Bureau of Labor Statistics Washington, D.C. 20212 

Technical information: (202) 691-6378 USDL 09-0095 

 http://www.bls.gov/cps/ 

 For release: 10:00 A.M. (EST) 

Media contact: (202) 691-5902 Wednesday, January 28, 2009 

UNION MEMBERS IN 2008 

In 2008, union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage and salary workers, up from 

12.1 percent a year earlier, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. 

The number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16.1 million. In 1983, the first year for 

which comparable union data are available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent, and there were 

17.7 million union workers. 

The data on union membership were collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS). The 

CPS is a monthly survey of about 60,000 households that obtains information on employment and unemployment among the nation's civilian noninstitutional population age 16 and over. 

Some highlights from the 2008 data are: 

• Government workers were nearly five times more likely to belong to a union than were private 

sector employees. 

• Workers in education, training, and library occupations had the highest unionization rate at 38.7 

percent. 

• Black workers were more likely to be union members than were white, Asian, or Hispanic 

workers. 

• Among states, New York had the highest union membership rate (24.9 percent) and North 

Carolina had the lowest rate (3.5 percent). 

Membership by Industry and Occupation

The union membership rate for public sector workers (36.8 percent) was substantially higher than 

the rate for private industry workers (7.6 percent). Within the public sector, local government workers 

had the highest union membership rate, 42.2 percent. This group includes many workers in several 

heavily unionized occupations, such as teachers, police officers, and fire fighters. Private sector 

industries with high unionization rates include transportation and utilities (22.2 percent), telecommunications (19.3 percent), and construction (15.6 percent). In 2008, unionization rates were relatively 

low in financial activities (1.8 percent) and professional and business services (2.1 percent). (See 

table 3.) 

News United States 

Department 

of Labor 
2

Among occupational groups, education, training, and library occupations (38.7 percent) and 

protective service occupations (35.4 percent) had the highest unionization rates in 2008. Sales and 

related occupations (3.3 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (4.3 percent) had the 

lowest unionization rates. (See table 3.) 

Demographic Characteristics of Union Members

The union membership rate was higher for men (13.4 percent) than for women (11.4 percent) in 

2008. (See table 1.) The gap between their rates has narrowed considerably since 1983, when the rate 

for men was about 10 percentage points higher than the rate for women. Between 1983 and 2008, the 

union membership rate for men declined by 11.3 percentage points, while the rate for women declined 

by 3.2 percentage points. 

In 2008, black workers were more likely to be union members (14.5 percent) than workers who 

were white (12.2 percent), Asian (10.6 percent), or Hispanic (10.6 percent). Black men had the highest 

union membership rate (15.9 percent), while Asian men had the lowest rate (9.6 percent). 

By age, union membership rates were highest among workers 55 to 64 years old (16.6 percent) and 

45 to 54 years old (16.0 percent). The lowest union membership rates occurred among those ages 16 to 

24 (5.0 percent). Full-time workers were about twice as likely as part-time workers to be union 

members, 13.7 compared with 6.7 percent. (See table 1.) 

Union Representation of Nonmembers

About 1.7 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union on their main job in 2008, 

while not being union members themselves. (See table 1.) About half of these workers were employed 

in government. (See table 3.) 

Earnings

In 2008, among full-time wage and salary workers, union members had median usual weekly earnings of $886 while those who were not represented by unions had median weekly earnings of $691. 

(See table 2.) The difference reflects a variety of influences in addition to coverage by a collective 

bargaining agreement, including variations in the distributions of union members and nonunion employees by occupation, industry, firm size, or geographic region. (For a discussion of the problem of 

differentiating between the influence of unionization status and the influence of other worker characteristics on employee earnings, see "Measuring union-nonunion earnings differences," Monthly Labor 

Review, June 1990.) 

Union Membership by State

In 2008, 29 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the U.S. 

average, 12.4 percent, while 20 states had higher rates, and 1 state had the same rate. All states in the 

East North Central, Middle Atlantic, and Pacific divisions reported union membership rates at or above 

the national average, and all states in the East South Central and West South Central divisions had rates 

below it. Union membership rates rose over the year in 26 states and the District of Columbia, declined 

in 20 states, and were unchanged in 4 states. (See table 5 and chart 1.) 
3

Six states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2008, with North Carolina having the 

lowest rate (3.5 percent). The next lowest rates were recorded in Georgia (3.7 percent), South Carolina 

(3.9 percent), Virginia (4.1 percent), Texas (4.5 percent), and Louisiana (4.6 percent). Three states had 

union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2008—New York (24.9 percent), Hawaii (24.3 percent), 

and Alaska (23.5 percent). 

The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.7 million) and New York (2.0 million). About half (8.0 million) of the 16.1 million union members in the U.S. lived in just 6 states 

(California, 2.7 million; New York, 2.0 million; Illinois, 0.9 million; Pennsylvania, 0.8 million; Michigan, 0.8 million; and Ohio, 0.7 million), though these states accounted for only one-third of wage and 

salary employment nationally. 

State union membership levels depend on both the employment level and union membership rate. 

Texas, with 449,000 union members in 2008, had less than one-quarter as many union members as New 

York, despite having over 1.8 million more wage and salary employees. Similarly, North Carolina and 

Hawaii had a comparable number of union members (132,000 and 136,000, respectively), though North 

Carolina's wage and salary employment level, at 3.8 million, was almost seven times that of Hawaii at 

562,000. 
Technical Note 

The estimates in this release are obtained from the 

Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic 

information on the labor force, employment, and 

unemployment. The survey is conducted monthly for the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a 

scientifically selected national sample of about 60,000 

households. The union membership and earnings data are 

tabulated from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and 

are limited to wage and salary workers. All self-employed 

workers are excluded. 

Union membership data for 2008 are not strictly 

comparable with data for 2007 and earlier years because of 

the introduction of updated population controls with the 

release of January data. The effect of the revised population 

controls on the union membership estimates is unknown. 

However, the effect of the new controls on the monthly CPS 

estimates was to decrease the December 2007 employment 

level by 598,000 and the unemployment level by 40,000. 

The updated controls had little or no effect on unemployment 

rates and other ratios. For additional information, see 

"Adjustments to Household Survey Population Estimates in 

January 2008" available on the BLS Web site at 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps08adj.pdf. 

Information in this release will be made available to 

sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 

(202) 691-5200; TDD message referral phone number: 1-

800-877-8339. 

Reliability of the estimates 

Statistics based on the CPS are subject to both sampling 

and nonsampling error. When a sample, rather than the entire 

population, is surveyed, there is a chance that the sample 

estimates may differ from the "true" population values they 

represent. The exact difference, or sampling error, varies 

depending upon the particular sample selected, and this 

variability is measured by the standard error of the estimate. 

There is about a 90-percent chance, or level of confidence, 

that an estimate based on a sample will differ by no more 

than 1.6 standard errors from the "true" population value 

because of sampling error. BLS analyses are generally 

conducted at the 90-percent level of confidence. The state 

section of this release preserves the long-time practice of 

highlighting the direction of the movements in state union 

membership rates and levels regardless of their statistical 

significance. 

The CPS data also are affected by nonsampling error. 

Nonsampling error can occur for many reasons, including the 

failure to sample a segment of the population, inability to 

obtain information for all respondents in the sample, inability 

or unwillingness of respondents to provide correct 

information, and errors made in the collection or processing 

of the data. 

For a full discussion of the reliability of data from the 

CPS and information on estimating standard errors, see the 

Household Data section of the "Explanatory Notes and 

Estimates of Error" available on the BLS Web site at 

http://www.bls.gov/cps/eetech_methods.pdf. 

Definitions 

The principal definitions used in this release are 

described briefly below. 

Union members. Data refer to members of a labor 

union or an employee association similar to a union. 

Represented by unions. Data refer to union members, as 

well as workers who have no union affiliation but whose jobs 

are covered by a union or an employee association contract. 

Nonunion. Data refer to workers who are neither 

members of a union nor represented by a union on their job. 

Usual weekly earnings. Data represent earnings before 

taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, 

commissions, or tips usually received (at the main job in the 

case of multiple jobholders). Prior to 1994, respondents were 

asked how much they usually earned per week. Since 

January 1994, respondents have been asked to identify the 

easiest way for them to report earnings (hourly, weekly, 

biweekly, twice monthly, monthly, annually, other) and how 

much they usually earn in the reported time period. Earnings 

reported on a basis other than weekly are converted to a 

weekly equivalent. The term "usual" is as perceived by the 

respondent. If the respondent asks for a definition of usual, 

interviewers are instructed to define the term as more than 

half of the weeks worked during the past 4 or 5 months. 

Median earnings. The median is the amount which 

divides a given earnings distribution into two equal groups, 

one having earnings above the median and the other having 

earnings below the median. The estimating procedure places 

each reported or calculated weekly earnings value into $50-

wide intervals which are centered around multiples of $50. 

The actual value is estimated through the linear interpolation 

of the interval in which the median lies. 

Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, 

salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. 

The group includes employees in both the private and public 

sectors, but, for the purposes of the union membership and 

earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, 

regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. 

Full-time workers. Workers who usually work 35 hours 

or more per week at their sole or principal job. 

Part-time workers. Workers who usually work fewer 

than 35 hours per week at their sole or principal job. 

Hispanic or Latino ethnicity. Refers to persons who 

identified themselves in the enumeration process as being 

Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino. Persons whose ethnicity is 

identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 
Table 1. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by selected characteristics

(Numbers in thousands)

Characteristic

2007 2008

Total

employed

Members

of

unions 1

Represented

by unions 2

Total

employed

Members

of

unions 1

Represented

by unions 2

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over ........................................................... 129,767 15,670 12.1 17,243 13.3 129,377 16,098 12.4 17,761 13.7

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................... 19,395 939 4.8 1,068 5.5 18,705 930 5.0 1,062 5.7

 25 years and over ................................................................... 110,372 14,731 13.3 16,176 14.7 110,672 15,168 13.7 16,699 15.1

 25 to 34 years ........................................................................ 29,409 3,050 10.4 3,358 11.4 29,276 3,120 10.7 3,443 11.8

 35 to 44 years ........................................................................ 30,296 3,972 13.1 4,362 14.4 29,708 3,993 13.4 4,365 14.7

 45 to 54 years ........................................................................ 29,731 4,664 15.7 5,087 17.1 29,787 4,767 16.0 5,228 17.6

 55 to 64 years ........................................................................ 16,752 2,691 16.1 2,967 17.7 17,430 2,887 16.6 3,209 18.4

 65 years and over .................................................................. 4,183 355 8.5 402 9.6 4,471 401 9.0 454 10.2

 Men, 16 years and over .......................................................... 67,468 8,767 13.0 9,494 14.1 66,846 8,938 13.4 9,724 14.5

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................... 9,959 551 5.5 627 6.3 9,537 555 5.8 617 6.5

 25 years and over ................................................................... 57,509 8,217 14.3 8,867 15.4 57,309 8,383 14.6 9,107 15.9

 25 to 34 years ........................................................................ 15,994 1,736 10.9 1,884 11.8 15,780 1,750 11.1 1,909 12.1

 35 to 44 years ........................................................................ 16,070 2,318 14.4 2,501 15.6 15,653 2,307 14.7 2,491 15.9

 45 to 54 years ........................................................................ 15,040 2,578 17.1 2,745 18.3 14,988 2,608 17.4 2,812 18.8

 55 to 64 years ........................................................................ 8,286 1,403 16.9 1,532 18.5 8,657 1,525 17.6 1,682 19.4

 65 years and over .................................................................. 2,119 181 8.5 205 9.7 2,230 193 8.7 213 9.6

 Women, 16 years and over .................................................... 62,299 6,903 11.1 7,749 12.4 62,532 7,160 11.4 8,036 12.9

 16 to 24 years ......................................................................... 9,436 388 4.1 441 4.7 9,168 374 4.1 445 4.8

 25 years and over ................................................................... 52,863 6,514 12.3 7,308 13.8 53,364 6,785 12.7 7,592 14.2

 25 to 34 years ........................................................................ 13,416 1,313 9.8 1,474 11.0 13,496 1,370 10.1 1,534 11.4

 35 to 44 years ........................................................................ 14,226 1,653 11.6 1,861 13.1 14,055 1,685 12.0 1,874 13.3

 45 to 54 years ........................................................................ 14,691 2,086 14.2 2,341 15.9 14,799 2,159 14.6 2,416 16.3

 55 to 64 years ........................................................................ 8,466 1,288 15.2 1,435 17.0 8,773 1,363 15.5 1,527 17.4

 65 years and over .................................................................. 2,065 174 8.4 197 9.5 2,241 208 9.3 241 10.7

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY, AND SEX

 White, 16 years and over ........................................................ 105,515 12,487 11.8 13,715 13.0 105,052 12,863 12.2 14,222 13.5

 Men ........................................................................................ 55,771 7,134 12.8 7,708 13.8 55,197 7,309 13.2 7,961 14.4

 Women .................................................................................. 49,743 5,352 10.8 6,007 12.1 49,855 5,555 11.1 6,261 12.6

 Black or African American, 16 years and over ....................... 15,177 2,165 14.3 2,403 15.8 15,030 2,178 14.5 2,370 15.8

 Men ........................................................................................ 6,945 1,097 15.8 1,205 17.3 6,809 1,081 15.9 1,159 17.0

 Women .................................................................................. 8,232 1,067 13.0 1,198 14.6 8,221 1,097 13.3 1,211 14.7

 Asian, 16 years and over ........................................................ 6,016 654 10.9 720 12.0 6,157 653 10.6 714 11.6

 Men ........................................................................................ 3,168 324 10.2 348 11.0 3,216 310 9.6 339 10.6

 Women .................................................................................. 2,849 330 11.6 372 13.1 2,941 344 11.7 374 12.7

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over ...................... 18,778 1,837 9.8 2,026 10.8 18,572 1,960 10.6 2,168 11.7

 Men ........................................................................................ 11,163 1,108 9.9 1,208 10.8 10,998 1,204 11.0 1,317 12.0

 Women .................................................................................. 7,615 728 9.6 818 10.7 7,574 756 10.0 852 11.2

FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS 3

 Full-time workers .................................................................... 107,339 14,201 13.2 15,570 14.5 106,648 14,561 13.7 16,029 15.0

 Part-time workers ................................................................... 22,172 1,437 6.5 1,635 7.4 22,497 1,505 6.7 1,697 7.5

1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to

a union. 2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to

a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are

covered by a union or an employee association contract. 3 The distinction between full- and part-time workers is based on hours usually

worked. These data will not sum to totals because full- or part-time status on the

principal job is not identifiable for a small number of multiple jobholders.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American,

and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. 

Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary

workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not

their businesses are incorporated. Updated population controls are introduced

annually with the release of January data.
Table 2. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics

Characteristic

2007 2008

Total Members of

 unions 1

Represented

 by unions 2

Nonunion 3 Total Members of

 unions 1

Represented

 by unions 2

Nonunion 3

AGE AND SEX

Total, 16 years and over ................................................... $695 $863 $857 $663 $722 $886 $880 $691

 16 to 24 years ................................................................. 424 566 551 418 443 560 549 434

 25 years and over ........................................................... 738 880 876 712 761 903 898 736

 25 to 34 years ................................................................ 643 789 781 622 666 801 793 645

 35 to 44 years ................................................................ 769 910 907 745 804 933 926 775

 45 to 54 years ................................................................ 790 900 899 763 822 944 941 785

 55 to 64 years ................................................................ 803 925 921 766 825 927 922 790

 65 years and over .......................................................... 605 634 682 597 644 771 773 627

 Men, 16 years and over .................................................. 766 913 910 738 798 939 937 766

 16 to 24 years ................................................................. 443 567 557 432 461 571 565 451

 25 years and over ........................................................... 823 930 928 796 857 957 956 828

 25 to 34 years ................................................................ 687 823 819 664 704 845 839 682

 35 to 44 years ................................................................ 873 971 969 847 915 994 991 896

 45 to 54 years ................................................................ 909 958 961 892 944 1,003 1,005 922

 55 to 64 years ................................................................ 933 954 952 926 943 967 965 935

 65 years and over .......................................................... 686 732 776 672 753 864 886 736

 Women, 16 years and over ............................................ 614 790 784 592 638 809 800 615

 16 to 24 years ................................................................. 409 564 540 403 420 546 530 416

 25 years and over ........................................................... 646 805 800 620 670 825 818 645

 25 to 34 years ................................................................ 597 753 745 580 623 748 740 609

 35 to 44 years ................................................................ 668 826 820 640 682 842 838 657

 45 to 54 years ................................................................ 677 813 810 650 707 853 847 674

 55 to 64 years ................................................................ 679 886 881 641 711 875 866 675

 65 years and over .......................................................... 534 582 608 520 563 693 672 542

RACE, HISPANIC OR LATINO ETHNICITY,

AND SEX

 White, 16 years and over ................................................ 716 889 884 684 742 914 907 712

 Men ................................................................................ 788 937 934 757 825 967 965 789

 Women .......................................................................... 626 814 807 603 654 837 828 627

 Black or African American, 16 years and over ............... 569 732 727 533 589 720 712 564

 Men ................................................................................ 600 768 763 573 620 756 751 598

 Women .......................................................................... 533 697 691 513 554 674 668 523

 Asian, 16 years and over ................................................ 830 853 881 823 861 902 908 852

 Men ................................................................................ 936 867 898 940 966 927 939 973

 Women .......................................................................... 731 842 871 712 753 880 880 737

 Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 16 years and over .............. 503 736 729 487 529 733 724 512

 Men ................................................................................ 520 793 782 505 559 778 765 526

 Women .......................................................................... 473 675 672 446 501 654 656 487

1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to

a union. 2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to

a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are

covered by a union or an employee association contract. 3 Data refer to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented

by a union on their job.

 NOTE: Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American,

and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. 

Persons whose ethnicity is identified as Hispanic or Latino may be of any race. 

Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary

workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not

their businesses are incorporated. Updated population controls are introduced

annually with the release of January data.
Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation and industry

2007 2008

Total

employed

Members

of

unions 1

Represented

by unions 2

Total

employed

Members

of

unions 1

Represented

by unions 2

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

OCCUPATION

Management, professional, and related occupations ................. 44,547 5,853 13.1 6,656 14.9 45,538 6,110 13.4 6,948 15.3

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations .......................................................................... 17,003 849 5.0 1,020 6.0 17,326 866 5.0 1,039 6.0

 Management occupations .................................................. 11,656 530 4.5 633 5.4 11,843 564 4.8 679 5.7

 Business and financial operations occupations .................. 5,348 319 6.0 386 7.2 5,483 302 5.5 360 6.6

 Professional and related occupations ..................................... 27,543 5,004 18.2 5,636 20.5 28,212 5,244 18.6 5,909 20.9

 Computer and mathematical occupations .......................... 3,252 157 4.8 188 5.8 3,488 170 4.9 210 6.0

 Architecture and engineering occupations ......................... 2,744 215 7.8 240 8.7 2,746 203 7.4 233 8.5

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ................... 1,270 113 8.9 138 10.9 1,209 106 8.8 132 10.9

 Community and social services occupations ...................... 2,187 326 14.9 375 17.1 2,222 363 16.3 406 18.3

 Legal occupations ............................................................... 1,288 71 5.5 83 6.4 1,318 74 5.6 87 6.6

 Education, training, and library occupations ....................... 8,288 3,087 37.2 3,439 41.5 8,424 3,259 38.7 3,630 43.1

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

 occupations ...................................................................... 1,955 152 7.8 182 9.3 1,994 141 7.1 167 8.4

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ............. 6,558 883 13.5 992 15.1 6,813 928 13.6 1,045 15.3

Service occupations ................................................................... 21,784 2,481 11.4 2,692 12.4 22,114 2,624 11.9 2,831 12.8

 Healthcare support occupations ............................................. 2,987 304 10.2 332 11.1 3,028 296 9.8 317 10.5

 Protective service occupations ............................................... 3,025 1,066 35.2 1,127 37.2 3,023 1,069 35.4 1,122 37.1

 Food preparation and serving related occupations ................ 7,500 325 4.3 371 4.9 7,694 401 5.2 444 5.8

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

occupations .......................................................................... 4,642 497 10.7 549 11.8 4,648 534 11.5 592 12.7

 Personal care and service occupations .................................. 3,631 289 8.0 314 8.6 3,721 324 8.7 357 9.6

Sales and office occupations ...................................................... 32,978 2,386 7.2 2,659 8.1 32,479 2,395 7.4 2,710 8.3

 Sales and related occupations ............................................... 14,079 462 3.3 521 3.7 13,708 447 3.3 531 3.9

 Office and administrative support occupations ....................... 18,900 1,925 10.2 2,138 11.3 18,770 1,949 10.4 2,179 11.6

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 13,325 2,252 16.9 2,363 17.7 12,444 2,208 17.7 2,303 18.5

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ............................. 876 23 2.7 28 3.2 901 39 4.3 46 5.1

 Construction and extraction occupations ................................ 7,708 1,434 18.6 1,480 19.2 6,876 1,391 20.2 1,445 21.0

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ................. 4,742 794 16.8 855 18.0 4,668 778 16.7 812 17.4

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations .... 17,133 2,699 15.8 2,874 16.8 16,802 2,760 16.4 2,968 17.7

 Production occupations .......................................................... 8,903 1,243 14.0 1,314 14.8 8,601 1,269 14.8 1,370 15.9

 Transportation and material moving occupations ................... 8,231 1,456 17.7 1,560 19.0 8,202 1,491 18.2 1,599 19.5

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry—Continued

(Numbers in thousands)

Occupation and industry

2007 2008

Total

employed

Members

of

unions 1

Represented

by unions 2

Total

employed

Members

of

unions 1

Represented

by unions 2

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

INDUSTRY

Private sector .............................................................................. 108,714 8,114 7.5 8,870 8.2 108,073 8,265 7.6 9,084 8.4

 Agriculture and related industries ............................................. 1,046 16 1.5 19 1.8 1,057 30 2.8 35 3.4

 Nonagriculture and related industries ....................................... 107,668 8,098 7.5 8,851 8.2 107,016 8,236 7.7 9,049 8.5

 Mining .................................................................................... 705 66 9.3 72 10.2 776 54 6.9 61 7.9

 Construction .......................................................................... 8,561 1,193 13.9 1,232 14.4 7,652 1,195 15.6 1,241 16.2

 Manufacturing ........................................................................ 15,341 1,734 11.3 1,845 12.0 15,131 1,723 11.4 1,862 12.3

 Durable goods manufacturing ........................................... 9,770 1,107 11.3 1,172 12.0 9,728 1,139 11.7 1,223 12.6

 Nondurable goods manufacturing ..................................... 5,571 628 11.3 673 12.1 5,403 584 10.8 639 11.8

 Wholesale and retail trade ..................................................... 18,896 990 5.2 1,075 5.7 18,622 976 5.2 1,096 5.9

 Wholesale trade ................................................................. 3,951 205 5.2 224 5.7 3,635 194 5.3 214 5.9

 Retail trade ........................................................................ 14,945 785 5.3 851 5.7 14,987 782 5.2 881 5.9

 Transportation and utilities .................................................... 5,488 1,211 22.1 1,282 23.4 5,544 1,231 22.2 1,298 23.4

 Transportation and warehousing ....................................... 4,654 974 20.9 1,037 22.3 4,639 988 21.3 1,041 22.4

 Utilities ............................................................................... 834 237 28.4 245 29.4 906 243 26.9 257 28.3

 Information 3 .......................................................................... 3,211 389 12.1 420 13.1 3,056 388 12.7 420 13.7

 Publishing, except Internet ................................................ 850 62 7.3 65 7.7 717 52 7.2 62 8.7

 Motion pictures and sound recording ................................ 309 35 11.5 39 12.5 337 38 11.4 39 11.7

 Broadcasting, except Internet ............................................ 588 51 8.7 62 10.6 561 53 9.5 59 10.6

 Telecommunications .......................................................... 1,186 233 19.7 246 20.8 1,184 228 19.3 242 20.4

 Financial activities ................................................................. 8,858 174 2.0 215 2.4 8,654 157 1.8 199 2.3

 Finance and insurance ...................................................... 6,531 99 1.5 129 2.0 6,536 86 1.3 115 1.8

 Finance ......................................................................... 4,313 55 1.3 76 1.8 4,312 45 1.0 62 1.4

 Insurance ...................................................................... 2,218 45 2.0 53 2.4 2,224 41 1.9 53 2.4

 Real estate and rental and leasing .................................... 2,327 74 3.2 86 3.7 2,118 71 3.3 84 4.0

 Professional and business services ...................................... 12,022 290 2.4 360 3.0 11,967 253 2.1 324 2.7

 Professional and technical services .................................. 6,962 98 1.4 147 2.1 7,234 93 1.3 128 1.8

 Management, administrative, and waste services ............. 5,060 191 3.8 213 4.2 4,733 159 3.4 196 4.1

 Education and health services ............................................... 18,120 1,591 8.8 1,815 10.0 18,841 1,723 9.1 1,940 10.3

 Educational services .......................................................... 3,513 444 12.6 529 15.1 3,657 504 13.8 584 16.0

 Health care and social assistance ..................................... 14,607 1,147 7.9 1,286 8.8 15,184 1,219 8.0 1,356 8.9

 Leisure and hospitality ........................................................... 10,956 302 2.8 354 3.2 11,187 361 3.2 408 3.6

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ................................... 1,966 122 6.2 138 7.0 2,044 131 6.4 150 7.3

 Accommodation and food services .................................... 8,990 180 2.0 217 2.4 9,144 231 2.5 258 2.8

 Accommodation ............................................................. 1,414 109 7.7 123 8.7 1,447 115 7.9 120 8.3

 Food services and drinking places ................................ 7,575 70 .9 94 1.2 7,696 116 1.5 138 1.8

 Other services 3 ..................................................................... 5,510 159 2.9 181 3.3 5,585 175 3.1 200 3.6

 Other services, except private households ........................ 4,727 150 3.2 172 3.6 4,785 164 3.4 185 3.9

 Public sector ............................................................................. 21,053 7,557 35.9 8,373 39.8 21,305 7,832 36.8 8,676 40.7

 Federal ................................................................................... 3,423 916 26.8 1,079 31.5 3,542 994 28.1 1,167 33.0

 State ....................................................................................... 6,384 1,943 30.4 2,168 34.0 6,176 1,955 31.6 2,167 35.1

 Local ....................................................................................... 11,246 4,698 41.8 5,126 45.6 11,586 4,884 42.2 5,342 46.1

1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to

a union. 2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to

a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are

covered by a union or an employee association contract.

3 Includes other industries, not shown separately. 

NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers.

Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their

businesses are incorporated.
Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry

Occupation and industry

2007 2008

Total

Members

of

 unions 1

Represented

 by unions 2

Nonunion 3 Total

Members

of

 unions 1

Represented

 by unions 2

Nonunion 3

OCCUPATION

Management, professional, and related occupations ............. $996 $996 $992 $996 $1,025 $1,028 $1,017 $1,028

 Management, business, and financial operations

occupations ...................................................................... 1,080 1,066 1,072 1,081 1,128 1,113 1,120 1,129

 Management occupations .............................................. 1,161 1,172 1,165 1,160 1,204 1,235 1,236 1,199

 Business and financial operations occupations .............. 941 934 950 940 974 925 943 978

 Professional and related occupations ................................. 951 987 980 942 980 1,018 1,004 973

 Computer and mathematical occupations ...................... 1,229 1,188 1,204 1,231 1,242 1,149 1,139 1,248

 Architecture and engineering occupations ..................... 1,213 1,179 1,178 1,221 1,244 1,223 1,243 1,244

 Life, physical, and social science occupations ............... 1,053 1,147 1,144 1,036 1,035 1,169 1,144 1,018

 Community and social services occupations .................. 755 920 909 732 788 983 978 743

 Legal occupations ........................................................... 1,148 1,180 1,151 1,148 1,174 1,186 1,265 1,169

 Education, training, and library occupations ................... 841 959 947 742 866 974 957 765

 Arts, design, entertainment, sports, and media

 occupations .................................................................. 829 1,000 1,009 807 882 1,110 1,098 858

 Healthcare practitioner and technical occupations ......... 920 1,005 1,019 906 962 1,070 1,061 943

Service occupations ............................................................... 454 666 654 421 475 691 679 440

 Healthcare support occupations ......................................... 454 502 502 446 465 526 526 457

 Protective service occupations ........................................... 719 954 946 610 748 990 983 620

 Food preparation and serving related occupations ............ 385 502 495 379 402 502 496 398

 Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance

occupations ...................................................................... 422 551 543 407 431 596 593 412

 Personal care and service occupations .............................. 434 585 585 420 475 580 570 463

Sales and office occupations .................................................. 598 717 715 587 614 741 736 603

 Sales and related occupations ........................................... 643 648 648 643 656 679 683 655

 Office and administrative support occupations ................... 581 726 724 560 601 749 744 585

Natural resources, construction, and maintenance

occupations ...................................................................... 670 973 961 617 702 990 984 647

 Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations ......................... 372 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 369 420 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 418

 Construction and extraction occupations ............................ 646 976 968 597 688 992 989 621

 Installation, maintenance, and repair occupations ............. 749 975 962 709 774 1,002 994 729

Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 577 759 753 540 594 777 770 560

 Production occupations ...................................................... 581 761 755 552 595 765 759 567

 Transportation and material moving occupations ............... 570 757 750 523 593 789 779 550

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 4. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation, occupation, and industry—Continued

Occupation and industry

2007 2008

Total

Members

of

 unions 1

Represented

 by unions 2

Nonunion 3 Total

Members

of

 unions 1

Represented

 by unions 2

Nonunion 3

INDUSTRY

Private sector .......................................................................... $666 $818 $813 $651 $694 $838 $829 $680

 Agriculture and related industries ......................................... 412 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 411 444 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 446

 Nonagriculture and related industries ................................... 670 819 814 654 698 840 831 683

 Mining ................................................................................ 969 960 950 975 1,007 1,024 1,032 1,003

 Construction ...................................................................... 673 1,000 993 624 712 1,014 1,012 668

 Manufacturing .................................................................... 719 783 779 708 741 796 795 733

 Durable goods manufacturing ....................................... 744 818 815 732 772 829 827 763

 Nondurable goods manufacturing ................................. 669 714 712 659 685 729 729 675

 Wholesale and retail trade ................................................. 587 639 632 584 603 643 638 601

 Wholesale trade ............................................................. 720 756 753 717 741 775 763 739

 Retail trade .................................................................... 538 608 601 532 564 598 596 561

 Transportation and utilities ................................................ 738 902 894 695 787 958 950 747

 Transportation and warehousing ................................... 696 846 835 657 744 897 895 710

 Utilities ........................................................................... 994 1,056 1,052 954 1,061 1,161 1,142 1,010

 Information 5 ...................................................................... 891 1,000 994 867 898 1,011 1,001 871

 Publishing, except Internet ............................................ 881 931 933 877 856 4 ( ) 979 846

 Motion pictures and sound recording ............................ 889 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 797 883 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 800

 Broadcasting, except Internet ........................................ 786 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 770 806 4 ( ) 944 794

 Telecommunications ...................................................... 951 1,003 1,000 927 969 1,006 1,000 953

 Financial activities ............................................................. 782 728 738 784 814 782 782 816

 Finance and insurance .................................................. 820 722 746 822 857 762 774 859

 Finance ..................................................................... 835 717 773 836 864 4 ( ) 829 865

 Insurance .................................................................. 795 4 ( ) 735 799 846 4 ( ) 4 ( ) 849

 Real estate and rental and leasing ................................ 691 739 718 690 703 789 783 696

 Professional and business services .................................. 783 800 822 782 835 814 817 836

 Professional and technical services .............................. 1,031 991 1,041 1,031 1,065 1,129 1,140 1,064

 Management, administrative, and waste services ......... 524 733 686 519 544 682 695 538

 Education and health services ........................................... 671 779 781 657 685 795 798 671

 Educational services ...................................................... 766 824 812 754 773 892 868 762

 Health care and social assistance ................................. 644 752 762 632 661 756 768 652

 Leisure and hospitality ....................................................... 440 580 572 431 470 584 575 462

 Arts, entertainment, and recreation ............................... 587 633 634 581 590 651 638 586

 Accommodation and food services ................................ 413 534 528 410 435 563 552 427

 Accommodation ......................................................... 492 554 546 481 508 605 602 494

 Food services and drinking places ............................ 399 476 490 398 417 497 491 416

 Other services 5 ................................................................. 581 803 789 574 610 878 810 606

 Other services, except private households .................... 600 822 806 593 629 893 849 622

 Public sector ......................................................................... 816 901 896 749 842 923 918 766

 Federal ............................................................................... 965 927 933 996 972 949 959 989

 State ................................................................................... 772 865 856 731 812 900 889 753

 Local ................................................................................... 787 907 899 688 814 925 917 719

1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar

to a union. 2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar

to a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are

covered by a union or an employee association contract. 3 Data refer to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented

by a union on their job. 4 Data not shown where base is less than 50,000. 5 Includes other industries, not shown separately. 

NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers.

Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their

businesses are incorporated.
Table 5. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by state

(Numbers in thousands)

State

2007 2008

Total

employed

Members of

unions 1

Represented

 by unions 2

Total

employed

Members of

unions 1

Represented

 by unions 2

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Total

Percent

of

employed

Alabama ............................................................................... 1,895 180 9.5 201 10.6 1,858 181 9.8 199 10.7

Alaska ................................................................................... 284 68 23.8 70 24.7 289 68 23.5 71 24.7

Arizona ................................................................................. 2,619 230 8.8 255 9.7 2,579 227 8.8 254 9.8

Arkansas ............................................................................... 1,154 62 5.4 75 6.5 1,158 68 5.9 85 7.3

California .............................................................................. 14,856 2,474 16.7 2,650 17.8 14,889 2,740 18.4 2,909 19.5

Colorado ............................................................................... 2,204 191 8.7 202 9.2 2,254 181 8.0 208 9.2

Connecticut ........................................................................... 1,617 253 15.6 269 16.6 1,625 275 16.9 291 17.9

Delaware .............................................................................. 396 47 12.0 50 12.8 391 52 13.4 57 14.7

District of Columbia .............................................................. 278 29 10.3 38 13.6 288 35 12.2 41 14.3

Florida ................................................................................... 7,741 455 5.9 562 7.3 7,573 482 6.4 601 7.9

Georgia ................................................................................. 4,181 186 4.4 226 5.4 4,084 151 3.7 189 4.6

Hawaii ................................................................................... 556 130 23.4 135 24.2 562 136 24.3 143 25.5

Idaho ..................................................................................... 635 33 5.3 41 6.4 602 42 7.1 48 8.0

Illinois .................................................................................... 5,802 842 14.5 884 15.2 5,662 939 16.6 993 17.5

Indiana .................................................................................. 2,779 333 12.0 359 12.9 2,811 349 12.4 386 13.7

Iowa ...................................................................................... 1,417 149 10.5 185 13.1 1,437 153 10.6 187 13.0

Kansas .................................................................................. 1,274 89 7.0 110 8.7 1,273 89 7.0 111 8.7

Kentucky ............................................................................... 1,734 157 9.1 192 11.1 1,703 146 8.6 163 9.6

Louisiana .............................................................................. 1,670 94 5.6 108 6.5 1,724 80 4.6 97 5.6

Maine .................................................................................... 574 67 11.7 79 13.8 574 71 12.3 84 14.7

Maryland ............................................................................... 2,598 335 12.9 376 14.5 2,610 329 12.6 380 14.5

Massachusetts ...................................................................... 2,882 379 13.2 402 14.0 2,909 458 15.7 491 16.9

Michigan ............................................................................... 4,193 819 19.5 865 20.6 4,089 771 18.8 801 19.6

Minnesota ............................................................................. 2,460 400 16.3 419 17.0 2,430 392 16.1 412 17.0

Mississippi ............................................................................ 1,068 72 6.7 95 8.9 1,089 57 5.3 79 7.3

Missouri ................................................................................ 2,585 275 10.7 308 11.9 2,543 285 11.2 327 12.8

Montana ................................................................................ 399 54 13.5 62 15.6 389 47 12.2 61 15.7

Nebraska .............................................................................. 836 65 7.8 81 9.7 840 70 8.3 90 10.7

Nevada ................................................................................. 1,177 182 15.4 208 17.7 1,192 199 16.7 217 18.2

New Hampshire .................................................................... 631 61 9.7 70 11.2 635 67 10.6 79 12.4

New Jersey ........................................................................... 3,897 748 19.2 802 20.6 3,843 703 18.3 731 19.0

New Mexico .......................................................................... 800 62 7.7 91 11.4 807 58 7.2 94 11.6

New York .............................................................................. 8,150 2,055 25.2 2,146 26.3 8,165 2,029 24.9 2,170 26.6

North Carolina ...................................................................... 3,771 114 3.0 147 3.9 3,799 132 3.5 189 5.0

North Dakota ........................................................................ 303 19 6.4 23 7.6 308 19 6.1 25 8.2

Ohio ...................................................................................... 5,187 730 14.1 797 15.4 5,046 716 14.2 783 15.5

Oklahoma ............................................................................. 1,456 103 7.1 124 8.5 1,529 102 6.6 127 8.3

Oregon .................................................................................. 1,582 227 14.3 243 15.4 1,566 259 16.6 272 17.4

Pennsylvania ........................................................................ 5,496 830 15.1 910 16.6 5,504 847 15.4 899 16.3

Rhode Island ........................................................................ 497 75 15.0 78 15.8 471 78 16.5 82 17.4

South Carolina ...................................................................... 1,873 78 4.1 111 5.9 1,792 70 3.9 105 5.8

South Dakota ........................................................................ 354 23 6.5 27 7.7 369 18 5.0 24 6.4

Tennessee ............................................................................ 2,596 138 5.3 166 6.4 2,534 139 5.5 166 6.6

Texas .................................................................................... 9,899 463 4.7 566 5.7 9,991 449 4.5 559 5.6

Utah ...................................................................................... 1,153 67 5.8 78 6.8 1,178 68 5.8 84 7.1

Vermont ................................................................................ 288 30 10.4 35 12.2 284 29 10.4 36 12.8

Virginia .................................................................................. 3,502 129 3.7 167 4.8 3,597 146 4.1 178 5.0

Washington ........................................................................... 2,874 579 20.2 616 21.4 2,912 578 19.8 626 21.5

West Virginia ........................................................................ 724 97 13.3 107 14.7 736 101 13.8 112 15.3

Wisconsin ............................................................................. 2,631 376 14.3 405 15.4 2,642 396 15.0 422 16.0

Wyoming ............................................................................... 239 19 7.9 22 9.4 241 19 7.7 21 8.9

1 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar

to a union. 2 Data refer to members of a labor union or an employee association similar

to a union as well as workers who report no union affiliation but whose jobs are

covered by a union or an employee association contract.

 NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time workers.

Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their

businesses are incorporated. Updated population controls are introduced

annually with the release of January data. 
WASH.

ORE.

NEV.

CALIF.

IDAHO

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TEXAS

OKLA.

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MISS.

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ILL.

MINN.

IOWA

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHIO

KY.

N.Y.

PA.

W.VA.

VA.

N.C.

S.C.

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FLA.

ALA.

VT.

N.H.

MAINE#

MASS.

#

CONN.

# N.J.

# DEL.

#

MD.

#

R.I.

D.C.

West

North Central Mountain

East

North Central

Middle

Atlantic

New England

South

Atlantic

East

South Central

West

South Central

Pacific

WASH.

ORE.

NEV.

CALIF.

IDAHO

MONT.

WYO.

UTAH

COLO.

N.D.

S.D.

NEB.

KAN.

ARIZ.

N.M.

TEXAS

OKLA.

ARK.

LA.

MISS.

TENN.

MO.

ILL.

MINN.

IOWA

WIS.

MICH.

IND. OHIO

KY.

N.Y.

PA.

W.VA.

VA.

N.C.

S.C.

GA.

FLA.

ALA.

VT.

N.H.

MAINE#

MASS.

#

CONN.

# N.J.

# DEL.

#

MD.

(U.S. rate = 12.4 percent)

Chart 1. Union membership rates by state, 2008 annual averages

20.0% or more15.0% - 19.9%10.0% - 14.9%5.0% - 9.9%4.9% or less

HAWAII

ALASKA