15. Nevada
> Workers in a labor union: 13.4% (total: 161,575)
> Change in union membership (2010-2020): -1.6 ppt. (12th lowest)
> Avg. annual wage: $47,210 (16th lowest)
> Most unionized occupational group: [Hospitality]
Nevada is one of the few states with so-called right-to-work laws where unions are stronger than they are in most of the rest of the country. Though “right-to-work” laws were enacted in 1952, the share of workers who are in a union in the state stands at 13.4% — 2.6 percentage points more than the national share.
The state’s largest union is the powerful and politically active Culinary Union. The 85-year-old organization counts 60,000 people who work primarily in Las Vegas restaurants, hotels, and casinos among its current members — well over a third of all union members in the state.