Despite high public approval ratings and an increase in union representation elections at the National Labor Relations Board, an analysis of new government data shows that the overall union membership rate in the US continued to decline last year, reaching a record low share of 9.9 percent of the total workforce in 2024.

According to recent figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of private sector employees who are union members hit a record low of 5.9 percent in 2024, having shrunk by 0.1 percentage points and 184,000 union members from 2023 to 2024. And while the number of public sector union members ticked up slightly (+15,000 members), the share of public employees belonging to unions decreased slightly, from 32.5 percent to 32.2 percent).

Looking beyond the year-to-year fluctuations, the decline in union membership is more noticeable when comparing the 2024 levels to those immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic. In the private sector, the share of workers who were union members fell by 0.3 percentage points over this period, with 278,000 fewer private sector union members in 2024 than in 2019. The declines were especially notable in manufacturing (down 0.8 percentage points and 167,000 members) and utilities (down 4.7 percentage points and 39,000 members).

The losses were especially dramatic in the public sector, where union membership fell by 1.4 percentage points between 2019 and 2024 – dropping from 33.6 percent to 32.2 percent over the five year period. This corresponded to a loss of 41,000 members. Union membership among those in education, training, and library occupations fell by 1.3 percentage points between 2019 and 2024, corresponding with a loss of 107,000 members during this period.

In 2024, the union membership rate remained higher among Black workers than any other racial/ethnic group. While union density among Black workers dipped slightly in 2024, it has increased by 0.8 percentage points since 2019 – or about 250,000 workers. The largest decline in union membership took place among white workers, dropping by 0.7 percentage points between 2019 and 2024.

The share of disabled workers who belong to a union returned to its 2022 level of 9.2 percent, the lowest on record. It declined by 0.4 percentage points between 2023 and 2024, and 0.5 percentage points between 2019 and 2024. This is especially troubling given the sizable advantage that disabled workers derive from union representation.

“Workers all across the country are showing increased interest in forming unions, but these numbers remind us that union representation still has a long way to go,” said CEPR Research Associate Hayley Brown. “In a second Trump administration, we know that public sector workers will be targeted  and their unions will be essential bulwark against the White House. Collective action remains a vital tool for advancing justice and dignity in the workplace – even in the face of systemic challenges.”

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