US labor unions saw membership gains in 2025, mostly in states with bargaining protections

In 2025, union membership in the United States saw a significant 411,000 member increase, marking the largest rise since 2008, according to a report from the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The report highlights that "right-to-work" laws, which weaken union membership, have a negative impact, with states that protect collective bargaining experiencing nearly triple the membership growth compared to those with such laws.

For instance, states with collective bargaining protections saw 305,000 new members, while "right-to-work" states only gained 107,000. Nationally, union membership reached 10.9 million out of 76.9 million workers in these protected states, versus 3.7 million out of 69.7 million in "right-to-work" states. "Right-to-work" laws, originally promoted in the 1940s and 1950s by conservative activist Vance Muse, allow workers to benefit from collective bargaining agreements without paying union dues.

Frank Manzo IV, an economist at the ILEPI, notes that union membership correlates with higher wages, with union members earning 8% more on average than non-union workers, even considering cost of living differences. This wage gap has more than doubled over the past decade, amounting to over $4,000 less per year for the median full-time worker.

The report also reveals that 16.5 million workers were represented by unions in 2025, the highest level in 16 years, representing 11.2% of all wage and salary workers in the US. Union density increased nationally from 9.9% to 10.0%. Public approval of labor unions is also on the rise, with 71% of Americans approving of unions and 47% desiring more influence for unions.

The AFL-CIO, the largest union federation in the US, reported that 52% of Americans trust unions, compared to 32% trusting the Democratic party and 26% trusting the Republican party. Young workers, particularly those not in unions, express high trust in unions, with 57% stating they would join if possible. The report concludes that collective bargaining benefits both union and non-union workers, as raising the wage floor positively impacts all workers.