Who Belongs to Unions These Days?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 12.5 percent of U.S. wage and salaried workers were members of unions during 2005.

The highest rate of union membership was reported in education, training, and library occupations, where 38.5 percent of employees were union members.

Transportation and material moving occupations (19.0 percent), construction and extraction occupations (17.6 percent), installation, maintenance, and repair occupations (17.2 percent), production occupations (17.1 percent), and community and social services occupations (16.5 percent), also had higher-than-average unionization rates.

Sales and related occupations (3.3 percent) and farming, fishing, and forestry occupations (3.9 percent) had the lowest rates of union membership.

The data are from the Department of Labor report Union Membership in 2005.

Also See: Union Workers Earn More Than Nonunion