The Most Unionized Cities in America

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.