Yesterday was Labor Day, a holiday the Labor Department says honors the social and economic achievements of American workers. We thought it was a fitting time to look at our data on the workforce. Specifically, how many people are in labor unions? Turns out the story fluctuates by state, sector, and workers’ ages. We dug into the numbers for insights on the state of US unions.

About 9.9% of US workers, or 14.3 million people, were in a labor union in 2024. That’s the lowest percentage since 1983. (This percentage includes wage and salary workers who are 16 or older. Self-employed workers excluded.)

Since 2000, union membership rates have fallen in all but five states. Rates fell the most in Wisconsin (down 11.4 percentage points). They rose the most in Vermont (up 3.9 percentage points).
Public sector workers are five and a half times more likely to be unionized than private sector employees. In 2024, 32.2% of public sector employees were union members, compared to 5.9% in the private sector.
 Workers ages 45 to 64 are most likely to be in a union. Last year, 12.6% of employees in this age range were union members. Meanwhile, 4.3% of workers ages 16 to 24 were unionized, the lowest percentage of any group.
The industries with the fewest unionized employees in 2024 were professional and business services (2.0%), agriculture and related industries (1.4%), and financial activities (1.3%).

See the data

Measles cases hit new highs

This year, the US has had the highest incidence of measles since the disease was declared eliminated 25 years ago. As of July 29, there had been at least 1,333 confirmed measles cases and three confirmed deaths in 2025. For comparison, there were 285 confirmed measles cases in 2024, with no reported deaths.

Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that’s spread by coughs and sneezes. It can lead to serious health complications, especially in young children and people with weakened immune systems.

The CDC has identified 29 measles outbreaks linked to about 87% of the 1,333 reported cases. More than 700 cases of measles have been confirmed in Texas, more than any other state. Kansas and New Mexico each have reported more than 50 cases of measles.
Before the measles vaccine became available in 1963, about 3 to 4 million people were infected annually, and about 400 to 500 of those people died. The measles vaccine is usually combined with mumps and rubella (MMR), or mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccines.
The nation’s vaccination program led to a sharp decline in measles cases, and the disease was considered eliminated in the US in 2000. Elimination doesn't mean zero new infections — there were 85 reported cases in 2000; it means the disease is no longer spreading continuously.
Outbreaks are more likely in communities with low vaccination coverage. Of the people with measles confirmed between January and July 29, 92% were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.

See the data

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Data behind the news

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) changed its COVID-19 vaccine guidelines, recommending the shot only for people younger than six months, older than 65, or with certain health conditions. See what vaccines were recommended for adults prior to the change.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), like the FDA, is under the Department of Health and Human Services. Last week, several people in top positions left the CDC. Read more on what the CDC does.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was inadvertently sent to a Salvadoran prison earlier this year but has since returned to the US, has said he will request asylum here in hopes of preventing another deportation to Uganda. Here is the data on asylum applications in the US.

Last Wednesday, a shooter in Minneapolis opened fire on people, primarily schoolchildren, who were attending Catholic mass. Two children died as a result. We have state-by-state data on deaths from gun-related injuries.

Ready to test yourself? The weekly fact quiz is right here.

One last fact

Charter school enrollment has increased in all but two states

School’s back in session, and more kids than ever are headed to charter schools. In 2022, 3.7 million students, or 7.6% of public students nationally, attended charter school, up from 4.6% a decade prior. In some parts of the US, more than 20% of K-12 students attend charter schools.