Where are California's hotspots for unions?

“Survey says” looks at various rankings and scorecards judging geographic locations, noting that these grades are best seen as a mix of art and data.

Top line

Statewide, there are 2.5 million union members — almost equally split between government and private-sector employers. That's 16% of all California workers, the nation's sixth-highest union share.

But union clout in the state's big metro areas — and the split between the public sector and private industry — varies widely.

Details

BUZZ » Ventura County has California's largest share of unionized workers while San Jose has the least.

SOURCE » My trusty spreadsheet analyzed 2021 federal union membership data for 21 California metropolitan areas as broken down by UnionStats.

Here's a look at the union slice of California metro job markets and the size of the public-private split, ranked by the union share of local workforces:

• 1. Ventura County: 31.8% of all local workers. The 121,220 union members are split 36% in government jobs and 64% in the private sector.

• 2. Bakersfield: 27.5% of workers; 79,070 members — 34% government; 66% private.

• 3. San Luis Obispo: 27.2% of workers; 27,238 members — 80% government; 20% private.

• 4. Modesto: 25.5% of workers; 51,200 members — 43% government; 57% private.

• 5. Vallejo: 24.3% of workers; 38,062 members — 59% government; 41% private.

• 6. Sacramento: 23.3% of workers; 212,439 members — 57% government; 43% private.

• 7. Santa Rosa: 20.3% of workers; 28,708 members — 50% government; 50% private.

• 8. Visalia: 19.3% of workers; 20,819 members — 59% government; 41% private.

• 9. Santa Cruz: 19.2% of workers; 24,518 members — 69% government; 31% private.

• 10. Redding: 18.8% of workers; 21,332 members — 66% government; 34% private.

• 11. Fresno: 18.2% of workers; 69,196 members — 55% government; 45% private.

• 12. Riverside and San Bernardino counties: 18.1% of workers; 306,945 members — 49% government; 51% private.

• 13. Hanford: 16.4% of workers; 16,978 members — 68% government; 32% private.

• 14. Los Angeles and Orange counties: 14.3% of workers; 755,185 members — 44%

government; 56% private.

• 14. Salinas: 14.3% of workers; 27,965 members — 35% government; 65% private.

• 16. Stockton: 13.9% of workers; 49,475 members — 30% government; 70% private.

• 17. San Diego: 13.8% of workers; 188,390 members — 58% government; 42% private.

• 18. Chico: 13.3% of workers; 13,223 members — 59% government; 41% private.

• 19. San Francisco: 12.6% of workers; 256,163 members — 57% government; 43% private.

• 20. Santa Maria: 10% of workers; 16,226 members — 83% government; 17% private.

• 21. San Jose: 9.6% of workers; 92,997 members — 53% government; 47% private.

Bottom line

Union work is more plentiful in six Southern California counties with large manufacturing and logistics operations, traditionally strong hubs for organized labor. Those counties have 57% of all union members statewide with 53% in government and 60% in private industry. Many of the metros dominated by government union workers are home to large state colleges or universities.