A new study conducted by AI productivity platform Plus Docs has revealed the states with the largest increases and decreases in union members between 2013 and 2023. Wisconsin saw the second largest decrease, with a 35.3% fall in membership numbers since 2013.
The study looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from 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.
Wisconsin saw a total change of 112,000 members leaving unions, a drop from 12.3% to 7.4% of all workers in the state represented.
Only Alaska saw a larger drop in membership, with a 36.6% decline, meaning approximately one in three members are no longer part of a 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.
On the opposite end of the study, 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.
