Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States of America

United States of America: Collective bargaining coverage rate was 12.1 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
12.1
Change on year
up 4.3%
World rank
49th
of 68 countries
All-time high
14.2
in 2000
All-time low
11.5
in 2016
Years of data
21
2000–2020

Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States of America, 2000–2020

0510152000201020202000: 14.22001: 14.12002: 142003: 13.72004: 13.32005: 13.12006: 12.62007: 12.72008: 13.12009: 132010: 12.62011: 12.52012: 122013: 11.92014: 11.82015: 11.82016: 11.52017: 11.92018: 11.72019: 11.62020: 12.1

Source: International Labour Organization.

Analysis

The most recent figure for collective bargaining coverage rate in United States of America 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 of America peaked at 14.2 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 11.5, in 2016.

United States of America 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 of America, year by year

Annual values for Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States of America, 2000 to 2020.
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%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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 of America

  1. 46 Republic of Korea 15.6 compare
  2. 47 Estonia 15 compare
  3. 47 Romania 15 compare
  4. 50 Costa Rica 11.8 compare
  5. 51 Bulgaria 10.8 compare
  6. 52 Mexico 10.4 compare

See the full ranking of 68 places →

More work & labour data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is collective bargaining coverage rate in United States of America?
Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States of America was 12.1 in 2020, according to International Labour Organization.
What is the highest collective bargaining coverage rate recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 14.2 in 2000.
What is the lowest collective bargaining coverage rate recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 11.5 in 2016.
How does United States of America rank for collective bargaining coverage rate?
United States of America ranks 49th out of 68 countries with data for 2020.
Is collective bargaining coverage rate rising or falling in United States of America?
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 of America 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.

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Collective bargaining coverage rate in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on International Labour Organization. Retrieved 05 September 2026, from https://labour.statizoid.com/stat/collective-bargaining-coverage-rate/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Collective bargaining coverage rate
Source
International Labour Organization
Licence
ILO Terms of Use (attribution required)
Coverage
68 places, 795 data points, 2000–2020
Last refreshed

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.