A new report from Construction Coverage identifies the U.S. cities and states with the highest union membership rates, as well as long-term trends in unionization and wage differences between union and non-union workers nationwide.
Report findings, including key data for Wisconsin, include:
-
Nationwide, union membership is at an historic low, with just 9.9% of all U.S. workers belonging to unions in 2024, down from 24.1% in 1979;
-
Union membership declines reflect decades of political, economic and structural shifts in the labor force;
Advertisement -
Non-union workers tend to earn less, with full-time union employees in 2024 earning a country-wide median of $1,337 per week — 17.5% more than their non-union counterparts ($1,138) — which is a difference of more than $10,000 annually;
-
States with right-to-work laws, which prohibit mandatory union membership or dues as a condition of employment, consistently rank lower in union membership; and
-
Unionization is below-average in Wisconsin, with a total of 180,487 workers, or 6.4%, belonging to unions statewide.
The full report covers over 250 U.S. metros and all 50 states, with a detailed breakdown of union membership and representation rates and totals.
