Union Membership and Wage Advantage Hit Record Lows in 2023

Despite increased worker strikes and union-organizing efforts, American workers continue to move away from union representation.

Union membership in the U.S. fell to a record low of 10.0% in 2023, down from 10.1% in 2022, marking the lowest rate in the history of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' survey.
The wage gap between union and nonunion workers also fell to a record low of 15.0% in 2023, down from 21.3% in 2019, with nonunion wages growing faster than union wages.
Despite significant union-organizing efforts at companies like Starbucks, Amazon, and Trader Joe's, unionization rates and union wages have been falling, primarily because unions are not providing what workers want or need.
Over 500,000 workers participated in strikes for better benefits, pay, and/or working conditions in 2023, yet union membership remained at a historic low.
States with the highest union membership rates in 2023 were Hawaii, New York, and Washington, while the lowest rates were in South Carolina, North Carolina, and South Dakota.