The Bureau of Labor Statistics' February 18 Union Members report puts the 2025 membership rate in construction and extraction occupations at 16.4%, or an estimated 1.124 million of 6.850 million wage and salary workers. In 2024 the estimated rate was 15.4% and membership was 1.068 million. The 2025 estimates are based on 11 months rather than the usual 12 because the Current Population Survey did not collect October data during the federal shutdown. BLS warns that 2025 annual estimates are not strictly comparable with earlier annual averages. BLS Table 4 reports median usual weekly earnings for full-time construction and extraction workers of $1,561 for union members and $1,004 for nonunion workers in 2025. The difference is $557 per week, but it is an observed group difference, not an estimate of the pay gain caused by joining a union. The figures do not adjust for job specialty, experience, location or hours beyond full-time status. They also exclude self-employed workers and cover earnings rather than employer-paid benefits. Occupation and industry are different cuts of the data. Across the construction industry, which includes many non-trade roles, BLS counted 995,000 union members among 9 million wage and salary workers, an 11.1% membership rate. Full-time union members in that industry had median weekly earnings of $1,585 versus $1,132 for nonmembers. These industry numbers should not be combined with the occupational figures as though they describe the same workers. A prospective apprentice should compare the actual local agreement, starting pay, benefit contribution schedule and state licensing rules rather than treating the national medians as a wage offer.