Trade union density in United States
United States: Trade union density was 9.9 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling
Trade union density in United States, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
The most recent figure for trade union density in United States is 9.9 Percentage of employees, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of down 1.0% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, trade union density in United States peaked at 30.9 Percentage of employees in 1960 and was at its lowest, 9.9 Percentage of employees, in 2024.
That places United States 27th out of 31 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Trade union density in United States, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 30.9 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 29.5 Percentage of employees | -4.5% |
| 1962 | 29.3 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1963 | 28.5 Percentage of employees | -2.7% |
| 1964 | 28.3 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 1965 | 28.2 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 1966 | 28.2 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 27.8 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 1968 | 27.9 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 27.3 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 1970 | 27.4 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 26.9 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
| 1972 | 26.3 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 1973 | 25.8 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 1974 | 25.7 Percentage of employees | -0.4% |
| 1975 | 25.3 Percentage of employees | -1.6% |
| 1976 | 24.4 Percentage of employees | -3.6% |
| 1977 | 23.6 Percentage of employees | -3.3% |
| 1978 | 23.2 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 1979 | 22.4 Percentage of employees | -3.4% |
| 1980 | 22.1 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1983 | 20.1 Percentage of employees | -9.0% |
| 1984 | 18.8 Percentage of employees | -6.5% |
| 1985 | 18 Percentage of employees | -4.3% |
| 1986 | 17.5 Percentage of employees | -2.8% |
| 1987 | 17 Percentage of employees | -2.9% |
| 1988 | 16.8 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1989 | 16.4 Percentage of employees | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 16 Percentage of employees | -2.4% |
| 1991 | 16 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 15.7 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 1993 | 15.7 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 15.5 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 14.9 Percentage of employees | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 14.5 Percentage of employees | -2.7% |
| 1997 | 14.1 Percentage of employees | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 13.9 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 13.9 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 13.4 Percentage of employees | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 13.3 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 13.3 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 12.9 Percentage of employees | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 12.5 Percentage of employees | -3.1% |
| 2005 | 12.5 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 12 Percentage of employees | -4.0% |
| 2007 | 12.1 Percentage of employees | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 12.4 Percentage of employees | +2.5% |
| 2009 | 12.3 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 11.9 Percentage of employees | -3.3% |
| 2011 | 11.8 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 11.3 Percentage of employees | -4.2% |
| 2013 | 11.3 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 11.1 Percentage of employees | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 11.1 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 10.7 Percentage of employees | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 10.7 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 10.5 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2019 | 10.3 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2020 | 10.8 Percentage of employees | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 10.3 Percentage of employees | -4.6% |
| 2022 | 10.1 Percentage of employees | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 10 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 2024 | 9.9 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 9.9 Percentage of employees is below the median for high income countries, which is 20.3 Percentage of employees, 49% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 28.59 Percentage of employees | 27.3 Percentage of employees | 30.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.1 Percentage of employees | 22.4 Percentage of employees | 27.4 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 18.34 Percentage of employees | 16.4 Percentage of employees | 22.1 Percentage of employees | 8 |
| 1990s | 15.02 Percentage of employees | 13.9 Percentage of employees | 16 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.67 Percentage of employees | 12 Percentage of employees | 13.4 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.07 Percentage of employees | 10.3 Percentage of employees | 11.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.22 Percentage of employees | 9.9 Percentage of employees | 10.8 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More economy & growth data for United States
- Real gdp growth, annual growth rate -24.2 % change on previous year (2025)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 04 - Annual real GDP 1.63 Percent per annum (2029)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 02 - Annual real GDP 2.12 Percent per annum (2029)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, annual growth rate 4.26 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per unit of GDP 0.0057 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, US dollar, per capita 509.07 units per person (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, annual growth rate -0.7205 % change on previous year (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per unit of GDP 0.0041 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- SDRs holdings, SDR, per capita 371.72 units per person (2025)
- IMF holdings of currency, US dollar, annual growth rate 0.9623 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is trade union density in United States?
- Trade union density in United States was 9.9 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest trade union density recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 30.9 Percentage of employees in 1960.
- What is the lowest trade union density recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.9 Percentage of employees in 2024.
- How does United States rank for trade union density?
- United States ranks 27th out of 31 countries with data for 2024.
- Is trade union density rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Trade union density. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
The database on Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts (ICTWSS) was developed by Prof. Jelle Visser at the University of Amsterdam. It was first released in May 2007. In its initial form, the ICTWSS database combined data from various sources and projects with a main focus on trade union in EU and OECD countries, collective bargaining and employment relations in Europe, and social pacts. In 2021, the ICTWSS database was rebranded as the OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database to reflect the joint effort by the OECD and AIAS-HSI to ensure the continuation of the database following Prof. Visser’s retirement. The OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database is publicly available at: http://www.oecd.org/employment/ictwss-database.htm