FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: (816) 285-7000 Media Contact: Jacqueline Michael-Midkiff 816-285-7001 |
FOR RELEASE: March 6, 2009 |
UNION MEMBERSHIP IN 2008
Membership Rate in Colorado was 8.0 Percent
In 2008, the number of workers in Colorado belonging to a union was 181,000, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Regional Commissioner Stanley W. Suchman noted that union members accounted for 8.0 percent of wage and salary workers in Colorado in 2008, compared with the 8.7 percent posted in 2007. At its peak in 1990, the union membership rate for the State was 10.5 percent. (See chart A.)
Nationally, the number of workers belonging to a union rose by 428,000 to 16,098,000 in 2008. Union members accounted for 12.4 percent of employed wage and salary workers, up from 12.1 percent in 2007. In 1983, the first year for which comparable national union data were available, the union membership rate was 20.1 percent. Since 1989, when state data were first available for comparison, Colorado's union membership rate has been below the U.S. average every year.
Chart A. Members of unions as a percent of employed in the United States and Colorado, 1989-2008
In addition to Colorado's 181,000 wage and salary workers who were union members in 2008, another 27,000 workers were represented by a union on their main job or were covered by an employee association or contract while not being union members themselves. Nationwide, about 16.1 million wage and salary workers were union members in 2008 and about 1.7 million wage and salary workers were represented by a union on their main job but not union members themselves.
Year | Total employed | Members of unions(1) | Represented by unions(2) | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | Percent of employed | Total | Percent of employed | ||
1989 |
1,395 | 129 | 9.3 | 158 | 11.3 |
1990 |
1,473 | 154 | 10.5 | 177 | 12.0 |
1991 |
1,480 | 145 | 9.8 | 174 | 11.7 |
1992 |
1,478 | 150 | 10.2 | 177 | 11.9 |
1993 |
1,559 | 153 | 9.8 | 178 | 11.4 |
1994 |
n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
1995 |
1,725 | 170 | 9.9 | 208 | 12.0 |
1996 |
1,722 | 167 | 9.7 | 185 | 10.8 |
1997 |
1,814 | 174 | 9.6 | 201 | 11.1 |
1998 |
1,887 | 171 | 9.1 | 189 | 10.0 |
1999 |
1,927 | 181 | 9.4 | 199 | 10.4 |
2000 |
1,984 | 187 | 9.4 | 209 | 10.6 |
2001 |
2,000 | 179 | 8.9 | 207 | 10.3 |
2002 |
1,996 | 157 | 7.9 | 180 | 9.0 |
2003 |
2,007 | 156 | 7.8 | 180 | 9.0 |
2004 |
2,050 | 172 | 8.4 | 191 | 9.3 |
2005 |
2,052 | 170 | 8.3 | 193 | 9.4 |
2006 |
2,154 | 165 | 7.7 | 186 | 8.6 |
2007 |
2,204 | 191 | 8.7 | 202 | 9.2 |
2008 |
2,254 | 181 | 8.0 | 208 | 9.2 |
Footnotes: |
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n/a - Not available. |
In 2008, 29 states and the District of Columbia had union membership rates below that of the U.S. average, 12.4 percent, while 20 states had higher rates and 1 state had the same rate. (See table 1.) Union membership rates rose over the year in 26 states and the District of Columbia, declined in 20 states (including Colorado), and were unchanged in 4 states.
Six states had union membership rates below 5.0 percent in 2008, with North Carolina having the lowest rate (3.5 percent). The next lowest rates were recorded in Georgia (3.7 percent), South Carolina (3.9 percent), Virginia (4.1 percent), Texas (4.5 percent), and Louisiana (4.6 percent). (See chart 1.) Three states had union membership rates over 20.0 percent-New York (24.9 percent), Hawaii (24.3 percent), and Alaska (23.5 percent).
Colorado is one of eight states in the Mountain division; in this geographic grouping, only Nevada (16.7 percent) posted a union membership rate above the national average. In the East North Central, Middle Atlantic, and the Pacific divisions, all of the states reported union membership rates at or above that for the United States. In contrast, all states in the East South Central and West South Central divisions had union membership rates that were below the national average.
About half (8.0 million) of the 16.1 million union members in the United States lived in just 6 states (California, 2.7 million; New York, 2.0 million; Illinois, 0.9 million; Pennsylvania, 0.8 million; Michigan, 0.8 million; and Ohio, 0.7 million), though these states accounted for only one-third of wage and salary employment nationally.
State union membership levels depend on both the employment level and union membership rate. For example, Colorado and Alabama had the same number of union members (181,000) even though Colorado had nearly 400,000 more wage and salary workers. Similarly, North Carolina and Hawaii had a comparable number of union members (132,000 and 136,000, respectively), even though North Carolina's wage and salary employment level was almost seven times that of Hawaii.
Technical Note
The estimates in this release are obtained from the Current Population Survey (CPS), which provides the basic information on the labor force, employment, and unemployment in the U.S. The survey is conducted monthly for the Bureau of Labor Statistics by the U.S. Census Bureau from a scientifically selected sample of about 60,000 households nationwide. The union membership data are tabulated from one-quarter of the CPS monthly sample and are limited to wage and salary workers. All self-employed workers are excluded.
Union membership data, particularly for levels, are not strictly comparable with data for earlier years because of the introduction of updated population controls used in the CPS. The effect of the revised population controls on the union membership estimates is unknown. These updated controls had little or no effect on unemployment rates and other ratios, such as union membership rates. For technical documentation and related information, including reliability of the CPS estimates, see www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm.
For personal assistance or further information on union membership, as well as other Bureau data, contact the Kansas City Information Office at 816-285-7000 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CT. Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: 202-691-5200, TDD message referral phone number: 1-800-877-8339.
Definitions
The principal definitions used in this release are described briefly below.
Union members. Members of a labor union or an employee association similar to a union.
Represented by unions. Union members, as well as workers who have no union affiliation but whose jobs are covered by a union or an employee association contract.
Wage and salary workers. Workers who receive wages, salaries, commissions, tips, payment in kind, or piece rates. The group includes employees in both the private and public sectors, but, for the purposes of the union membership and earnings series, excludes all self-employed persons, regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated.
State | 2007 | 2008 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total employed | Members of unions(1) | Represented by unions(2) | Total employed | Members of unions(1) | Represented by unions(2) | |||||
Total | Percent of employed | Total | Percent of employed | Total | Percent of employed | Total | Percent of employed | |||
Alabama |
1,895 | 180 | 9.5 | 201 | 10.6 | 1,858 | 181 | 9.8 | 199 | 10.7 |
Alaska |
284 | 68 | 23.8 | 70 | 24.7 | 289 | 68 | 23.5 | 71 | 24.7 |
Arizona |
2,619 | 230 | 8.8 | 255 | 9.7 | 2,579 | 227 | 8.8 | 254 | 9.8 |
Arkansas |
1,154 | 62 | 5.4 | 75 | 6.5 | 1,158 | 68 | 5.9 | 85 | 7.3 |
California |
14,856 | 2,474 | 16.7 | 2,650 | 17.8 | 14,889 | 2,740 | 18.4 | 2,909 | 19.5 |
Colorado |
2,204 | 191 | 8.7 | 202 | 9.2 | 2,254 | 181 | 8.0 | 208 | 9.2 |
Connecticut |
1,617 | 253 | 15.6 | 269 | 16.6 | 1,625 | 275 | 16.9 | 291 | 17.9 |
Delaware |
396 | 47 | 12.0 | 50 | 12.8 | 391 | 52 | 13.4 | 57 | 14.7 |
District of Columbia |
278 | 29 | 10.3 | 38 | 13.6 | 288 | 35 | 12.2 | 41 | 14.3 |
Florida |
7,741 | 455 | 5.9 | 562 | 7.3 | 7,573 | 482 | 6.4 | 601 | 7.9 |
Georgia |
4,181 | 186 | 4.4 | 226 | 5.4 | 4,084 | 151 | 3.7 | 189 | 4.6 |
Hawaii |
556 | 130 | 23.4 | 135 | 24.2 | 562 | 136 | 24.3 | 143 | 25.5 |
Idaho |
635 | 33 | 5.3 | 41 | 6.4 | 602 | 42 | 7.1 | 48 | 8.0 |
Illinois |
5,802 | 842 | 14.5 | 884 | 15.2 | 5,662 | 939 | 16.6 | 993 | 17.5 |
Indiana |
2,779 | 333 | 12.0 | 359 | 12.9 | 2,811 | 349 | 12.4 | 386 | 13.7 |
Iowa |
1,417 | 149 | 10.5 | 185 | 13.1 | 1,437 | 153 | 10.6 | 187 | 13.0 |
Kansas |
1,274 | 89 | 7.0 | 110 | 8.7 | 1,273 | 89 | 7.0 | 111 | 8.7 |
Kentucky |
1,734 | 157 | 9.1 | 192 | 11.1 | 1,703 | 146 | 8.6 | 163 | 9.6 |
Louisiana |
1,670 | 94 | 5.6 | 108 | 6.5 | 1,724 | 80 | 4.6 | 97 | 5.6 |
Maine |
574 | 67 | 11.7 | 79 | 13.8 | 574 | 71 | 12.3 | 84 | 14.7 |
Maryland |
2,598 | 335 | 12.9 | 376 | 14.5 | 2,610 | 329 | 12.6 | 380 | 14.5 |
Massachusetts |
2,882 | 379 | 13.2 | 402 | 14.0 | 2,909 | 458 | 15.7 | 491 | 16.9 |
Michigan |
4,193 | 819 | 19.5 | 865 | 20.6 | 4,089 | 771 | 18.8 | 801 | 19.6 |
Minnesota |
2,460 | 400 | 16.3 | 419 | 17.0 | 2,430 | 392 | 16.1 | 412 | 17.0 |
Mississippi |
1,068 | 72 | 6.7 | 95 | 8.9 | 1,089 | 57 | 5.3 | 79 | 7.3 |
Missouri |
2,585 | 275 | 10.7 | 308 | 11.9 | 2,543 | 285 | 11.2 | 327 | 12.8 |
Montana |
399 | 54 | 13.5 | 62 | 15.6 | 389 | 47 | 12.2 | 61 | 15.7 |
Nebraska |
836 | 65 | 7.8 | 81 | 9.7 | 840 | 70 | 8.3 | 90 | 10.7 |
Nevada |
1,177 | 182 | 15.4 | 208 | 17.7 | 1,192 | 199 | 16.7 | 217 | 18.2 |
New Hampshire |
631 | 61 | 9.7 | 70 | 11.2 | 635 | 67 | 10.6 | 79 | 12.4 |
New Jersey |
3,897 | 748 | 19.2 | 802 | 20.6 | 3,843 | 703 | 18.3 | 731 | 19.0 |
New Mexico |
800 | 62 | 7.7 | 91 | 11.4 | 807 | 58 | 7.2 | 94 | 11.6 |
New York |
8,150 | 2,055 | 25.2 | 2,146 | 26.3 | 8,165 | 2,029 | 24.9 | 2,170 | 26.6 |
North Carolina |
3,771 | 114 | 3.0 | 147 | 3.9 | 3,799 | 132 | 3.5 | 189 | 5.0 |
North Dakota |
303 | 19 | 6.4 | 23 | 7.6 | 308 | 19 | 6.1 | 25 | 8.2 |
Ohio |
5,187 | 730 | 14.1 | 797 | 15.4 | 5,046 | 716 | 14.2 | 783 | 15.5 |
Oklahoma |
1,456 | 103 | 7.1 | 124 | 8.5 | 1,529 | 102 | 6.6 | 127 | 8.3 |
Oregon |
1,582 | 227 | 14.3 | 243 | 15.4 | 1,566 | 259 | 16.6 | 272 | 17.4 |
Pennsylvania |
5,496 | 830 | 15.1 | 910 | 16.6 | 5,504 | 847 | 15.4 | 899 | 16.3 |
Rhode Island |
497 | 75 | 15.0 | 78 | 15.8 | 471 | 78 | 16.5 | 82 | 17.4 |
South Carolina |
1,873 | 78 | 4.1 | 111 | 5.9 | 1,792 | 70 | 3.9 | 105 | 5.8 |
South Dakota |
354 | 23 | 6.5 | 27 | 7.7 | 369 | 18 | 5.0 | 24 | 6.4 |
Tennessee |
2,596 | 138 | 5.3 | 166 | 6.4 | 2,534 | 139 | 5.5 | 166 | 6.6 |
Texas |
9,899 | 463 | 4.7 | 566 | 5.7 | 9,991 | 449 | 4.5 | 559 | 5.6 |
Utah |
1,153 | 67 | 5.8 | 78 | 6.8 | 1,178 | 68 | 5.8 | 84 | 7.1 |
Vermont |
288 | 30 | 10.4 | 35 | 12.2 | 284 | 29 | 10.4 | 36 | 12.8 |
Virginia |
3,502 | 129 | 3.7 | 167 | 4.8 | 3,597 | 146 | 4.1 | 178 | 5.0 |
Washington |
2,874 | 579 | 20.2 | 616 | 21.4 | 2,912 | 578 | 19.8 | 626 | 21.5 |
West Virginia |
724 | 97 | 13.3 | 107 | 14.7 | 736 | 101 | 13.8 | 112 | 15.3 |
Wisconsin |
2,631 | 376 | 14.3 | 405 | 15.4 | 2,642 | 396 | 15.0 | 422 | 16.0 |
Wyoming |
239 | 19 | 7.9 | 22 | 9.4 | 241 | 19 | 7.7 | 21 | 8.9 |
Footnotes: |
||||||||||
NOTE: Data refer to the sole or principal job of full- and part-time wage and salary workers. Excluded are all self-employed workers regardless of whether or not their businesses are incorporated. Updated population controls are introduced annually wit |
Chart 1. Union membership rates by state, 2008 annual averages
(U.S. rate = 12.4 percent)
______________________________________________________________________
Information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request.
Voice phone: 202-691-5200; TDD message referral phone number (Federal Relay Service):
1-800-877-8339.
______________________________________________________________________
Last Modified Date: March 6, 2009