The 15 Most Unionized Places in America

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Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Construction Coverage.

Labor unions in the United States have faced major challenges over the last several decades. Anti-union initiatives by employers, the growing prominence of the gig economy, and shifting labor laws, among other factors, all contributed to a steady decline in union membership. But recently, interest in unionization has resurfaced.

The narrowly averted UPS strike and notable strikes by writers and actors in Hollywood have garnered major interest and made headlines nationwide. Desires for better compensation and working conditions have once again taken center stage.

Union workers not only have more protection from unemployment, they also enjoy wage premiums over non-union workers. A major reason for this wage disparity is union workers’ ability to benefit from the union’s collective bargaining power, rather than relying on individual negotiations with an employer.

Although union members on average earn more than their non-union worker counterparts, union membership in the U.S. has declined significantly over the past several decades.

To determine the most unionized locations in America, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from UnionStats.com and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Learn more about the methodology at the end.

Here are the most unionized U.S. metropolitan areas.

15. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

Los Angeles
ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 13.6%
  • Union representation rate: 14.7%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 736,464
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 792,202
  • Total employment: 5,399,876

14. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI

Minneapolis city skyline at night
Aerial_Shots / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 13.7%
  • Union representation rate: 14.6%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 270,873
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 288,625
  • Total employment: 1,982,212

13. San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley, CA

San Francisco, home to Minerva University, which is virtual and has no campus
Engel Ching / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 13.7%
  • Union representation rate: 14.3%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 295,446
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 307,971
  • Total employment: 2,158,220

12. Fresno, CA

Fresno California
stellamc / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 14.2%
  • Union representation rate: 17.4%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 49,396
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 60,762
  • Total employment: 348,751

11. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
f11photo / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 14.4%
  • Union representation rate: 15.5%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 406,200
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 436,670
  • Total employment: 2,815,535

10. Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown, CT

Hartford, Connecticut
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 14.5%
  • Union representation rate: 16.0%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 81,747
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 90,086
  • Total employment: 562,300

9. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA

Chula Vista, California
Manuela Durson / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 15.6%
  • Union representation rate: 17.6%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 218,491
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 247,531
  • Total employment: 1,402,461

8. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA

Portland, Oregon
Nadia, Yong / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 15.8%
  • Union representation rate: 16.8%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 180,926
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 193,133
  • Total employment: 1,147,550

7. Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI

Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 15.8%
  • Union representation rate: 16.8%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 306,407
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 327,113
  • Total employment: 1,943,364

6. Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

Providence, Rhode Island
Jon Bilous / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 16.2%
  • Union representation rate: 18.0%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 122,477
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 136,074
  • Total employment: 755,483

5. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA

Seattle skyline
Checubus / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 16.6%
  • Union representation rate: 18.0%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 325,707
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 352,346
  • Total employment: 1,960,848

4. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

Riverside California neighborhood
Matt Gush / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 17.8%
  • Union representation rate: 22.2%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 329,984
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 411,934
  • Total employment: 1,855,064

3. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

New York City
Songquan Deng / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 18.1%
  • Union representation rate: 19.5%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 1,606,871
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 1,722,399
  • Total employment: 8,854,530

2. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA

California Capitol building in Sacramento
SnapASkyline / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 19.7%
  • Union representation rate: 21.8%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 190,653
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 211,139
  • Total employment: 968,122

1. Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

Buffalo New York
Sopotnicki / Shutterstock.com
  • Union membership rate: 23.5%
  • Union representation rate: 25.8%
  • Workers who are members of unions: 108,420
  • Workers who are represented by unions: 119,015
  • Total employment: 460,560

Methodology

Members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union or IBEW
Png Studio Photography / Shutterstock.com

To determine the most unionized metros in America, researchers at Construction Coverage analyzed data from UnionStats.com and the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population and Housing Estimates.

The researchers ranked metropolitan areas according to total union members as a percentage of total employment. In addition to union membership, the researchers also included statistics on union representation, which is the share of workers whose terms of work are collectively negotiated (whether or not they are union members).

Only metropolitan areas with available data and with at least 100,000 people were included in the analysis.

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