Technical information:  (202) 691-6378     USDL 03-88
               http://www.bls.gov/cps/
                                           For release:  10:00 A.M. EST
Media contact:                691-5902     Tuesday, February 25, 2003


                           UNION MEMBERS IN 2002


   In 2002, 13.2 percent of wage and salary workers were union members, down 
from 13.4 percent (as revised) in 2001, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau 
of Labor Statistics reported today.  The number of persons belonging to a 
union fell by 280,000 over the year to 16.1 million in 2002.  The union mem-
bership rate has steadily declined from a high of 20.1 percent in 1983, the 
first year for which comparable union data are available.  Some highlights 
from the 2002 data are:
   
  --Men were more likely to be union members than women.
  
  --The union membership rate for blacks was unchanged and remained higher
    than the rates for either whites or Hispanics.
     
  --Nearly 4 in 10 government workers were union members in 2002, compared
    with less than 1 in 10 workers in private-sector industries.  The trans-
    portation industry had the highest private-sector rate of unionization.
  
  --Nearly two-fifths of workers in protective service occupations were
    union members in 2002.  Protective service occupations include fire-
    fighters and police officers.  This group has had the highest union 
    membership rate of any broad occupation group in every year since 1983.

Membership by Industry and Occupation
   
   In 2002, workers in the public sector had a union membership rate over
four times that of private-sector employees, 37.5 percent compared with 
8.5 percent.  The unionization rate for government workers has held steady
since 1983.  The rate for private industry workers has fallen by nearly
half over the same time period.  Within government, local government
workers had the highest union membership rate, 42.8 percent.  This group
includes the heavily unionized occupations of teachers, police officers,
and firefighters.  Among private industries, transportation had the high-
est union membership rate, at 23.8 percent.  Construction and durable goods
manufacturing also had higher-than-average rates, at 17.2 percent and 
15.6 percent, respectively.  The industry with the lowest unionization rate 
in 2002 was finance, insurance, and real estate--1.9 percent.  (See table 3.)
   

  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
 |                Changes in Union Membership Estimates                   |
 |                                                                        |
 |   Estimates for 2001 and 2002 presented in this release are based on   |
 | Census 2000 population controls.  Consequently, the estimates for      |
 | 2001 appearing in this release may differ from those published earlier,|
 | which were based on population controls derived from the 1990 census.  |
 | In addition, the data on "represented by unions" incorporate a minor   |
 | change to the allocation procedure for that item.  The change in proce-|
 | dure had a small effect on the estimates.  Estimates for 2001 and 2002 |
 | are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years.  For fur-|
 | ther information on these changes, see the Technical Note.             |
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
   
                                  - 2 -

   Among occupational groups, protective service workers continued to have
the highest unionization rate in 2002, at 37.0 percent.  Precision produc-
tion, craft, and repair workers and operators, fabricators, and laborers also 
had higher-than-average union membership rates at 20.7 percent and 19.1 per-
cent, respectively.  Workers in these occupations typically are employed in 
the highly unionized industries of manufacturing and construction.  Profes-
sional specialty workers, a group that includes teachers, also had a higher-
than-average union membership rate in 2002, at 19.2 percent.  Sales occupa-
tions had the lowest unionization rate--3.6 percent.  (See table 3.)
   
Demographic Characteristics of Union Members
   
   In 2002, union membership rates were higher for men (14.7 percent) than
for women (11.6 percent).  The union membership rate for men fell from 
15.0 percent in 2001, while the rate for women was unchanged.  The gap be-
tween men's and women's rates has narrowed considerably since 1983, when 
the rate for men was 10 percentage points higher than the rate for women.
   
   Blacks were more likely to be union members (16.9 percent) than either
whites (12.8 percent) or Hispanics (10.5 percent).  Black men had the highest 
unionization rate (18.2 percent) among the major demographic groups, and 
Hispanic women and white women had the lowest rates, 9.8 percent and 10.9 per-
cent, respectively.  Union membership rates were highest among workers be-
tween the ages of 45 to 54 years.  Full-time workers were more than twice 
as likely as part-time workers to be union members.  (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 2002, while not being union members themselves.  (See
table 1.)  Over half of these workers were employed in government and about
20 percent worked in the services industry.  (See table 3.)
   
Earnings
   
   In 2002, full-time wage and salary workers who were union members had
median usual weekly earnings of $740, compared with a median of $587 for
wage and salary workers who were not represented by unions.  (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

   Union membership rates in many states also declined slightly in 2002,
with 33 states and the District of Columbia reporting lower membership
rates and 15 states registering increases.  Two states reported no change

                                  - 3 -

in their union membership rates from 2001 to 2002.  Twenty-eight states had
union membership rates below that of the U.S., while 21 states and the
District of Columbia had higher rates.  Once again, all states in the East
North Central, Middle Atlantic, and Pacific divisions had union membership
rates above the national average of 13.2 percent, while all states in the
East South Central and West South Central divisions had rates below it.
(See table 5.)
   
   Four states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent in 2002--New
York (25.3 percent), Hawaii (24.4 percent), Alaska (24.3 percent), and
Michigan (21.1 percent).  This is the same rank order as in 2001.  All 
four states have had rates above 20.0 percent every year since data became
regularly available in 1995.  North Carolina and South Carolina also con-
tinued to report the lowest union membership rates, 3.2 percent and 
4.9 percent, respectively.  These two states have had the lowest union 
membership rates each year since the state series became available.
   
   The largest numbers of union members lived in California (2.5 million),
New York (2.0 million), and Illinois (1.1 million).  Over half (8.1 million) 
of the 16.1 million union members in the U.S. lived in six states, although 
these states accounted for only 35 percent of wage and salary employment 
nationally.
   
   The number of union members in a state depends on both its population
size and union membership rate.  Texas (the second most populous state) had
less than one-fourth as many union members as New York (the third largest),
despite having nearly 1.0 million more wage and salary employees.  Similarly, 
Florida (the fourth largest state) and Indiana (the fourteenth) had virtually 
the same number of union members, even though Florida's wage and salary em-
ployment level was more than double that of Indiana.

   
   
   
   
   
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.  Excluded are all self-employed
workers.
   
   The estimates for 2001 and 2002 presented in this release incorporate
two changes.  Consequently, the estimates for 2001 appearing in this re-
lease may differ from those previously published, and the estimates for
2001 and 2002 are not strictly comparable with estimates for earlier years.
   
   One change is the use of Census 2000-based population controls in the
estimation process for both the 2001 and 2002 data.  Sample results from
the CPS are weighted up to independent estimates of the population by sex,
age, race, and Hispanic/non-Hispanic origin.  The weights, or population
controls, are developed using counts of the civilian noninstitutional
population derived from the decennial census and are updated using infor-
mation from administrative records.  Previously published estimates of
union membership in 2001 were based on population controls from the 1990
census.  For a discussion of the introduction of Census 2000 population
controls and the impact their introduction had on CPS data, see "Revisions
to the Current Population Survey Effective in January 2003" in the February
2003 issue of Employment and Earnings and available at
http://www.bls.gov/cps/rvcps03.pdf on the BLS Web site.
   
   Second, the data on "represented by unions" incorporate a minor change
to the allocation procedure for that item.  The change in procedure had a
small effect on the estimates.
   
   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" popula-
tion values they represent.  The exact difference, or sampling error, varies
depending upon the particular sample selected, and this variability is mea-
sured 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 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 "Explanatory Notes and
Estimates of Error" section of Employment and Earnings.
   
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.
   
   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 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 origin.  Refers to persons who are of Mexican, Puerto Rican,
Cuban, Central or South American, or other Hispanic origin or descent.
Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race; hence, they are included 
in the numbers for the white and black populations.
   
   
   
   
   
     Table 1. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by selected characteristics
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2001                                    2002                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             Members of     Represented              Members of     Represented  
                                                             unions(1)       by unions(2)            unions(1)       by unions(2)
                    Characteristic                 Total                                   Total                                 
                                                    em-                                     em-                                  
                                                   ployed         Percent         Percent  ployed         Percent         Percent
                                                           Total     of    Total     of            Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                    em-             em-                     em-             em-  
                                                                   ployed          ployed                  ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                     SEX AND AGE                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
      Total, 16 years and over................... 122,482  16,387   13.4   18,114   14.8  122,007  16,107   13.2   17,771   14.6 
       16 to 24 years............................  19,698   1,015    5.2    1,184    6.0   19,258     985    5.1    1,132    5.9 
       25 years and over......................... 102,784  15,372   15.0   16,930   16.5  102,748  15,122   14.7   16,639   16.2 
        25 to 34 years...........................  28,809   3,264   11.3    3,659   12.7   28,251   3,164   11.2    3,540   12.5 
        35 to 44 years...........................  31,962   4,733   14.8    5,191   16.2   31,296   4,442   14.2    4,876   15.6 
        45 to 54 years...........................  26,909   5,068   18.8    5,543   20.6   27,086   5,011   18.5    5,470   20.2 
        55 to 64 years...........................  12,032   2,063   17.1    2,265   18.8   12,982   2,257   17.4    2,469   19.0 
        65 years and over........................   3,072     243    7.9      272    8.9    3,133     247    7.9      284    9.1 
                                                                                                                                 
       Men, 16 years and over....................  63,756   9,578   15.0   10,410   16.3   63,383   9,335   14.7   10,135   16.0 
        16 to 24 years...........................  10,137     607    6.0      704    6.9    9,862     610    6.2      691    7.0 
        25 years and over........................  53,619   8,971   16.7    9,706   18.1   53,521   8,724   16.3    9,444   17.6 
         25 to 34 years..........................  15,627   1,983   12.7    2,169   13.9   15,297   1,878   12.3    2,075   13.6 
         35 to 44 years..........................  16,657   2,821   16.9    3,028   18.2   16,390   2,632   16.1    2,821   17.2 
         45 to 54 years..........................  13,561   2,840   20.9    3,070   22.6   13,611   2,793   20.5    3,006   22.1 
         55 to 64 years..........................   6,168   1,195   19.4    1,292   20.9    6,593   1,285   19.5    1,386   21.0 
         65 years and over.......................   1,605     131    8.1      148    9.2    1,630     136    8.3      156    9.5 
                                                                                                                                 
       Women, 16 years and over..................  58,726   6,809   11.6    7,704   13.1   58,624   6,772   11.6    7,636   13.0 
        16 to 24 years...........................   9,561     409    4.3      480    5.0    9,397     375    4.0      441    4.7 
        25 years and over........................  49,166   6,400   13.0    7,224   14.7   49,227   6,398   13.0    7,195   14.6 
         25 to 34 years..........................  13,181   1,281    9.7    1,490   11.3   12,954   1,285    9.9    1,465   11.3 
         35 to 44 years..........................  15,305   1,912   12.5    2,163   14.1   14,906   1,810   12.1    2,055   13.8 
         45 to 54 years..........................  13,349   2,227   16.7    2,474   18.5   13,474   2,218   16.5    2,464   18.3 
         55 to 64 years..........................   5,864     868   14.8      973   16.6    6,390     972   15.2    1,083   17.0 
         65 years and over.......................   1,467     113    7.7      124    8.5    1,503     112    7.4      128    8.5 
                                                                                                                                 
            RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                 
       White, 16 years and over.................. 101,546  13,209   13.0   14,574   14.4  101,081  12,929   12.8   14,227   14.1 
         Men.....................................  53,731   7,909   14.7    8,585   16.0   53,304   7,699   14.4    8,334   15.6 
         Women...................................  47,815   5,300   11.1    5,989   12.5   47,776   5,230   10.9    5,893   12.3 
                                                                                                                                 
       Black, 16 years and over..................  14,261   2,409   16.9    2,668   18.7   14,127   2,383   16.9    2,648   18.7 
         Men.....................................   6,488   1,221   18.8    1,330   20.5    6,499   1,184   18.2    1,297   20.0 
         Women...................................   7,773   1,188   15.3    1,338   17.2    7,628   1,198   15.7    1,351   17.7 
                                                                                                                                 
       Hispanic origin, 16 years and over........  15,174   1,679   11.1    1,876   12.4   15,522   1,637   10.5    1,822   11.7 
         Men.....................................   8,997   1,032   11.5    1,136   12.6    9,130   1,012   11.1    1,113   12.2 
         Women...................................   6,177     647   10.5      740   12.0    6,392     625    9.8      709   11.1 
                                                                                                                                 
             FULL- OR PART-TIME STATUS(3)                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                 
       Full-time workers......................... 101,187  14,921   14.7   16,445   16.3  100,201  14,591   14.6   16,077   16.0 
       Part-time workers.........................  21,057   1,437    6.8    1,637    7.8   21,573   1,484    6.9    1,658    7.7 

       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.  Beginning in 1994, 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:  Data for 2001 have been revised to reflect the introduction of Census 2000-based population controls.  In addition,
     data on "represented by unions" incorporate a minor change to the allocation procedure for that item.  The change in
     procedure had a small effect on the estimates.  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.  Detail for the above
     race and Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and
     Hispanics are included in both the white and black population groups.
 
 
 
 

     Table 2. Median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers by union affiliation and selected characteristics
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2001                                    2002                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                    Characteristic                           Members    Repre-                       Members    Repre-           
                                                    Total       of      sented     Non-     Total       of      sented     Non-  
                                                            unions(1)     by      union             unions(1)     by      union  
                                                                       unions(2)                               unions(2)          
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                     SEX AND AGE                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
      Total, 16 years and over...................    $595      $717      $711      $573      $609      $740      $734      $587  
       16 to 24 years............................     375       471       473       368       381       497       494       374  
       25 years and over.........................     629       732       727       610       647       753       748       623  
        25 to 34 years...........................     576       654       645       559       591       682       670       577  
        35 to 44 years...........................     655       742       736       634       669       759       753       647  
        45 to 54 years...........................     691       775       773       661       707       789       787       675  
        55 to 64 years...........................     641       745       744       614       673       787       784       639  
        65 years and over........................     472       607       604       441       502       592       594       484  
                                                                                                                                 
       Men, 16 years and over....................     668       764       759       642       680       780       776       652  
        16 to 24 years...........................     390       481       485       384       392       498       494       385  
        25 years and over........................     718       779       777       700       732       797       793       713  
         25 to 34 years..........................     616       697       688       605       627       722       710       614  
         35 to 44 years..........................     752       798       793       741       759       810       806       747  
         45 to 54 years..........................     797       811       811       788       808       831       831       796  
         55 to 64 years..........................     767       800       807       749       799       836       838       779  
         65 years and over.......................     550       693       709       522       583       610       616       576  
                                                                                                                                 
       Women, 16 years and over..................     511       643       638       493       530       667       662       510  
        16 to 24 years...........................     353       456       455       348       366       495       494       361  
        25 years and over........................     541       655       651       518       570       679       674       542  
         25 to 34 years..........................     513       600       597       502       531       624       619       517  
         35 to 44 years..........................     544       641       639       522       573       669       666       548  
         45 to 54 years..........................     587       720       715       553       603       730       726       581  
         55 to 64 years..........................     539       656       658       512       574       706       705       542  
         65 years and over.......................     372       494       483       359       428       550       551       414  
                                                                                                                                 
            RACE, HISPANIC ORIGIN, AND SEX                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                 
       White, 16 years and over..................     610       739       734       589       624       763       757       602  
         Men.....................................     688       782       779       663       702       804       801       674  
         Women...................................     521       666       660       503       549       695       688       521  
                                                                                                                                 
       Black, 16 years and over..................     486       604       598       462       498       615       610       477  
         Men.....................................     517       651       637       497       523       651       640       502  
         Women...................................     452       563       563       424       474       588       588       445  
                                                                                                                                 
       Hispanic origin, 16 years and over........     413       575       572       398       423       623       617       408  
         Men.....................................     433       606       605       413       449       666       656       422  
         Women...................................     385       500       499       371       396       558       569       381  

       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 for 2001 have been revised to reflect the introduction of Census 2000-based population controls.  In addition,
     the data on "represented by unions" incorporate a minor change to the allocation procedure for that item.  The change in
     procedure had a neligible affect on the estimates.  Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-time workers.  Excluded
     are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.  Detail for the above race and
     Hispanic-origin groups will not sum to totals because data for the "other races" group are not presented and Hispanics are
     included in both the white and black population groups.





     Table 3. Union affiliation of employed wage and salary workers by occupation and industry
     
     (Numbers in thousands)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2001                                    2002                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             Members of     Represented              Members of     Represented  
                                                             unions(1)      by unions(2)             unions(1)      by unions(2)
               Occupation and industry             Total                                   Total                                 
                                                    em-                                     em-                                  
                                                   ployed         Percent         Percent  ployed         Percent         Percent
                                                           Total     of    Total     of            Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                    em-             em-                     em-             em-  
                                                                   ployed          ployed                  ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                      OCCUPATION                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
     Managerial and professional specialty.......  36,660   4,665   12.7    5,417   14.8   36,969   4,788   13.0    5,534   15.0 
       Executive, administrative, and managerial.  17,075     945    5.5    1,148    6.7   17,296   1,005    5.8    1,223    7.1 
       Professional specialty....................  19,585   3,720   19.0    4,269   21.8   19,674   3,783   19.2    4,310   21.9 
                                                                                                                                 
     Technical, sales, and administrative support  36,335   3,208    8.8    3,632   10.0   35,767   3,175    8.9    3,552    9.9 
       Technicians and related support...........   4,448     474   10.7      537   12.1    4,349     469   10.8      524   12.0 
       Sales occupations.........................  13,749     480    3.5      549    4.0   13,810     496    3.6      559    4.0 
       Administrative support, including clerical  18,138   2,253   12.4    2,545   14.0   17,607   2,210   12.5    2,469   14.0 
                                                                                                                                 
     Service occupations.........................  17,434   2,296   13.2    2,504   14.4   17,898   2,249   12.6    2,473   13.8 
       Protective service........................   2,482     936   37.7    1,004   40.5    2,584     957   37.0    1,021   39.5 
       Service, except protective service........  14,952   1,360    9.1    1,500   10.0   15,314   1,293    8.4    1,452    9.5 
                                                                                                                                 
     Precision production, craft, and repair.....  12,886   2,740   21.3    2,874   22.3   12,413   2,570   20.7    2,686   21.6 
                                                                                                                                 
     Operators, fabricators, and laborers........  17,250   3,394   19.7    3,590   20.8   16,901   3,235   19.1    3,422   20.3 
       Machine operators, assemblers, and                                                                                        
        inspectors...............................   6,676   1,338   20.0    1,413   21.2    6,269   1,184   18.9    1,244   19.8 
       Transportation and material moving                                                                                        
        occupations..............................   5,226   1,215   23.2    1,292   24.7    5,294   1,163   22.0    1,241   23.4 
       Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and                                                                                
        laborers.................................   5,347     841   15.7      885   16.6    5,338     888   16.6      938   17.6 
                                                                                                                                 
     Farming, forestry, and fishing..............   1,917      83    4.3       98    5.1    2,058      89    4.3      104    5.1 
                                                                                                                                 
                       INDUSTRY                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                 
     Private wage and salary workers............. 103,142   9,201    8.9   10,028    9.7  102,419   8,756    8.5    9,548    9.3 
       Agriculture...............................   1,725      27    1.6       36    2.1    1,819      42    2.3       48    2.6 
       Nonagricultural industries................ 101,417   9,174    9.0    9,993    9.9  100,598   8,714    8.7    9,501    9.4 
         Mining..................................     531      66   12.4       70   13.1      458      39    8.5       46   10.0 
         Construction............................   7,054   1,275   18.1    1,321   18.7    6,883   1,184   17.2    1,228   17.8 
                                                                                                                                 
         Manufacturing...........................  18,501   2,697   14.6    2,861   15.5   17,324   2,484   14.3    2,621   15.1 
           Durable goods.........................  11,252   1,690   15.0    1,787   15.9   10,344   1,612   15.6    1,687   16.3 
           Nondurable goods......................   7,249   1,008   13.9    1,073   14.8    6,979     872   12.5      935   13.4 
                                                                                                                                 
         Transportation and public utilities.....   7,502   1,752   23.4    1,851   24.7    7,432   1,712   23.0    1,810   24.3 
           Transportation........................   4,501   1,077   23.9    1,140   25.3    4,524   1,078   23.8    1,133   25.0 
           Communications and public utilities...   3,001     675   22.5      711   23.7    2,908     634   21.8      677   23.3 
                                                                                                                                 
         Wholesale and retail trade..............  25,354   1,182    4.7    1,298    5.1   25,475   1,134    4.5    1,256    4.9 
           Wholesale trade.......................   4,615     254    5.5      273    5.9    4,514     220    4.9      238    5.3 
           Retail trade..........................  20,740     928    4.5    1,025    4.9   20,961     914    4.4    1,018    4.9 
                                                                                                                                 
         Finance, insurance, and real estate.....   7,742     156    2.0      217    2.8    7,849     151    1.9      196    2.5 
         Services................................  34,733   2,046    5.9    2,376    6.8   35,178   2,011    5.7    2,344    6.7 
                                                                                                                                 
     Government workers..........................  19,340   7,186   37.2    8,086   41.8   19,588   7,351   37.5    8,223   42.0 
       Federal...................................   3,324   1,046   31.5    1,221   36.8    3,296   1,063   32.3    1,244   37.7 
       State.....................................   5,729   1,737   30.3    1,980   34.6    5,706   1,758   30.8    2,005   35.1 
       Local.....................................  10,287   4,403   42.8    4,885   47.5   10,585   4,530   42.8    4,974   47.0 

       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 for 2001 have been revised to reflect the introduction of Census 2000-based population controls.  In addition,
     data on "represented by unions" incorporate a minor change to the allocation procedure for that item.  The change in
     procedure had a small effect on the estimates.  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
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2001                                    2002                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
               Occupation and industry                        Members   Repre-                       Members    Repre-           
                                                    Total       of      sented     Non-     Total       of      sented     Non-  
                                                             unions(1)    by      union             unions(1)     by      union  
                                                                       unions(2)                               unions(2)          
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                      OCCUPATION                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
     Managerial and professional specialty.......    $859      $865      $860      $859      $884      $890      $884      $884  
       Executive, administrative, and managerial.     865       869       881       863       890       892       903       889  
       Professional specialty....................     854       864       855       854       879       889       880       879  
                                                                                                                                 
     Technical, sales, and administrative support     521       614       606       513       550       633       625       536  
       Technicians and related support...........     673       731       737       663       694       775       762       682  
       Sales occupations.........................     574       557       554       575       601       572       570       601  
       Administrative support, including clerical     486       598       588       472       503       613       609       490  
                                                                                                                                 
     Service occupations.........................     377       553       546       351       384       595       585       358  
       Protective service........................     628       807       794       518       647       820       811       519  
       Service, except protective service........     345       426       423       333       352       448       445       341  
                                                                                                                                 
     Precision production, craft, and repair.....     624       821       815       588       629       821       814       590  
                                                                                                                                 
     Operators, fabricators, and laborers........     464       618       611       424       482       635       627       445  
       Machine operators, assemblers, and                                                                                        
        inspectors...............................     454       585       579       419       474       616       608       440  
       Transportation and material moving                                                                                        
        occupations..............................     572       722       714       520       579       728       716       525  
       Handlers, equipment cleaners, helpers, and                                                                                
                                                                                                                                 
           laborers..............................     387       529       522       368       400       555       549       381  
                                                                                                                                 
     Farming, forestry, and fishing..............     351       588       580       342       363       548       524       357  
                                                                                                                                 
                       INDUSTRY                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                 
     Private wage and salary workers.............     578       682       674       563       591       701       691       581  
       Agriculture...............................     368      (3)       (3)        367       372      (3)       (3)        371  
       Nonagricultural industries................     582       683       675       569       595       702       692       585  
         Mining..................................     791       815       815       784       822      (3)       (3)        825  
         Construction............................     605       865       853       562       599       845       836       559  
                                                                                                                                 
         Manufacturing...........................     610       642       638       604       624       654       653       619  
           Durable goods.........................     631       674       668       622       647       675       673       640  
           Nondurable goods......................     580       604       602       573       595       613       614       591  
                                                                                                                                 
         Transportation and public utilities.....     704       796       791       668       707       810       805       664  
           Transportation........................     643       781       775       609       642       782       778       605  
           Communications and public utilities...     793       816       813       781       810       857       850       785  
                                                                                                                                 
         Wholesale and retail trade..............     466       539       525       462       480       552       540       477  
           Wholesale trade.......................     622       653       659       620       626       664       659       623  
           Retail trade..........................     420       494       486       417       434       505       497       430  
                                                                                                                                 
         Finance, insurance, and real estate.....     655       587       598       657       676       598       601       681  
         Services................................     579       598       597       578       596       650       645       593  
                                                                                                                                 
     Government workers..........................     684       753       748       620       708       770       767       640  
       Federal...................................     771       761       767       775       795       780       788       809  
       State.....................................     650       718       712       610       675       738       735       631  
       Local.....................................     667       764       755       580       688       782       773       597  

       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 not shown where base is less than 50,000.
       NOTE:  Data for 2001 have been revised to reflect the introduction of Census 2000-based population controls.  In addition,
     the data on "represented by unions" incorporate a minor change to the allocation procedure for that item.  The change in
     procedure had a neligible affect on the estimates.  Data refer to the sole or principal job of full-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)
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                    2001                                    2002                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
                                                             Members of     Represented              Members of     Represented  
                                                             unions(1)      by unions(2)             unions(1)      by unions(2) 
                        State                      Total                                   Total                                 
                                                    em-                                     em-                                  
                                                   ployed         Percent         Percent  ployed         Percent         Percent
                                                           Total     of    Total     of            Total     of    Total     of  
                                                                    em-             em-                     em-             em-  
                                                                   ployed          ployed                  ployed          ployed
                                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                 
       Alabama...................................   1,803     169    9.4      194   10.7    1,761     157    8.9      185   10.5 
       Alaska....................................     268      58   21.7       66   24.7      262      64   24.3       70   26.7 
       Arizona...................................   2,174     127    5.9      141    6.5    2,184     120    5.5      144    6.6 
       Arkansas..................................   1,036      65    6.3       80    7.8    1,064      63    5.9       73    6.8 
       California................................  14,219   2,299   16.2    2,526   17.8   13,983   2,454   17.5    2,639   18.9 
       Colorado..................................   1,990     173    8.7      203   10.2    1,999     157    7.8      180    9.0 
       Connecticut...............................   1,555     246   15.8      260   16.7    1,534     257   16.7      273   17.8 
       Delaware..................................     375      46   12.1       50   13.3      369      41   11.1       45   12.1 
       District of Columbia......................     262      42   16.2       54   20.6      260      36   13.8       46   17.8 
       Florida...................................   6,760     425    6.3      572    8.5    6,697     380    5.7      507    7.6 
                                                                                                                                 
       Georgia...................................   3,652     259    7.1      301    8.2    3,643     218    6.0      256    7.0 
       Hawaii....................................     522     123   23.7      136   26.0      492     120   24.4      125   25.4 
       Idaho.....................................     551      41    7.5       48    8.7      547      39    7.1       48    8.9 
       Illinois..................................   5,613   1,016   18.1    1,083   19.3    5,450   1,066   19.6    1,122   20.6 
       Indiana...................................   2,761     395   14.3      424   15.4    2,826     376   13.3      411   14.5 
       Iowa......................................   1,365     175   12.8      209   15.3    1,395     155   11.1      190   13.6 
       Kansas....................................   1,200     111    9.3      139   11.6    1,217      99    8.2      120    9.9 
       Kentucky..................................   1,665     189   11.3      208   12.5    1,639     164   10.0      184   11.2 
       Louisiana.................................   1,729     131    7.6      175   10.1    1,649     134    8.1      170   10.3 
       Maine.....................................     569      73   12.9       83   14.6      582      75   12.9       88   15.1 
                                                                                                                                 
       Maryland..................................   2,426     335   13.8      408   16.8    2,460     346   14.1      415   16.9 
       Massachusetts.............................   2,940     433   14.7      468   15.9    3,003     428   14.2      469   15.6 
       Michigan..................................   4,488     975   21.7    1,016   22.6    4,335     914   21.1      953   22.0 
       Minnesota.................................   2,432     428   17.6      445   18.3    2,503     439   17.6      457   18.3 
       Mississippi...............................   1,099      61    5.5       99    9.0    1,052      69    6.6       84    8.0 
       Missouri..................................   2,570     365   14.2      395   15.4    2,514     332   13.2      366   14.5 
       Montana...................................     362      48   13.2       54   15.0      362      51   14.1       56   15.5 
       Nebraska..................................     789      61    7.7       86   10.9      793      63    7.9       88   11.1 
       Nevada....................................     954     162   17.0      175   18.4      971     147   15.2      162   16.7 
       New Hampshire.............................     609      61   10.0       70   11.4      613      60    9.7       69   11.2 
                                                                                                                                 
       New Jersey................................   3,833     746   19.5      798   20.8    3,870     749   19.4      799   20.6 
       New Mexico................................     721      57    7.8       68    9.4      723      48    6.6       63    8.7 
       New York..................................   7,802   2,063   26.4    2,152   27.6    7,844   1,987   25.3    2,088   26.6 
       North Carolina............................   3,521     129    3.7      151    4.3    3,427     111    3.2      138    4.0 
       North Dakota..............................     293      22    7.5       25    8.6      291      24    8.1       28    9.8 
       Ohio......................................   5,135     909   17.7      982   19.1    5,123     858   16.7      918   17.9 
       Oklahoma..................................   1,391     117    8.4      130    9.3    1,421     127    8.9      150   10.6 
       Oregon....................................   1,463     229   15.6      247   16.9    1,460     227   15.5      242   16.6 
       Pennsylvania..............................   5,366     910   17.0      984   18.3    5,452     847   15.5      907   16.6 
       Rhode Island..............................     466      83   17.8       86   18.5      471      81   17.2       84   17.9 
                                                                                                                                 
       South Carolina............................   1,623      73    4.5       91    5.6    1,643      81    4.9      101    6.1 
       South Dakota..............................     339      20    6.0       26    7.6      350      19    5.6       24    6.9 
       Tennessee.................................   2,421     185    7.6      211    8.7    2,466     222    9.0      258   10.5 
       Texas.....................................   8,872     489    5.5      591    6.7    8,818     451    5.1      571    6.5 
       Utah......................................     971      66    6.8       75    7.8      973      60    6.2       73    7.5 
       Vermont...................................     283      31   10.8       35   12.3      289      27    9.5       32   11.0 
       Virginia..................................   3,233     163    5.0      209    6.5    3,208     189    5.9      249    7.8 
       Washington................................   2,487     460   18.5      498   20.0    2,553     471   18.4      512   20.0 
       West Virginia.............................     719     105   14.6      115   16.0      693      92   13.3       97   14.0 
       Wisconsin.................................   2,587     420   16.2      448   17.3    2,554     398   15.6      420   16.4 
       Wyoming...................................     221      20    8.9       25   11.1      219      17    7.8       22    9.8 

       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 for 2001 have been revised to reflect the introduction of Census 2000-based population controls.  In
     addition, data on "represented by unions" incorporate a minor change to the allocation procedure for that item.  The change
     in procedure had a small effect on the estimates.  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.