Overall union membership in the U.S. increased last year — the first time it did not decline since 2007. The story gets slightly complicated when comparing union membership in the private sector vs. the public sector. In fact, though union jobs increased in the private sector by more than 110,000 in 2011, union jobs in government dropped by nearly 75,000.

Read: The Ten States With The Strongest Unions
Read: The Ten States With The Weakest Unions

24/7 Wall St. looked at union membership by state to identify the states with the highest and lowest membership. New York has — for the second year in a row — the highest rate of union membership among workers at 24.1%. North Carolina, also for the second year in a row, has the lowest membership, with just 2.9% of all workers also union members.

The trend of union membership in the past year is reflected by the national trend in employment. As the general economy has started to recover, the private sector added more than 1.7 million jobs last year. Of that, 112,550 were new union jobs, roughly the same gain as the total increase in private positions. Public sector jobs, on the other hand, have lagged throughout the recovery, as national, state and local governments have continued to enact strict austerity measures. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of government jobs declined by 600,911. Similarly, the number of public sector union members with jobs fell by 72,942.

This trend — an increase in private union membership and a decrease in public union membership — holds true for many of the states with the largest union membership. In Illinois, which has the third-most union members in the country, private membership increased by 55,487, while public membership fell 27,403.

Just as is the case nationally, the source of employment gains in the states with the biggest increases was the private sector. In Texas, for example, total employment increased by 188,142 — the second-biggest increase in the country. However, the net number does not tell the whole story. The state actually lost 41,942 government jobs as the increase was entirely in the private sector, which added 230,065 jobs.

In many cases, states that had been losing union workers in the past decade faster than the rest of the country began to see a recovery last year. Between 2001 and 2011, the state of Michigan lost more than 600,000 union jobs, the equivalent of roughly 20% of its total union workforce. Between 2010 and 2011, the state gained back 43,663 union jobs.

One potentially damaging trend for unions on a national level is the increasing number of states that have passed “right-to-work” legislation. These laws make it illegal for employers to require workers to join a union or pay union dues. To date, 23 separate states have right-to-work laws, with several others currently considering it. All of the states with the lowest union membership are all right-to-work states, while none of the 10 states with the highest membership do.

Read: Greece Becomes a Third-World Country

In order to identify the states with the strongest and weakest unions, 24/7 Wall St. used data calculated by unionstats.com, an online union membership and coverage database. The site, which analyses the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Current Population Survey, provides labor force numbers and union membership in both the private and public sector. 24/7 also reviewed unemployment rates for each state, compiled by the BLS.

This is 24/7 Wall St.’s states with the strongest and weakest unions.

Ten States with the Strongest Unions

10. Illinois
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 16.2%
> Union Workers: 875,890 (3rd most)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -11.5% (22nd largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +4.5% (13th largest increase)
> Total Employed (2011): 5,410,480 (5th most)

The number of union workers in Illinois increased by 38,000 from 2010, even as the state’s total labor force fell by nearly 24%. The underlying cause of this trend is indicative of what has been going on nationwide. The state lost more than 70,000 government workers between 2010 and 2011, the worst decline in the country, and more than 23,000 of those were union members. Private unions, however, added more than 55,000 members to their ranks in the state, the biggest increase in the nation. And recently, according to the Illinois Statehouse News, Governor Pat Quinn has announced the closure of seven state facilities that employ thousands of public union workers.

9. Connecticut
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 16.8%
> Union Workers: 258,666
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): +11.3% (3rd largest increase)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +0.6% (19th largest increase)
> Total Employed (2011): 1,540,072 (28th most)

Connecticut only has the 28th largest working population in the country, but it has the 18th most union members. More than a quarter of a million employees were union members, or 16.8% of the state’s working population, up slightly from 16.7% in 2010. Connecticut’s strong union representation comes almost entirely from the public sector. Nearly 65% of government workers in the state were union members — the second-highest share in the country, behind only New York.

8. Oregon
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 17.1%
> Union Workers: 269,202
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): +10.3% (4th largest increase)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +5.6% (11th largest increase)
> Total Employed (2011): 1,575,163 (24th most)

In the past year, unemployment in Oregon has declined at one of the fastest rates in the country, although it remained high. The state added more than 60,000 people to its ranks of employed. Union membership in Oregon rose too, increasing by 24,000 workers between 2010 and 2011. But unlike the nation as a whole, most of these gains were in the public sector. In fact, the number of people covered by private-sector unions actually declined.

7. California
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 17.1%
> Union Workers: 2,375,553
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): +4.5% (5th largest increase)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -2.3% (22nd largest decline)
> Total Employed (2011): 13,927,053 (the most)

With 13.9 million private and public sector employees, California has by far the largest workforce in the country. The state also has the most union members in both the private and public sectors. California has just over 1 million private and 1.46 million public union workers. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of union members declined by more than 55,000. The state had an unemployment rate of 11.1% in December, the second-highest rate in the country, and a problem that has been affecting the state a while. The number of employed people dropped by 624,000 between 2001 and 2011.

Read: Boeing’s 33,500 New Planes

6. Rhode Island
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 17.4%
> Union Workers: 78,744
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): +3.6% (6th largest increase)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +6.1% (tied, 9th largest increase)
> Total Employed (2011): 453,504 (8th fewest)

Rhode Island has one of the smallest working populations in the country — just 453,000 workers in total. Representation by Rhode Island workers in unions, however, is quite high. This is especially the case in the public sector. Of the state’s government workers, 62.6% were in public unions, the fourth-greatest percentage in the U.S. In the past year, while public sector unions have increased slightly in total membership, the percentage of government workers in unions has dropped.

5. Michigan
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 17.5%
> Union Workers: 670,935
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -19.7% (14th largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +6.1% (tied, 9th largest increase)
> Total Employed (2011): 3,843,814 (9th most)

Traditionally, Michigan has had extremely high private union representation, particularly from its auto industry. That sector took a major hit over the past decade. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of private sector employees fell by more than half a million; private union workers declined by 228,000. That trend has started to reverse in the past year. Between 2010 and 2011, the U.S. added 112,550 private union sector jobs, of which 32,000 were in Michigan. However, there is increasing interest among lawmakers to implement a right-to-work law in the state, making it illegal for employers to require their workers to join unions and pay union dues.

4. Washington
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 18.9%
> Union Workers: 517,104
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): +1.6% (8th largest increase)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -2.6% (21st largest decline)
> Total Employed (2011): 2,729,039 (14th most)

The number of union workers in Washington has taken a severe dive in the past year, declining by 34,663 — the third-biggest drop in the country. Almost all of this drop came from public sector unions. The total number of government workers fell by 16,000 in the state over the past year, but the number of public sector workers in government unions fell by more than twice that. Nevertheless, the state still has one of the highest rates of union membership in the country, ranking fourth for percentage of union membership for private workers, with 56.8%, and 10th for percentage of union membership for public workers, with 10.7%.

3. Hawaii
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 21.5%
> Union Workers: 112,756
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -8.1% (36th smallest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -1.4% (26th largest decline)
> Total Employed (2011): 525,057

Nationally, public union members declined between 2010 and 2011, while private membership increased. The exact opposite was true for Hawaii, which had a slight increase in government employees who are union members, while the total number of those in unions declined by several hundred because of a decline in the private sector union jobs. Nevertheless, at 14.1%, Hawaii has the highest membership rate for private unions in the country.

2. Alaska
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 22.1%
> Union Workers: 67,572
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): +0.5% (10 largest increase)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -3.5% (16th largest decline)
> Total Employed (2011): 305,485 (3rd fewest)

Alaska has the third-smallest population of employed people in the country, at 305,485, but the second-highest rate of unionized workers, at 22.1%, or 67,572 workers. Alaska has 55.4% of its public workers unionized, which is the ninth-highest rate in the country. What makes the state second overall in membership is the fact that 11% of its private workers are unionized, which is the fifth-highest rate in the country. The state’s oil and natural gas industry is a major part of its economy — an industry that is highly unionized.

1. New York
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 24.1%
> Union Workers: 1,904,425
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -9.7% (32nd largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -0.4% (29th largest decline)
> Total Employed (2011): 7,915,811 (3rd most)

New York does not have the most union workers in the country (that goes to California), but it has the largest percentage of workers that are in unions. It also has the largest percentage of its public workforce, and the second-largest percentage of its private workforce, who are in a union. The state has roughly 1.4 million workers in the public sector, of which more than 1 million are union members. The 72% membership in public unions is nearly double the national average of 37%. The number of union members in New York took a massive hit last year as the state lost 54,300 union workers, more than any state but California. The majority of this decline came from the public sector.

Ten States with the Weakest Unions

10. Idaho
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 5.1%
> Union Workers: 30,560 (5th fewest)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -32% (6th largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -28.2% (the largest decline)
> Total Employed (2011): 594,380 (11th fewest)

In the past 10 years, union membership declined in Idaho more than any almost any other state. Between 2001 and 2010, the percentage of workers in unions fell by 28.2% overall. In 2011, only 14.9% of government workers were union members. In the public labor force, only 3.2% were union members. Last year, the state enacted a new school reform policy that dramatically reduced collective bargaining rights for teachers’ associations.

Read: Trouble For Online News Sites

9. South Dakota
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 5.1%
> Union Workers: 18,302 (2nd fewest)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -12.1% (28th largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -8.9% (7th largest decline)
> Total Employed (2011): 359,216 (5th fewest)

South Dakota is the fifth-least populous state in the country and has the second-fewest union members, above only Wyoming. Employment on the whole, however, appears better than most states. In December, South Dakota’s unemployment rate was 4.2% — the third-lowest rate in the country, which was down from 4.7% the year before. Between 2010 and 2011, the state added roughly 2,500 jobs. Meanwhile, union membership declined by 1,700, or 8.9%, one of the biggest proportional declines in the country.

8. Mississippi
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 5%
> Union Workers: 52,724 (11th fewest)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -9.1% (34th largest decrease)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +11.1% (the largest increase)
> Total Employed (2011): 1,081,731 (17th fewest)

Mississippi’s economy has had better days. The state has the highest poverty rate, the lowest median income, and the 10th highest unemployment rate in the U.S. However, the economy has begun to improve in the state, which has added 44,000 jobs since 2010. The state has extremely low union membership, but it still added nearly 7,500 union workers between 2010 and 2011, an increase of 11.1%. The biggest cause for this increase was an incredible 40.5% jump in public union membership in the state.

7. Tennessee
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 4.6%
> Union Workers: 115,461 (25th fewest)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -41% (4th largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -2.1% (24th largest decline)
> Total Employed (2011): 2,504,352 (19th most)

Between 2001 and 2011, the number of workers in Tennessee’s private labor force increased by 61,875. Yet, the number of workers belonging to private unions fell during the decade by more than 70,000, from 122,000 to 51,238. This 58.3% decline was the biggest in the country. However, last year, the decade-long trend reversed somewhat and the number of union members increased by 5,000 people. The state is still tied for the fourth-smallest private membership in the country.

6. Virginia
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 4.6%
> Union Workers: 163,146 (21st most)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -13.2% (25th largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +0%
> Total Employed (2011): 3,548,810 (12th most)

Virginia has a particularly low rate of union membership among its workforce, and this rate shows no signs of increasing any time soon. Last year, union membership remained the same. But in the preceding decade, membership decreased 13.2%. Overall employment from 2000 to 2011 actually increased by 9.2% in the state. The low union membership rate in the state is primarily because only 2.1% of private sector workers were union members in 2011. In the public sector, union membership is 14.1%.

5. Louisiana
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 4.4%
> Union Workers: 76,191 (18th fewest)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -43.6% (3rd largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +2.3% (16th largest increase)
> Total Employed (2011): 1,713,697 (25th most)

Between 2010 and 2011, the number of employed in Louisiana dropped by 28,721, but the number of working union members remained flat. As a result, the percentage of union members among the employed increased by 2.3% — one of the biggest increases in the country — though new membership did not increase at all. Total membership is still just 4.4% of the working population. Since 2001, public union membership in the state fell 52.7%. In 2011, only 9.8% of government workers were union members compared to a national average of 37%.

The Force: Star Wars Franchise Worth Over $30 Billion and Growing

4. Arkansas

> Pct. Workers in Unions: 4.2%
> Union Workers: 47,010 (7th most)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -33.3% (5th largest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +5% (12th biggest increase)
> Total Employed (2011): 1,116,844 (33rd most)

Between 2010 and 2011, union membership increased by 5% in Arkansas. This increase is solely the result of a rise in union membership in the public sector, where membership increased 15.1%. In the private sector, membership actually decreased 7.4% over the period. Regardless, the 5% increase in overall membership is a very slight change to the state’s longer-term trend in union membership. Between 2001 and 2011, union membership dropped 33.3%, one of the largest decreases in the country. Over this same period, total employment in the state grew by just under 9%.

3. Georgia
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 4%
> Union Workers: 153,619 (23rd most)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -44.4% (the biggest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): +0.0%
> Total Employed (2011): 3,878,157 (8th most)

In 2011, just 2.7% of Georgia workers in the private sector were members of unions compared to the national average of 6.9%. Only 9.9% of government workers belonged to a union compared to the 37% rate on a national level. Last year, the total number of government workers in the state increased by 20,628, the fourth biggest increase in the U.S. Despite this, the number of public workers who were union members fell 5,835.

2. South Carolina
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 3.4%
> Union Workers: 59,484 (12th fewest)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -30.6% (sixth biggest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -26.1% (2nd biggest decrease)
> Total Employed (2011): 1,724,622 (24th most)

Only 3.4% of South Carolina’s workforce are union members, the second lowest rate in the country. From 2001 to 2011, union membership declined by 30.6%. And last year alone, membership fell by 26.1%, the second-largest drop in the country. The greatest decrease in the state took place in the private sector, where the number of union members dropped by 47.1% over the decade. The number of members actually grew 5.4% in the public sector over the same period, even as the number of public employees fell by 23,417 people. South Carolina, like the majority of states with low union membership, is a right-to-work state.

1. North Carolina
> Pct. Workers in Unions: 2.9%
> Union Workers: 104,471 (23rd fewest)
> Change in Union Membership, (2001 – 2011): -21.6% (11th biggest decline)
> Change in Union Membership, (2010 – 2011): -9.4% (6th biggest decrease)
> Total Employed (2011): 3,595,383 (11th most)

North Carolina has the lowest rate of union membership in the country. As of 2011, only 2.9% of the state’s workforce belonged to unions. This already low rate is continuing to decline. Between 2010 and 2011, the number of workers in unions fell by 9.4%. A mere 1.6% of workers in the private sector are unionized — the lowest rate in the country — while 9.1% of public workers are. From 2001 to 2011, the state’s entire workforce actually increased by more than 6%. North Carolina is also a right-to-work state.

Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.