Union membership has been declining since 1983, and reached a historic low in 2024. There was a slight rise in 2020, but this has been attributed to union members being less likely to lose their jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, the rate of union membership declined again to 9.9 percent. Despite this constant decline, the number of workers represented by a union increased in 2023.

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a sample survey of the population 16 years of age and over. The survey is conducted each month by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and provides comprehensive data on the labor force, the employed, and the unemployed, classified by such characteristics as age, sex, race, family relationship, marital status, occupation, and industry attachment. The information is collected by trained interviewers from a sample of about 60,000 households located in 754 sample areas. These areas are chosen to represent all counties and independent cities in the United States, with coverage in 50 States and the District of Columbia. The data collected are based on the activity or status reported for the calendar week including the 12th of the month. Union data are available for all workers, members of unions and represented by unions, with data available by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, sex, occupation, industry, state, and full- or part-time status. Median weekly earnings data are also available for members of unions, represented by unions and non-union with data available by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, sex, occupation, industry and full- or part-time status.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Cost Index: Wages and salaries for Private industry workers in Union, service-providing industries (CIU202S000000510I) from Q1 2001 to Q1 2025 about ECI, salaries, workers, private industries, wages, services, private, industry, and USA.

The share of workers in the United States who are members of labor unions has been on the decline since 1983. While rates of union membership have gotten closer between men and women, the rate of male union membership has declined more drastically than that of women. In 2024, **** percent of working men were union members compared to *** percent of women.

Graph and download economic data for Employed Persons in Union County, AR (LAUCN051390000000005) from Jan 1990 to May 2025 about Union County, AR; AR; household survey; employment; persons; and USA.

The United States Department of Labor tells us that "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

This database of state-level union membership and coverage from 1983 to 2015 was originally compiled by Barry Hirsch (Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University) and David Macpherson (Department of Economics, Trinity University). The database, available at unionstats.com provides private and public sector labor union membership, coverage, and density estimates compiled from the monthly household Current Population Survey (CPS) using BLS methods.

Use of this data requires citation of the following paper which also includes a description of how the database was created: Barry T. Hirsch and David A. Macpherson, "Union Membership and Coverage Database from the Current Population Survey: Note," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 56, No. 2, January 2003, pp. 349-54. (PDF).

United States Private Employee: LIB: Union Workers data was reported at 80.000 % in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 80.000 % for 2016. United States Private Employee: LIB: Union Workers data is updated yearly, averaging 80.000 % from Mar 1999 (Median) to 2017, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 85.000 % in 2013 and a record low of 61.000 % in 2003. United States Private Employee: LIB: Union Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G076: Employee Benefits Survey: Private Industry.

United States Private Employee: DBP: Union Workers data was reported at 66.000 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 65.000 % for 2016. United States Private Employee: DBP: Union Workers data is updated yearly, averaging 67.000 % from Mar 1999 (Median) to 2017, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 72.000 % in 2005 and a record low of 65.000 % in 2016. United States Private Employee: DBP: Union Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G076: Employee Benefits Survey: Private Industry.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Cost Index: Total compensation for Private industry workers in All union workers (CIU2010000000510I) from Q1 2001 to Q1 2025 about ECI, compensation, workers, private industries, private, industry, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Employment Cost Index: Total benefits for Private industry workers in All union workers (CIU2030000000510I) from Q1 2001 to Q1 2025 about ECI, benefits, workers, private industries, private, industry, and USA.

United States Private Employee: PSL: Union Workers data was reported at 79.000 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 76.000 % for 2016. United States Private Employee: PSL: Union Workers data is updated yearly, averaging 70.500 % from Mar 1999 (Median) to 2017, with 14 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 79.000 % in 2017 and a record low of 54.000 % in 1999. United States Private Employee: PSL: Union Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G076: Employee Benefits Survey: Private Industry.

The National Compensation Survey (NCS) program produces information on wages by occupation for many metropolitan areas.The Modeled Wage Estimates (MWE) provide annual estimates of average hourly wages for occupations by selected job characteristics and within geographical location. The job characteristics include bargaining status (union and nonunion), part- and full-time work status, incentive- and time-based pay, and work levels by occupation. The modeled wage estimates are produced using a statistical procedure that combines survey data collected by the National Compensation Survey (NCS) and the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) programs. Borrowing from the strengths of the NCS, information on job characteristics and work levels, and from the OES, the occupational and geographic detail, the modeled wage estimates provide more detail on occupational average hourly wages than either program is able to provide separately. Wage rates for different work levels within occupation groups also are published. Data are available for private industry, State and local governments, full-time workers, part-time workers, and other workforce characteristics.

United States Private Employee: ARP: Union Workers data was reported at 82.000 % in 2018. This stayed constant from the previous number of 82.000 % for 2017. United States Private Employee: ARP: Union Workers data is updated yearly, averaging 82.000 % from Mar 1999 (Median) to 2018, with 18 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.000 % in 2013 and a record low of 79.000 % in 1999. United States Private Employee: ARP: Union Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.G077: Employee Benefits Survey: Private Industry.

Context:

The Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) and National Compensation Survey (NCS) programs have produced estimates by borrowing from the strength and breadth of each survey to provide more details on occupational wages than either program provides individually. Modeled wage estimates provide annual estimates of average hourly wages for occupations by selected job characteristics and within geographical location. The job characteristics include bargaining status (union and nonunion), part- and full-time work status, incentive- and time-based pay, and work levels by occupation.

Direct estimates are based on survey responses only from the particular geographic area to which the estimate refers. In contrast, modeled wage estimates use survey responses from larger areas to fill in information for smaller areas where the sample size is not sufficient to produce direct estimates. Modeled wage estimates require the assumption that the patterns to responses in the larger area hold in the smaller area.

The sample size for the NCS is not large enough to produce direct estimates by area, occupation, and job characteristic for all of the areas for which the OES publishes estimates by area and occupation. The NCS sample consists of 6 private industry panels with approximately 3,300 establishments sampled per panel, and 1,600 sampled state and local government units. The OES full six-panel sample consists of nearly 1.2 million establishments.

The sample establishments are classified in industry categories based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). Within an establishment, specific job categories are selected to represent broader occupational definitions. Jobs are classified according to the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system.

Content:

Summary: Average hourly wage estimates for civilian workers in occupations by job characteristic and work levels. These data are available at the national, state, metropolitan, and nonmetropolitan area levels.

Frequency of Observations: Data are available on an annual basis, typically in May.

Data Characteristics: All hourly wages are published to the nearest cent.

Acknowledgements:

This dataset was taken directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and converted to CSV format.

Inspiration:

This dataset contains the estimated wages of civilian workers in the United States. Wage changes in certain industries may be indicators for growth or decline. Which industries have had the greatest increases in wages? Combine this dataset with the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index dataset and find out what kinds of jobs you would need to afford your snacks and instant coffee!

The American Time Use Survey (ATUS) collects information on how people living in the United States spend their time. This multi-year data set contains data on the amount of time that people spent doing various activities in the years 2003 through 2010, such as paid work, child care, religious activities, volunteering, and socializing. Part 1, the Respondent File, contains demographic information about respondents such as employment status, occupation, and income. Part 2, the Roster File, contains information about household members and non-household children under the age of 18. Information includes sex, relationship to designated respondent, and age. Part 3, the Activity File, includes additional information on activities in which respondents participated such as paid work and volunteer activities. The file also included the location of each activity and the total time spent on secondary child care. Part 4, the Who File, includes information on who was present during each activity. Part 5, the ATUS-CPS File, contains demographic and occupational data on respondents and members of their household collected during their participation in the Current Population Survey (CPS). Part 6, the Summary File, contains information about the total number of minutes each respondent spent doing each activity. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, ethnicity, marital status, education level, income, employment status, occupation, citizenship status, country of origin, labor union membership, and household composition.

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a sample survey of the population 16 years of age and over. The survey is conducted each month by the U.S. Census Bureau for the Bureau of Labor Statistics and provides comprehensive data on the labor force, the employed, and the unemployed, classified by such characteristics as age, sex, race, family relationship, marital status, occupation, and industry attachment. The information is collected by trained interviewers from a sample of about 60,000 households located in 754 sample areas. These areas are chosen to represent all counties and independent cities in the United States, with coverage in 50 States and the District of Columbia. The data collected are based on the activity or status reported for the calendar week including the 12th of the month. Earnings data are available for all workers, with data available by age, race, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, sex, occupation, usual full- or part-time status, educational attainment, and other characteristics.

United States Private Employee: JDL: Union Workers data was reported at 77.000 % in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 77.000 % for 2016. United States Private Employee: JDL: Union Workers data is updated yearly, averaging 83.000 % from Mar 2003 (Median) to 2017, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 86.000 % in 2011 and a record low of 77.000 % in 2017. United States Private Employee: JDL: Union Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G076: Employee Benefits Survey: Private Industry.

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of households conducted by the Bureau of Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It provides a comprehensive body of data on the labor force, employment, unemployment, persons not in the labor force, hours of work, earnings, and other demographic and labor force characteristics.

United States Private Employee: LDI: Union Workers data was reported at 38.000 % in 2017. This stayed constant from the previous number of 38.000 % for 2016. United States Private Employee: LDI: Union Workers data is updated yearly, averaging 34.000 % from Mar 1999 (Median) to 2017, with 17 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 39.000 % in 2014 and a record low of 27.000 % in 2003. United States Private Employee: LDI: Union Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G076: Employee Benefits Survey: Private Industry.

United States Private Employee: PML: Union Workers data was reported at 40.000 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 39.000 % for 2016. United States Private Employee: PML: Union Workers data is updated yearly, averaging 48.000 % from Mar 2003 (Median) to 2017, with 13 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 56.000 % in 2008 and a record low of 39.000 % in 2016. United States Private Employee: PML: Union Workers data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Bureau of Labor Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.G076: Employee Benefits Survey: Private Industry.