Union Membership Declines Slightly in Michigan During 2025

Each year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) releases data on union membership covering demographics and membership rates nationwide. In 2025, the union participation rate edged up from 9.9 percent to 10.0 percent. The number of union members increased by 400,000, rising from 14.3 million in 2024 to 14.7 million in 2025.

Union membership by state is also included in the BLS release. In 2025, New York saw the highest increase in union membership, adding 128,000 new members. The largest decrease in membership was in New Jersey, where 45,000 union members were lost.  

Michigan’s 566,000 union members in 2025 ranked ninth among states. In 2024, Michigan ranked eighth with 581,000 union members, marking a decline of 15,000 union members over the year. California and New York remained the top states with the most union members, with 2.5 million and 1.8 million members respectively. The state with the lowest union membership in 2025 was once again South Dakota with only 10,000, down 2,000 union members from last year.

In 2025, union members made up 13.0 percent of Michigan’s total employment, a decline of 0.4 percentage points from the previous year. Despite this decrease, Michigan’s percentage of unionized workers remained above the national rate of 10 percent. Michigan ranked 14th in terms of union membership rates across the United States, behind Illinois and Vermont at 13.1 percent. The highest union membership rate remained Hawaii at 24.8 percent, although it declined by 1.7 percentage points since 2024, the second largest rate drop among states. New York had the second highest union membership rate in 2025 at 21.3 percent.

This past year, Michigan’s union membership declined by 15,000 and its union participation rate dropped by 0.4 percentage points. These regressions brought the state closer to its 2023 lows in both union participation and membership totals, ending last year’s brief period of growth.

For more information on union membership in 2025, read the full press release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.