28  Monthly Labor Review • October 2008

Visual Essay: Union Membership

Union members in 2007: a visual essay

James A. Walker

Union membership data are eagerly anticipated 

each year by labor unions, economic researchers, business managers, and reporters. These 

annual average data from the Current Population 

Survey (CPS) have been available since 1983. The CPS

is a survey of about 60,000 households that provides 

data on employment and unemployment among the 

Nation’s civilian noninstitutional population age 16 

and older. Additional data on union membership are 

available on the Internet at www.bls.gov/cps/lfcharacteristics.htm#union.

The term “union members” refers to members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union. 

Nonunion employees are not members of a union, nor 

are they represented by a union on their job.

Data in this essay are limited to employed wage and 

salary workers. Union members who are temporarily 

absent from work because of strikes are included in 

the data. However, dues-paying union members who 

are unemployed or out of the labor force (such as those 

who are retired) are excluded.

Median usual weekly earnings data are for fulltime wage and salary workers. The data represent 

earnings before taxes and other deductions and include any overtime pay, commissions, or tips usually 

received.

This essay was prepared by James A. Walker, an 

economist in the Division of Labor Force Statistics, 

Bureau of Labor Statistics. Phone: (202) 691-6378. 

E-mail: Walker.James@bls.gov.
Monthly Labor Review • October 2008  29

1. The union membership rate of employed wage and salary workers has declined since 1983

NOTE: The union membership rate is the proportion of wage and salary workers who are members of a union or an employee association

similar to a union. Unpaid family workers and the self-employed are not included.

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages.

1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2

25

20

15

10

5

0

Union membership rate

Union membership

rate

Union membership

rate

25

20

15

10

5

0

The percentage of all wage and salary workers who are members of a union or similar organization has declined 

by 8.0 percentage points since 1983, the first year for which consistent union membership data are available. In 

1983, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent; it fell to 12.1 percent by 2007. 

The overall number of union members declined from 17.7 million in 1983 to 15.7 million in 2007. This 2.0 

million decrease in the number of union members occurred despite an increase of 41.5 million in the number of 

employed wage and salary workers in the United States over the same period.

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Visual Essay: Union Membersh

30  Monthly Labor Review • October 2008

2. The private sector had a lower union membership rate than the public sector, 1983–2007

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Union membership

rate

Public-sector union membership rate

Private-sector union membership rate

1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

NOTE: Prior to 2000, private-sector data refer to the nonagricultural private sector.

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual average

Union membership

rate

Private-sector employees have a lower union membership rate than public-sector (government) employees. In 

2007, there was a 28.4-percentage-point difference between the unionization rates of these two groups.

The private-sector union membership rate declined by 9.3 percentage points, from 16.8 percent in 1983 to 7.5 

percent in 2007. 

In contrast, the union membership rate of the public sector changed little over the same period. In 1983, the 

union membership rate of the public sector was 36.7 percent; it was 35.9 percent in 2007.

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Monthly Labor Review • October 2008  31

3. Union membership rates varied by industry in 2007

g Public sector

g Private sector

Union membership rate

NOTE: Education and health services includes private education. Public education is included in the public secto

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual average

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50

Local government

State government

Federal Government

Transportation and utilities

Construction

Information

Manufacturing

Mining

Education and health services

Wholesale and retail trade

Other services

Leisure and hospitality

Professional and businessservices

Financial activities

Agriculture and related industries

Within the public sector, local government had the highest union membership rate (41.8 percent), followed by 

State government (30.4 percent) and Federal Government (26.8 percent).

Among private-sector industries, transportation and utilities had the highest union membership rate in 2007, at 

22.1 percent. Agriculture and related industries had the lowest union membership rate (1.5 percent). 

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Visual Essay: Union Membersh

32  Monthly Labor Review • October 2008

4. Union membership rates differed by occupation in 2007

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages.

Union membership rate

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Protective service

Construction and extraction

Professional and related

Transportation and material moving

Installation, maintenance, and repair

Production

Building and grounds cleaning and

maintenance

Office and administrative support

Healthcare support

Personal care and service

Management, business, and financial

operations

Food preparation and serving related

Sales and related

Farming, fishing, and forestry

In 2007, protective service occupations had the highest union membership rate among broad occupational groups, 

at 35.2 percent. This category includes police officers and firefighters in the public sector.

Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations had the lowest union membership rate, at 2.7 percent in 2007.

When the broad occupational groups shown in the chart were divided into more detailed occupational groups, 

education, training, and library occupations had the highest union membership rate in 2007, at 37.2 percent. 

Education, training, and library occupations (which include public school teachers) also accounted for the largest 

number of union members (3.1 million) in 2007. These occupations are included within the broad category of 

professional and related occupations shown in the chart.

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Monthly Labor Review • October 2008  33

5. Wage and salary workers aged 45 to 64 years had the highest union membership rates in 2007

Age of worker

16–24

25–34

35–44

45–54

55–64

65 and older

0 5 10 15 20

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages.

Union membership rate

In 2007, wage and salary workers aged 45 to 54 years and aged 55 to 64 years had union membership rates of 

15.7 percent and 16.1 percent, respectively. Workers aged 16 to 24 years had the lowest rate (4.8 percent).

At 8.5 percent in 2007, the union membership rate of wage and salary workers aged 65 years and older was 

about half that of workers aged 55 to 64 years (16.1 percent). The difference may be caused by larger proportions of union members retiring by age 65 than nonunion workers. Within education, training, and library 

occupations—a highly unionized field—42.3 percent of 55- to 64-year-olds in 2007 belonged to a union; by 

contrast, 20.2 percent of those aged 65 years and older were union members. Education, training, and library 

occupations had the highest union membership rate of both age groups in 2007.

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Visual Essay: Union Membersh

34  Monthly Labor Review • October 2008

6. The union membership rate for men was higher than the rate for women from 1983 to 2007, but the gap 

narrowed during this period

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages.

Union membership

rate

1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Women

Men

Union membership

rate

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

The gap between the union membership rates of men and women has narrowed considerably since 1983, when 

the rate for men was 10.1 percentage points higher than the rate for women. In 2007, the gap between men and 

women was 1.9 percentage points.

In 1983, 24.7 percent of men were members of a union; by 2007, this rate had dropped by 11.7 percentage points 

to 13.0 percent. The decline in the union membership rate of women has been less pronounced than the decline 

in the men’s rate. The unionization rate for women fell by 3.5 percentage points between 1983 and 2007, from 

14.6 percent to 11.1 percent.

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Monthly Labor Review • October 2008  35

7. The decline in the union membership rate from 1983 to 2007 varied by race and ethnicity 

Blacks

Hispanics

Whites

Union membership rate

g 1983

g 20

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Average hours per day

NOTE: The union membership rate of Asiansis only available from 2003 onward; the rate was 10.9 percent in 2007. People of Hispanic ethnicity c

be of any race.

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages.

From 1983 to 2007, the decline in the union membership rate of Blacks (12.9 percentage points) and Hispanics 

(11.3 percentage points) was larger than the decline for Whites (7.5 percentage points). 

In 1983, Blacks had the highest union membership rate at 27.2 percent, followed by Hispanics (21.1 percent) 

and Whites (19.3 percent).

In 2007, Blacks continued to have a higher unionization rate (14.3 percent) than Whites (11.8 percent), Asians 

(10.9 percent), and Hispanics (9.8 percent).

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Visual Essay: Union Membersh

36  Monthly Labor Review • October 2008

8. Only four States had union membership rates above 20 percent in 2007

(U.S. rate = 12.1 percent)

20.0 percent or more

15.0 –19.9 percent

10.0 –14.9 percent

4.9 percent or less

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual average

#

5.0 – 9.9 percent

New York had the highest union membership rate in 2007 (25.2 percent), followed by Alaska (23.8 percent), 

Hawaii (23.4 percent), and Washington (20.2 percent). By comparison, in 1989, the first year for which union 

membership data by State are available from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 12 States with union 

membership rates above 20 percent. 

Five States had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2007—Texas (4.7 percent), Georgia (4.4 percent), 

South Carolina (4.1 percent), Virginia (3.7 percent), and North Carolina (3.0 percent).

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Monthly Labor Review • October 2008  37

9. Among full-time workers, union members had higher weekly earnings than nonunion workers, 1983–2007

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages.

NOTE: The term “nonunion”refers to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented by a union on their job. Earnings are median usual

weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers and have been converted to constant dollars using the Consumer Price Index research series (CPI-URS).

Constant 2007 dollars

900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0

Union members

Nonunion workers

Constant 2007 dollars

1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2

In 2007, union members earned $863 per week, compared with $663 for nonunion workers.

Median usual earnings of both union and nonunion workers have risen moderately since 1983. Adjusted for inflation, union members earned $96 more per week in 2007 than in 1983, while nonunion workers saw an increase 

of $94. These changes represent a 12.5-percent increase for union members and a 16.5-percent increase for nonunion workers between 1983 and 2007.

The difference in earnings between the two groups was influenced by the distributions of union and nonunion 

workers by occupation, industry, firm size, and geographic region, as well as by coverage of a collective bargaining 

agreement.

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900

800

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0
Visual Essay: Union Membersh

38  Monthly Labor Review • October 2008

10. Among full-time union and nonunion workers, women had lower weekly earnings than men in 2007

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages.

NOTE: The term “nonunion” refers to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented by a union on their job. Earnings are median

usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers.

Men, union

Women, union

Men, nonunion

Women, nonunion

$0 $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 $600 $700 $800 $900 $1,

          Median weekly earnings

In 2007, median usual weekly earnings of full-time workers were lower for women than for men, regardless 

of union membership status. In 2007, women union members earned $790 per week, which was 87 percent of 

what union men earned ($913). Among nonunion workers, women earned $592, or 80 percent of what men 

were paid ($738).

The difference in earnings between men and women was smaller among union members ($123) than among 

nonunion workers ($146).

Among both men and women, weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers were higher for union 

members than for nonunion workers. In 2007, union women earned 33 percent more than nonunion women, 

and union men earned 24 percent more than nonunion men.

The difference in earnings between the groups shown in the chart was influenced by the distributions of union 

and nonunion workers by occupation, industry, firm size, and geographic region, as well as by coverage of a 

collective bargaining agreement.

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Monthly Labor Review • October 2008  39

11. Among full-time employees of the same race or ethnicity, most union members earned more per week than

 their nonunion counterparts in 2007

SOURCE: Current Population Survey (CPS), annual averages.

NOTE: The term“nonunion”refers to workers who are neither members of a union nor represented by a union on their job. Hispanics can be of

any race. Earnings are median usual weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers.

White, union

White, nonunion

Asian, union

Asian, nonunion

Hispanic, union

Hispanic, nonunion

Black, union

Black, nonunion

$0 $100 $200 $300 $400 $500 $600 $700 $800 $900

Median weekly earnings

White, black, and Hispanic union members who worked full time had substantially higher median usual 

weekly earnings than their nonunion counterparts in 2007. Among Asians, there was little difference between 

the earnings of union and nonunion members. 

White and Asian union members had higher median usual weekly earnings than Blacks or Hispanics. Nonunion Whites and Asians also had higher earnings than Blacks or Hispanics who were not union members.

Among Hispanics who worked full time, union members earned $249 more per week than nonunion workers. 

This was the largest difference between union and nonunion median usual weekly earnings for any race or 

ethnic group. 

The differences in earnings among the groups shown in the chart were influenced by the distributions of 

union and nonunion workers by occupation, industry, firm size, and geographic region, as well as by coverage 

of a collective bargaining agreement.

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