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The Most Unionized Cities in America

United Auto Workers Union or UAW on strike
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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.

Union workers not only have more protection from unemployment, they also enjoy wage premiums over non-union workers. 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.

Despite declining union membership rates nationally, differences in local economies, politics, and legislation can impact union membership rates at the state level.

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, ranking metropolitan areas according to the share of total employment that are union members. See 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 Minnesota
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  • 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, California
IM_photo / 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
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  • 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 at dusk
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  • 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

San Diego, California
Sean Pavone / 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 skyline
Jon Bilous / 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 as seen from the air.
Andrey Bayda / 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
Nagel Photography / 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, Washington
Edmund Lowe Photography / 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
Taiga / 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

Sacramento, California
Andrew Zarivny / 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
Atomazul / 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

Business Data Analyst
Andrey_Popov / 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 negotiated collectively (whether or not they are union members).

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

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