Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in United States
United States: Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain was 11.1 Percentage of employees in 2024. ▼ Falling
Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in United States, 1960–2024
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Measured in Percentage of employees.
Analysis
In 2024, collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in United States stood at 11.1 Percentage of employees. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in United States peaked at 34 Percentage of employees in 1960 and was at its lowest, 11.1 Percentage of employees, in 2024.
That places United States 27th out of 29 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain in United States, year by year
| Year | Percentage of employees | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 34 Percentage of employees | — |
| 1961 | 33.6 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1962 | 33.2 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1963 | 32.8 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1964 | 32.4 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1965 | 32 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1966 | 31.6 Percentage of employees | -1.2% |
| 1967 | 31.2 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1968 | 30.8 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1969 | 30.4 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1970 | 30 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1971 | 29.3 Percentage of employees | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 28.5 Percentage of employees | -2.7% |
| 1973 | 27.8 Percentage of employees | -2.5% |
| 1974 | 27 Percentage of employees | -2.9% |
| 1975 | 26 Percentage of employees | -3.7% |
| 1976 | 26 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 26.1 Percentage of employees | +0.4% |
| 1978 | 25.5 Percentage of employees | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 26.7 Percentage of employees | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 25.5 Percentage of employees | -4.5% |
| 1981 | 24 Percentage of employees | -5.9% |
| 1983 | 23.3 Percentage of employees | -2.9% |
| 1984 | 21.6 Percentage of employees | -7.3% |
| 1985 | 20.5 Percentage of employees | -5.1% |
| 1986 | 19.9 Percentage of employees | -2.9% |
| 1987 | 19.2 Percentage of employees | -3.5% |
| 1988 | 19 Percentage of employees | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 18.6 Percentage of employees | -2.1% |
| 1990 | 18.2 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 1991 | 18.1 Percentage of employees | -0.5% |
| 1992 | 17.7 Percentage of employees | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 17.6 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 17.5 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 1995 | 16.7 Percentage of employees | -4.6% |
| 1996 | 16.2 Percentage of employees | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 15.6 Percentage of employees | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 15.4 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 1999 | 15.3 Percentage of employees | -0.6% |
| 2000 | 14.9 Percentage of employees | -2.6% |
| 2001 | 14.7 Percentage of employees | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 14.5 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 2003 | 14.3 Percentage of employees | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 13.8 Percentage of employees | -3.5% |
| 2005 | 13.7 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 13.1 Percentage of employees | -4.4% |
| 2007 | 13.3 Percentage of employees | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 13.7 Percentage of employees | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 13.6 Percentage of employees | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 13.1 Percentage of employees | -3.7% |
| 2011 | 13 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 12.5 Percentage of employees | -3.8% |
| 2013 | 12.4 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 12.3 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 12.3 Percentage of employees | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 12 Percentage of employees | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 11.9 Percentage of employees | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 11.7 Percentage of employees | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 11.6 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 12.1 Percentage of employees | +4.3% |
| 2021 | 11.6 Percentage of employees | -4.1% |
| 2022 | 11.3 Percentage of employees | -2.6% |
| 2023 | 11.2 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
| 2024 | 11.1 Percentage of employees | -0.9% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 11.1 Percentage of employees is below the median for high income countries, which is 50.25 Percentage of employees, 22% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.2 Percentage of employees | 30.4 Percentage of employees | 34 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1970s | 27.29 Percentage of employees | 25.5 Percentage of employees | 30 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 1980s | 21.29 Percentage of employees | 18.6 Percentage of employees | 25.5 Percentage of employees | 9 |
| 1990s | 16.83 Percentage of employees | 15.3 Percentage of employees | 18.2 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.96 Percentage of employees | 13.1 Percentage of employees | 14.9 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.28 Percentage of employees | 11.6 Percentage of employees | 13.1 Percentage of employees | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.46 Percentage of employees | 11.1 Percentage of employees | 12.1 Percentage of employees | 5 |
Countries ranked near United States
More reference data data for United States
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 19.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 24.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 20.7 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 119.42 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 64.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 52.14 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 133.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 589.96 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 112.69 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in United States?
- Collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain in United States was 11.1 Percentage of employees in 2024, according to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
- What is the highest collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 34 Percentage of employees in 1960.
- What is the lowest collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.1 Percentage of employees in 2024.
- How does United States rank for collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain?
- United States ranks 27th out of 29 countries with data for 2024.
- Is collective bargaining coverage — employees with the right to bargain rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, published as part of Collective bargaining coverage — Employees with the right to bargain. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under OECD Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
The database on Institutional Characteristics of Trade Unions, Wage Setting, State Intervention and Social Pacts (ICTWSS) was developed by Prof. Jelle Visser at the University of Amsterdam. It was first released in May 2007. In its initial form, the ICTWSS database combined data from various sources and projects with a main focus on trade union in EU and OECD countries, collective bargaining and employment relations in Europe, and social pacts. In 2021, the ICTWSS database was rebranded as the OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database to reflect the joint effort by the OECD and AIAS-HSI to ensure the continuation of the database following Prof. Visser’s retirement. The OECD/AIAS ICTWSS database is publicly available at: http://www.oecd.org/employment/ictwss-database.htm