In 2020, the percent of wage and salary workers who were members of unions—the union membership rate—was 10.8 percent, up by 0.5 percentage point from 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
There were 7.2 million public-sector union employees and 7.1 million private-sector union employees in 2020. These figures represented a decline of 428,000 in private union sector membership since 2019 and little change in public sector union membership.
The BLS reports that on average, in 2019, union workers earned roughly $1,095 per week, while nonunion workers earned closer to $892. Put another way, nonunion workers made just 81 cents for every dollar union workers made.
The overall decline in union membership is due in part to the changing job landscape. Service and healthcare jobs are some of the fastest-growing, but their unionization rates have not increased apace. The manufacturing sector, which historically has made up the majority of unions, has been on the decline for decades.
Largest unions
| Name | est. | Members (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees | 1932 | 1,459,511 |
| Teamsters | 1903 | 1,400,000 |
| United Food and Commercial Workers | 1979 | 1,300,000 |
| United Auto Workers | 1935 | 990,000 |
The unionization rate for private-sector workers increased by 0.1 percentage point to 6.3 percent in 2020, reflecting the net effect of declines in both the number of union members in the private sector and the steep drop in private- sector employment.
The average annual cost of union dues is $400, or about two hours of pay per month. There is a disinclination of unions toward the contingent worker. Unions want full-time dues payers.
The median annual salaries for the top-paying union jobs are as follows:
Union affiliation by U.S. state
| Rank | State | Percent union members |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 23.7 |
| 2 | New York | 22.0 |
| 3 | Rhode Island | 17.8 |
| 4 | Alaska | 17.7 |
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