These are the US states seeing a union membership surge

States with the Largest Increase in Union MembershipsStates with the Largest Increase in Union Memberships
States with the Largest Increase in Union Memberships
A new study has revealed the states with the largest increases and decreases in union members between 2013 and 2023.

The study, conducted by AI productivity platform Plus Docs, looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on union membership between 2013 and 2023. The total number of union members in each state was found alongside the percentage that this represented of all workers in the state. The percentage change for each state between the two periods was then calculated and ranked.

The study revealed Mississippi saw the largest increase in union members, seeing a 97.4% increase from 2013. Data from the BLS shows there were 38,000 members in 2013, with this jumping to 75,000 last year – from 3.7% of all workers represented to 7% in 2023.

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Arkansas had the second-largest jump after seeing a 63.2% increase. In 2023, there were 24,000 more workers in unions compared to 2013. In 2013, only 3.5% of all employees were part of a union, compared to 5.1% in 2023, representing 62,000 workers.

Vermont comes in third, with a 38.7% increase in members. In 2013, there were 31,000 union members, equaling 10.9% of all employees. As of the latest BLS data, this figure has jumped to 43,000 members, representing 14.3% of all workers.

Utah ranks fourth after a 32.7% increase in union membership, climbing from 49,000 members in 2013 to 65,000 in 2023. This latest figure represents 4.1% of employees, up from 3.9% in 2013.

Ranking fifth is New Mexico. Here, union membership rose by 30.4% across the two periods, with members increasing from 46,000 in 2013 to 60,000 in 2023, now representing 7.5% of all workers in the state.

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In sixth place is Kansas which saw a 27.7% increase, closely followed by Idaho where membership increased 27.6%, jumping by 8,000 members from 2013 to 2023.

Ranking eighth is Connecticut which saw a 23.2% surge in union membership, with 48,000 more members in 2023 than 2013. Similarly, Oregon follows in ninth place with a 22.6% increase and a large jump of 47,000 workers between the periods.

Rounding off the list is Missouri where union membership rose 16.4%. Here, 9.3% of all employees, or 255,000 workers, were members in 2023 compared to 8.6%, or 219,000 people, a decade previously.

On the opposite end of the study, Alaska saw the biggest drop in membership, with a 36.6% decline, meaning approximately one in three members are no longer part of the union. In total, Alaska saw 26,000 members leave, falling from 23.1% of workers being represented in 2013 to just 14.8% in 2023.

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Overall, the average percentage of workers who are part of unions was at 9.4% across the US. Hawaii is currently the state with the largest portion of workers in a union at 24.1%, while South Carolina has the lowest figure at 2.3%.

Commenting on the findings, Daniel Li, CEO and Co-Founder of Plus Docs, said: “It’s interesting to see where states are seeing union memberships surge, especially as although there is a general increase in the South and Midwest, it is also true that neighbouring states can see vastly different results.

“While Mississippi has nearly doubled its union membership, their neighbour, Alabama, has gone the opposite way. In fact, there are 18 states which have seen an overall decline in membership, with only two states keeping the same numbers.

“This could be from a range of factors, such as a younger workforce beginning their careers, who may be less likely to be part of a union than older employees, older generations retiring and no longer being members, or this could be due to state policies and legislation on unions. Whatever the reason, the study has highlighted an interesting disparity across the nation.”

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