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Union membership rate declines in 2021, returns to 2019 rate of 10.3 percent
January 25, 2022
The union membership rate declined by 0.5 percentage point to 10.3 percent in 2021, offsetting the increase in the prior year and bringing the rate back to what it was in 2019. In 2021, the rate decreased due to a decline in the number of union members (−241,000, or −1.7 percent) and an increase in the number of wage and salary workers overall (+4.2 million, or +3.2 percent). The 2020 increase in the unionization rate was due to a disproportionately large decline in wage and salary employment (mostly among nonunion workers) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the decline in the number of union members.
Change in employment for total wage and salary workers and union members, 1984–2021
Year
Total wage and salary workers
Union members
1984
3,904,000
-377,000
1985
2,327,000
-344,000
1986
2,382,000
-21,000
1987
2,400,000
-62,000
1988
2,104,000
89,000
1989
2,073,000
-42,000
1990
1,396,000
-184,000
1991
-1,153,000
-164,000
1992
945,000
-194,000
1993
1,433,000
209,000
1994
1,888,000
121,000
1995
2,049,000
-388,000
1996
1,922,000
-91,000
1997
2,573,000
-159,000
1998
2,197,000
101,000
1999
2,233,000
266,000
2000
3,126,000
-143,000
2001
140,000
-29,000
2002
-403,000
-160,000
2003
532,000
-369,000
2004
1,196,000
-304,000
2005
2,335,000
213,000
2006
2,348,000
-326,000
2007
1,530,000
311,000
2008
-390,000
428,000
2009
-4,887,000
-771,000
2010
-417,000
-612,000
2011
1,114,000
49,000
2012
2,390,000
-398,000
2013
1,533,000
162,000
2014
2,321,000
48,000
2015
2,312,000
219,000
2016
2,358,000
-240,000
2017
1,789,000
262,000
2018
2,209,000
-73,000
2019
1,638,000
-170,000
2020
-9,563,000
-321,000
2021
4,219,000
-241,000
In 2021, wage and salary employment increased for all major worker groups, while the number of union members decreased for most groups. These changes brought union membership rates down from 2020. Many rates are in line with or below where they were in 2019.
The unionization rate for men decreased to 10.6 percent in 2021, and the rate for women declined to 9.9 percent. The rate for men is below their 2019 rate, while the rate for women is above their 2019 rate.
Union membership rates by sex, race, and ethnicity, 2019–21
Sex, race, and ethnicity
2019
2020
2021
Total
10.3%
10.8%
10.3%
Men
10.8
11.0
10.6
Women
9.7
10.5
9.9
White
10.3
10.7
10.3
Black
11.2
12.3
11.5
Asian
8.8
8.9
7.7
Hispanic
8.9
9.8
9.0
The union membership rates for White workers (10.3 percent), Black workers (11.5 percent), Asian workers (7.7 percent), and Hispanic workers (9.0 percent) declined in 2021. The rates were little different from 2019, aside from Asian workers (−1.1 percentage point from 2019 to 2021).
These data are from the Current Population Survey. To learn more, see “Union Members — 2021.” The union membership rate is calculated by dividing the number of union members by the number of wage and salary workers. Union membership data do not include self-employed workers. People whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race.
United States Department of Labor
