Washington D.C. – Strengthening unions is a democratic imperative in the face of authoritarian backsliding.
Report Key findings
In between 1979–2024, median wages rose more in states where unionization declined less.
The productivity–pay gap has grown more slowly in states with smaller declines in unionization since 1979. In these states, it wasn’t just corporations and the wealthy who benefited from economic growth, but also working people, both unionized and non-unionized.
In high-union-density states, 2023 median household income was on average more than $12,000 higher than in low-union-density states.
In recent years, the average unemployment insurance recipient rate in high-union-density states was 36.0%—double the 18.0% UI recipient rate in low-union-density states.
In states with higher union densities, the share of people without any form of health insurance was 5.7%; this rate was 9% in states with lower union densities.
70.6% of states with the highest union density have enacted paid sick leave legislation, compared with just 11.8% of low-union-density states.
States with higher rates of unionization spend substantially more per pupil on education than low-union-density states ($22,777 per pupil vs. $15,568).
Since 2021, low-union-density states have passed 44 voter restriction laws, whereas high-union-density states passed six such laws.
Why this matters
Unions don’t just improve workers’ paychecks—they shape the social and political fabric of the communities they operate in, lifting standards for union and nonunion workers alike.
