Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States
United States: Collective bargaining coverage rate was 12.1 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States, 2000–2020
Source: International Labour Organization.
Analysis
The most recent figure for collective bargaining coverage rate in United States is 12.1, measured in 2020.
The figure is up 4.3% on the previous year and down 4.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, collective bargaining coverage rate in United States peaked at 14.2 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.5, in 2016.
United States ranks 49th of 68 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 14.2 | — |
| 2001 | 14.1 | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 14 | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 13.7 | -2.1% |
| 2004 | 13.3 | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 13.1 | -1.5% |
| 2006 | 12.6 | -3.8% |
| 2007 | 12.7 | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 13.1 | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 13 | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 12.6 | -3.1% |
| 2011 | 12.5 | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 12 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 11.9 | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 11.8 | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 11.8 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 11.5 | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 11.9 | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 11.7 | -1.7% |
| 2019 | 11.6 | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 12.1 | +4.3% |
United States compared with similar countries
- United States's 12.1 is below the median for high income countries, which is 32.1, 38% of the median. (39 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 13.38 | 12.6 | 14.2 | 10 |
| 2010s | 11.93 | 11.5 | 12.6 | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.1 | 12.1 | 12.1 | 1 |
Countries ranked near United States
More work & labour data for United States
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 113,208 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 61.24 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 178,849 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.4 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 1.05 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 159,991 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 141,322 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 58.55 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 1.27 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.3372 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is collective bargaining coverage rate in United States?
- Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States was 12.1 in 2020, according to International Labour Organization.
- What is the highest collective bargaining coverage rate recorded in United States?
- The highest recorded value was 14.2 in 2000.
- What is the lowest collective bargaining coverage rate recorded in United States?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5 in 2016.
- How does United States rank for collective bargaining coverage rate?
- United States ranks 49th out of 68 countries with data for 2020.
- Is collective bargaining coverage rate rising or falling in United States?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United States data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization, published as part of Collective bargaining coverage rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under ILO Terms of Use (attribution required).
About this data
The collective bargaining coverage rate conveys the number of employees whose pay and/or conditions of employment are determined by one or more collective agreement(s) as a percentage of the total number of employees. Collective bargaining coverage includes, to the extent possible, workers covered by collective agreements in virtue of their extension. Collective bargaining coverage rates are adjusted for the possibility that some workers do not have the right to bargain collectively over wages (e.g. workers in the public services who have their wages determined by state regulation or other methods involving consultation), unless otherwise stated in the notes. The statistics presented in this table result from an ILO data compilation effort (including an annual questionnaire and numerous special enquiries), with contributions from J. Visser. For more information, refer to the Industrial Relations data (IRdata) database description.