Pay differences for union members
- State-level union membership
- What the 2024 data says about labor unions
Core 2024 union membership numbers
The simplest way to read the 2024 labor union statistics is to start with the overall totals.
In 2024, 14.3 million wage and salary workers belonged to unions, equal to 9.9% of employed wage and salary workers (BLS Union Membership 2024 release). At the same time, 16.0 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union, equal to 11.1% of employed wage and salary workers (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
That gap matters. It shows that union representation extends beyond direct membership. The dataset also says union members numbered 14.3 million while nonmember workers covered by a union contract numbered 1.8 million in 2024 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Fast facts
- 14.3 million workers belonged to unions in 2024 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
- 16.0 million workers were represented by a union in 2024 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
- Union membership rate: 9.9% of employed wage and salary workers (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
- Union representation rate: 11.1% of employed wage and salary workers (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
- Nonmember workers covered by a union contract: 1.8 million (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
These figures give you the broad base for interpreting every other section. The rest of the data explains where union membership is clustered, where it is thin, and where it still translates into higher weekly earnings.
Who is most likely to be in a union?
Union membership differs a lot by work schedule, age, gender, race, and sector. The pattern is not random. The data shows stronger unionization in full-time work, in older age bands, and in public employment (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Work schedule and age
Full-time workers had a 10.7% union membership rate in 2024, compared with 5.7% for part-time workers (BLS Union Membership 2024 release). That is a large gap for a single labor characteristic and it suggests that union presence is more common in jobs tied to steadier schedules and, often, more established employment relationships.
Age also matters. In 2024, workers ages 16 to 24 had a 4.3% union membership rate, while workers ages 25 to 34 had an 8.8% rate (BLS Union Membership 2024 release). The rate rose to 10.8% for workers ages 35 to 44, 12.4% for workers ages 45 to 54, and 12.3% for workers ages 55 to 64 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release). Workers age 65 and over had an 11.8% union membership rate (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
That age pattern is important because it shows that union membership is not evenly spread across a career. The youngest group in the dataset has the lowest rate, while the middle working ages are the highest.
Gender and race
The 2024 union membership rate for men was 10.0%, and for women it was 9.8% (BLS Union Membership 2024 release). The gap here is small, which tells you that gender differences exist but are not nearly as large as the differences by sector or occupation.
Race and ethnicity show a wider spread. White workers had a 9.8% union membership rate in 2024, Black workers had 11.5%, Asian workers had 8.9%, and Hispanic workers had 8.5% (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
A compact comparison helps show the structure of the data:
| Group | Union membership rate, 2024 |
|---|---|
| Men | 10.0% |
| Women | 9.8% |
| White workers | 9.8% |
| Black workers | 11.5% |
| Asian workers | 8.9% |
| Hispanic workers | 8.5% |
(BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
Industry and occupation differences
The labor union statistics become much more striking when broken out by industry and occupation. Some industries have union rates that are well above the national average, while others sit far below it.
Sectors with higher union rates
In 2024, the union membership rate for public-sector workers was 32.5%, compared with 5.9% in the private sector (BLS Union Membership 2024 release). That is the most visible split in the dataset.
Within government, local government had a 37.7% union membership rate, state government workers had 27.0%, and federal government workers had 28.0% (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Among selected industries, utilities had a 17.7% union membership rate, transportation and warehousing had 13.8%, and educational services had 13.2% (BLS Union Membership 2024 release). Construction also stood above the overall average at 10.3% (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Sectors with lower union rates
The same dataset shows several industries with very low union membership. Finance had a 0.8% union membership rate in 2024, insurance had 1.2%, professional and technical services had 1.2%, agriculture and related industries had 1.4%, and food services and drinking places had 1.6% (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
That spread is wide enough to change how you think about union density. The national average of 9.9% is not a useful one-number description of what is happening inside specific industries.
Occupations
Occupation-level data makes the same point. Education, training, and library occupations had a 32.4% union membership rate in 2024, and protective service occupations had a 31.1% rate (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Other occupations sat lower but still above or near the national average. Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations had a 10.5% union membership rate, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations had 11.7%, installation, maintenance, and repair occupations had 14.8%, production occupations had 11.6%, and transportation and material moving occupations had 13.2% (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Industry and occupation comparison table
| Category | 2024 union membership rate |
|---|---|
| Public-sector workers | 32.5% |
| Private-sector workers | 5.9% |
| Local government | 37.7% |
| State government | 27.0% |
| Federal government | 28.0% |
| Utilities | 17.7% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 13.8% |
| Educational services | 13.2% |
| Construction | 10.3% |
| Manufacturing | 7.8% |
| Finance | 0.8% |
| Insurance | 1.2% |
| Professional and technical services | 1.2% |
| Agriculture and related industries | 1.4% |
| Food services and drinking places | 1.6% |
| Education, training, and library occupations | 32.4% |
| Protective service occupations | 31.1% |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical occupations | 10.5% |
| Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | 11.7% |
| Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations | 14.8% |
| Production occupations | 11.6% |
| Transportation and material moving occupations | 13.2% |
(BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
That table makes one thing obvious: the labor union landscape is shaped much more by where you work than by the broad labor market alone.
Pay differences for union members
The 2024 data also includes weekly earnings, and the earnings gap between union members and nonunion workers is one of the strongest single signals in the dataset.
The median weekly earnings of union members were $1,337, compared with $1,138 for nonunion workers (BLS Union Membership 2024 release). The dataset also says that union members age 16 and over had median weekly earnings of $1,337, represented workers had median weekly earnings of $1,320, and nonunion workers had $1,138 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
The numbers should be read carefully. They do not prove causation on their own, but they do show a clear earnings difference aligned with union status.
Earnings by age among union members
The earnings pattern also varies by age band among union members:
- Ages 25 to 34: $1,130 median weekly earnings (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
- Ages 35 to 44: $1,436 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
- Ages 45 to 54: $1,481 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
- Ages 55 to 64: $1,468 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
- Age 65 and over: $1,172 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
This creates a clear middle-career earnings peak. The 45 to 54 group had the highest median weekly earnings among the listed age bands, followed closely by ages 55 to 64 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Earnings by race and ethnicity among union members
The dataset also breaks down median weekly earnings among union members by race and ethnicity:
- Black union members: $1,382 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
- White union members: $1,359 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
- Asian union members: $1,519 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
- Hispanic union members: $1,213 (BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
These figures show that earnings differ meaningfully inside union membership as well. Union status does not erase every wage gap, but the numbers show that unionized workers still sit at a high weekly earnings level relative to nonunion workers overall.
Earnings table
| Group | Median weekly earnings |
|---|---|
| Union members | $1,337 |
| Represented workers | $1,320 |
| Nonunion workers | $1,138 |
| Black union members | $1,382 |
| White union members | $1,359 |
| Asian union members | $1,519 |
| Hispanic union members | $1,213 |
(BLS Union Membership 2024 release)
State-level union membership
State data shows that union membership is geographically uneven, with some states far above the national average and others far below it.
In 2024, Hawaii had a 23.5% union membership rate among employed wage and salary workers, the highest rate in the state examples provided here (BLS Union Membership state table 2024). New York had 20.0%, Alaska had 17.7%, California had 16.3%, and Washington had 16.0% (BLS Union Membership state table 2024).
At the lower end, Texas had 4.5%, Florida had 4.7%, Virginia had 5.2%, South Carolina had 2.8%, and Wyoming had 5.6% (BLS Union Membership state table 2024).
State comparison table
| State | 2024 union membership rate |
|---|---|
| Hawaii | 23.5% |
| New York | 20.0% |
| Alaska | 17.7% |
| California | 16.3% |
| Washington | 16.0% |
| Texas | 4.5% |
| Florida | 4.7% |
| Virginia | 5.2% |
| South Carolina | 2.8% |
| Wyoming | 5.6% |
(BLS Union Membership state table 2024)
The range is wide. The highest listed state rate is more than eight times the South Carolina rate, which is a reminder that national labor union statistics hide a lot of local variation.
What the 2024 data says about labor unions
A careful reading of the 2024 labor union statistics points to a few durable themes.
First, union membership remains substantial in the U.S. workforce. The total of 14.3 million union members and 16.0 million represented workers is too large to treat as a niche phenomenon (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Second, unionization is highly uneven across worker groups. Public-sector workers are much more likely to be union members than private-sector workers, and several public occupations and educational fields show rates far above the national average (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Third, age matters. The youngest workers in the dataset have the lowest membership rate, while workers in the 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 age bands have the highest earnings and some of the highest union rates among age groups (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Fourth, the state data shows that labor unions are not distributed evenly across the country. Rates in Hawaii, New York, Alaska, California, and Washington stand out compared with much lower figures in Texas, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, and Wyoming (BLS Union Membership state table 2024).
Finally, the earnings numbers reinforce why the topic matters. The median weekly earnings of union members were higher than those of nonunion workers in 2024, and the dataset provides enough detail to show that this gap appears across several age and demographic slices (BLS Union Membership 2024 release).
Taken together, the 2024 labor union statistics show a workforce where union membership is still meaningful, but heavily shaped by sector, occupation, and geography.