According to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2012 the union membership rate¹ dropped to 11.3 percent, down from 11.8 percent in 2011. The number of workers belonging to unions also declined in 2012, from 14.8 million in 2011 to 14.4 million. By comparison, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent in 1983. The public-sector union membership rate also dropped in 2012, but government workers remain the occupational group most likely to be a member of a union – more than five times more likely than their private-sector counterparts.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Public Sector Unions

The percentage of public-sector workers belonging to a union was 35.9 percent in 2012, down from 37 percent in 2011. The public-sector union membership rate has generally followed trends in the overall union membership rate for the past decade. 6.6 percent of private-sector workers are union members. On a state-by-state basis, 31 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below the U.S. national average of 11.3 percent while 19 states had higher rates. New York (23 percent), Alaska (22 percent) and Hawaii (22 percent) have the highest union membership rates while North Carolina, Arkansas and South Carolina have the lowest rates, each at around 3 percent.  

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics