US Union Membership Rate, 1983 to 2025

US union membership fell from 20.1% of wage and salary workers in 1983 to 10.0% in 2025, with 9.9% in 2024 the lowest in the series.

Make this video Download data (CSV)

Free to edit and export · No signup to start

What the data shows

Union membership rate: 20.1% in 1983, 10.0% in 2025 (50% lower). Its low point was 9.9% in 2024.

About this chart

The share of US wage and salary workers in a union fell from 20.1% in 1983 to 10.0% in 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate dropped below 15% in 1995 and below 12% in 2010, and 9.9% in 2024 was the lowest in the series. In 1983, 17.7 million workers were union members, compared with 14.7 million in 2025. The rate rose to 10.8% in 2020 before settling back.

The 2025 rate was 32.9% for public-sector workers and 5.9% for private-sector workers. The 2025 annual estimate uses 11 months of data because October 2025 survey data was not collected during the federal government shutdown, so it is not strictly comparable. The series covers employed wage and salary workers aged 16 and over in the Current Population Survey and starts in 1983, the first year with comparable data.

The data

Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Union affiliation, series LUU0204899600 (union members as percent of employed wage and salary workers), annual averages via BLS Public Data API. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Wage and salary workers aged 16+. 1983 is the first year with comparable BLS data. The 2025 annual estimate uses 11 monthly observations because October 2025 CPS data were not collected during the federal government shutdown, so it is not strictly comparable. Series ends at 2025.

US Union Membership Rate, % of employed wage and salary workers, 1983-2025, 1983–2025
Date	Union membership rate
1983	20.1%
1984	18.8%
1985	18.0%
1986	17.5%
1987	17.0%
1988	16.8%
1989	16.4%
1990	16.0%
1991	16.0%
1992	15.7%
1993	15.7%
1994	15.5%
1995	14.9%
1996	14.5%
1997	14.1%
1998	13.9%
1999	13.9%
2000	13.4%
2001	13.3%
2002	13.3%
2003	12.9%
2004	12.5%
2005	12.5%
2006	12.0%
2007	12.1%
2008	12.4%
2009	12.3%
2010	11.9%
2011	11.8%
2012	11.3%
2013	11.3%
2014	11.1%
2015	11.1%
2016	10.7%
2017	10.7%
2018	10.5%
2019	10.3%
2020	10.8%
2021	10.3%
2022	10.1%
2023	10.0%
2024	9.9%
2025	10.0%

Post it

Suggested caption: “One in five US workers was in a union in 1983. Now it's one in ten.” Credit the source in your caption; it heads off the 'source?' comments.

Make it yours

Switch between bar, line, column and donut races with one click.
Pick 9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 4:5 for the feed or 16:9 for YouTube.
Change the theme, font, colors and race length, and add your own captions.
Paste your own numbers from Excel or Google Sheets. See the animated line chart maker for tips.

Frequently asked questions

What percent of US workers are in a union?

10.0% of employed wage and salary workers in 2025, about 14.7 million members, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate was 9.9% in 2024, the lowest in the series.

When was US union membership at its highest?

In this BLS series, the highest rate is the first year, 1983, at 20.1%, with 17.7 million members. Data begins in 1983, the first year of comparable figures, so earlier years are not shown.

Where does this data come from?

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Union affiliation, series LUU0204899600 (union members as percent of employed wage and salary workers), annual averages via BLS Public Data API. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Wage and salary workers aged 16+. 1983 is the first year with comparable BLS data. The 2025 annual estimate uses 11 monthly observations because October 2025 CPS data were not collected during the federal government shutdown, so it is not strictly comparable. Series ends at 2025. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

Can I turn this chart into a video?

Yes. Open it in the editor, change the title, theme, colors or format (9:16 for Reels and TikTok, 16:9 for YouTube), and export an MP4. Free exports are 720p with a small watermark; Pro ($11.99/month) removes it and adds 1080p, 4K and 60 fps.

Related data

All money charts

MoneyReal data

US Goods Exports by Country

Mexico passed Canada in 2025 as the top buyer of US goods at $337.3 billion, with Canada at $333.6 billion and China at $106.0 billion.

MoneyReal data

US Foreign Aid by Country

Ukraine received $9.5 billion in US net development aid in 2024 after $11.8 billion in 2023, the largest single-country amounts in this OECD series.

MoneyReal data

US Goods Imports by Country

Mexico was the largest source of US goods imports in 2025 at $534.3 billion, while imports from China fell to $308.7 billion from $538.5 billion in 2018.