Federally insured credit unions in the United States held $2.43 trillion in total assets and counted 144.7 million members at the close of 2025, with assets rising $126 billion (5.4%) over the year, according to the National Credit Union Administration. Two angles dominate the 2025 data. The first is the Institution-Member Divergence: bigger cooperatives absorb smaller ones while the member base keeps expanding. Per NCUA Quarterly Q4 2025 data, the number of Federally Insured Credit Unions fell to 4,287 from 4,455 a year earlier, even as Members grew by 2.4 million.
The second is the Auto-Loan Rate Gap between Credit Unions and Banks. Per NCUA Q4 2025 rate tables, Credit Unions averaged 5.44% on a 60-month new-car loan while Banks averaged 7.41%, a 1.97-point spread. On a typical $30,000 60-month auto loan, that gap translates to roughly $1,580 less interest paid over the life of the loan.
Key Takeaways
- According to the National Credit Union Administration, total assets at federally insured credit unions reached $2.43 trillion in Q4 2025, up 5.4% year over year.
- Membership at federally insured credit unions grew to 144.7 million, with 2.4 million members added over 2025, according to NCUA.
- Total loans outstanding rose to $1.72 trillion, an increase of $76 billion or 4.6% for the year, per NCUA.
- Net income for 2025 totaled $18.8 billion, up 31.5% compared with 2024, the National Credit Union Administration reported.
- The credit union system’s net worth ratio stood at 11.26% in Q4 2025, well above the 7% statutory threshold, NCUA data show.
- World Council of Credit Unions data show 412,681,905 credit union members globally across 67,137 institutions in 101 nations as of December 31, 2024, according to WOCCU.
- According to NCUA rate tables, the average 5-year CD paid 2.83% at credit unions versus 2.11% at banks in Q4 2025.
Editor’s Choice
- Federally insured credit unions hold $2.43 trillion in total assets at the end of 2025.
- Navy Federal Credit Union is the largest US cooperative with $197.2 billion in assets and 15 million members.
- 4,287 federally insured credit unions were active in Q4 2025, down from 4,455 in Q4 2024.
- More than $3.8 trillion in assets sits across the global credit union network.
- The average new-car loan at credit unions cost 5.44% in Q4 2025, compared with 7.41% at banks.
- NCUA approved 157 credit union mergers in 2025, slightly fewer than the 162 mergers approved in 2024.
- The average outstanding loan balance reached $19,397 in Q4 2025, up 5.3% year over year.
Recent Developments
- March 6, 2026: Federally insured credit unions held $2.43 trillion in assets and 144.7 million members at the close of the fourth quarter of 2025.
- March 18, 2026: The Q4 2025 state-level data report covered all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., showing median asset growth of 3.3%.
- February 26, 2026: The NCUA approved 157 credit union mergers across 2025.
- December 26, 2025: The Q4 2025 rate table covered 23 common loan and deposit products at credit unions and banks.
- October 14, 2025: The World Council of Credit Unions 2024 Statistical Report provides comprehensive global credit union data.
US Credit Union System Size and Growth
- Federally insured credit unions held $2.43 trillion in total assets in Q4 2025.
- Total assets rose $126 billion ( 5.4% ) over the year ending Q4 2025.
- The number of federally insured credit unions fell to 4,287 in Q4 2025, from 4,455 a year earlier.
- 2,686 were federal credit unions and 1,601 were federally insured state-chartered credit unions in Q4 2025.
- 739 federally insured credit unions held assets of at least $500 million, up from 728 a year earlier.
- Total assets at federally insured credit unions have risen by over 48% since March 2020, climbing from $1.64 trillion to $2.43 trillion by December 2025.
| Metric (Q4 2025) | Value | Year-over-Year Change |
| Total assets | $2.43 trillion | +5.4% |
| Total loans outstanding | $1.72 trillion | +4.6% |
| Federally insured credit unions | 4,287 | -168 institutions |
| Federal credit unions | 2,686 | (subset) |
| State-chartered, federally insured | 1,601 | (subset) |
| Complex CUs ($500M+ in assets) | 739 | +11 institutions |
Source: National Credit Union Administration
By the numbers: NCUA reports 144.7 million members across 4,287 federally insured credit unions, with 2.4 million members added during 2025. The membership tally now sits within reach of the US adult population’s lower estimate, anchoring the cooperative model as a mainstream consumer-finance choice rather than a niche.
Credit Union Membership Statistics
- Credit union membership at federally insured institutions reached 144.7 million in Q4 2025.
- Federally insured credit unions added 2.4 million members over the year ending Q4 2025.
- Aggregate membership continued expanding through Q4 2025, though the median credit union showed a 0.5% decline.
- Most declining-membership institutions were smaller entities, with over half having less than $50 million in assets in Q4 2025.
- Globally, credit union membership reached 412,681,905 people as of December 31, 2024, growing 0.4% year over year.
- The global credit union network spans 101 nations.
| Membership Metric | Value | Period |
| US federally insured CU members | 144.7 million | Q4 2025 |
| Net new US members | 2.4 million | Year ending Q4 2025 |
| Median US CU membership change | -0.5% | Year ending Q4 2025 |
| Global CU members | 412,681,905 | December 31, 2024 |
| Global CU membership growth | 0.4% | YoY through 2024 |
Source: National Credit Union Administration, World Council of Credit Unions
Credit Union Assets and Loan Growth
- Total loans outstanding at federally insured credit unions reached $1.72 trillion in Q4 2025.
- Total loans rose $76 billion or 4.6% during the year ending Q4 2025.
- The average outstanding loan balance was $19,397 in Q4 2025, up $984 or 5.3% compared with Q4 2024.
- The loan-to-share ratio at federally insured credit unions was 83.2% in Q4 2025, down from 84.0% in Q4 2024.
- At the median credit union, loans outstanding grew by 0.7% during the year ending Q4 2025.
- The national median loan-to-share ratio stood at 70% in Q4 2025.
Credit Union Net Income and Profitability
- Net income for federally insured credit unions totaled $18.8 billion in 2025.
- Net income rose $4.5 billion or 31.5%, compared with 2024.
- 88% of federally insured credit unions posted positive year-to-date net income in Q4 2025.
- In Q4 2024, 86% of federally insured credit unions had positive year-to-date net income.
- America’s Credit Unions, citing NCUA data, reported that the 31.5% earnings increase reflects long-running industry consolidation trends.
| Profitability Metric | Q4 2024 | Q4 2025 |
| System net income (year) | $14.3 billion | $18.8 billion |
| Net income YoY change | N/A | +31.5% |
| CUs with positive net income | 86% | 88% |
Source: National Credit Union Administration, America’s Credit Unions
Credit Union vs Bank Rates
- In Q4 2025, the average new-car loan rate at credit unions was 5.44% for a 60-month term, compared with 7.41% at banks.
- The average 48-month used-car loan rate was 5.53% at credit unions versus 7.73% at banks in Q4 2025.
- A classic credit card carried an average rate of 12.58% at credit unions versus 15.27% at banks in Q4 2025.
- An unsecured 36-month fixed loan averaged 10.64% at credit unions and 12.00% at banks in Q4 2025.
- A 5-year $10K CD paid 2.83% at credit unions versus 2.11% at banks in Q4 2025.
- A 1-year $10K CD paid 2.95% at credit unions versus 2.29% at banks in Q4 2025.
- A 30-year fixed mortgage averaged 6.26% at credit unions versus 6.50% at banks in Q4 2025.
Key finding: NCUA Q4 2025 rate data show a 1.97-point new-car loan spread between credit unions (5.44%) and banks (7.41%). On a typical $30,000 60-month auto loan, that gap translates to roughly $1,580 less interest paid, the kind of difference that explains why the cooperative model still wins on consumer-debt economics.
The rate gap is most visible at scale, where the country’s largest cooperatives concentrate it.
Largest Credit Unions in the United States
- Navy Federal Credit Union held $197.2 billion in assets and served 15 million members at the end of 2025.
- State Employees’ Credit Union ranked second with $58.1 billion in assets and 3 million members.
- SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union ranked third with $35.4 billion in assets and 1.5 million members.
- Boeing Employees Credit Union held $29.4 billion in assets and 1.6 million members.
- Pentagon Federal Credit Union held $29.3 billion in assets and 2.8 million members.
- The top 10 US credit unions collectively hold approximately $456.4 billion in total assets and $392.6 billion in deposits as of December 2025.
- Alliant held $20.3 billion in assets and served 923,000 members at the end of 2025.
Credit Union Mergers and Consolidation
- NCUA approved 157 credit union mergers in 2025.
- Approvals in 2024 totaled 162 credit union mergers, slightly higher than in 2025.
- The NCUA approved 35 mergers in Q1 2025, 45 in Q2, with combined assets of $5.6 billion, and 41 in Q3 2025.
- Merger approvals averaged 222 per year from 2015 to 2018, declining to an average of 152 per year from 2019 through 2024.
- The institution count fell by 168 federally insured credit unions during 2025, from 4,455 to 4,287.
The merger pace has eased over the past six years, even as the number of institutions keeps falling.
Capital and Asset Quality at Federally Insured Credit Unions
- The credit union system’s net worth ratio was 11.26% in Q4 2025, compared with 11.07% one year earlier.
- The delinquency rate at federally insured credit unions was 103 basis points in Q4 2025, up 5 basis points compared with Q4 2024.
- The system net worth ratio sat well above the 7% statutory well-capitalized threshold throughout 2025.
| Capital and Asset Quality Metric | Q4 2024 | Q4 2025 |
| Net worth ratio (system) | 11.07% | 11.26% |
| Delinquency rate | 98 bps | 103 bps |
| Statutory well-capitalized threshold | 7.0% | 7.0% |
Source: National Credit Union Administration
State-Level Credit Union Data
- At federally insured credit unions, assets increased by 3.3% at the median over the year ending Q4 2025.
- At the median federally insured credit union, loans outstanding grew by 0.7% in the year ending Q4 2025.
- The national median loan-to-share ratio stood at 70% in Q4 2025.
- The Quarterly U.S. Map Review covered all 50 states plus Washington, D.C., incorporating economic indicators, including unemployment rates and home prices.
- 88% of federally insured credit unions posted positive year-to-date net income in Q4 2025, compared to 86% in the same quarter of 2024.
Global Credit Union Statistics
- World Council of Credit Unions data show 67,137 credit unions worldwide as of December 31, 2024.
- Global credit union membership totaled 412,681,905 members as of December 31, 2024.
- The global credit union network holds more than $3.8 trillion in total assets.
- Membership grew by 0.4%, and assets grew by 2% year over year through 2024.
- The number of credit unions worldwide declined by approximately 10% during 2024.
- Approximately 14% of countries reported that their credit unions are regulated by a credit-union-specific supervisory authority.
- 40% of credit union systems are not covered by a deposit guarantee scheme of any kind.
| Global Credit Union Metric | Value | Period |
| Credit unions worldwide | 67,137 | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Total members | 412,681,905 | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Total assets | $3.8 trillion+ | Dec 31, 2024 |
| Operating nations | 101 | 2024 |
| Membership growth | 0.4% | YoY |
| Asset growth | 2% | YoY |
| With CU-specific supervisor | 14% | 2024 |
| Without deposit guarantee | 40% | 2024 |
Source: World Council of Credit Unions
Credit Union Demographics and Member Value
- WOCCU’s 2024 report includes demographic breakdowns by income level and workforce segment, noting that professional and self-employed individuals are more likely to be credit union members than unskilled laborers.
- The 2024 Statistical Report includes the most comprehensive data set in the publication’s history, with statistics on demographics, regulatory supervision, and strategic priorities.
The demographic story underneath the headline numbers points to an aging member base, with growth concentrated in the largest cooperatives.
Methodology and Data Sources
- Q4 2025 NCUA data was extracted from the agency’s March 6, 2026, quarterly performance press release. The release covers all federally insured credit unions through December 31, 2025.
- NCUA state-level data was extracted from the March 18, 2026, Q4 2025 state report, covering all 50 states plus Washington, D.C.
- Rate comparison data was extracted from the NCUA’s Q4 2025 credit union and bank rates table, dated December 26, 2025. The table covered 23 common loan and deposit products at credit unions and banks.
- Global statistics were extracted from the WOCCU 2024 Statistical Report (published October 14, 2025). The data is as of December 31, 2024.
- Merger counts were sourced from Credit Union Times reporting on NCUA’s Merger Activity and Insurance Reports, published February 26, 2026. The 2025 total was 157 approved mergers.
Numbers in this piece reflect the most recent NCUA quarterly call-report cycle (Q4 2025, released March 2026) and the WOCCU 2024 Statistical Report (the latest full-year global data). Refresh cadence: quarterly for US figures, annually for global figures.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There were 4,287 federally insured credit unions in the United States as of the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the NCUA. That figure is down from 4,455 in Q4 2024, reflecting a year-over-year decline of 168 institutions. The split was 2,686 federal credit unions and 1,601 state-chartered, federally insured credit unions.
The NCUA reports $2.43 trillion in total system assets across 4,287 institutions at the end of 2025, with 739 credit unions individually holding at least $500 million in assets, up from 728 a year earlier. The asset concentration in larger cooperatives keeps rising.
Federally insured credit unions and banks both carry deposit insurance per depositor through the NCUA Share Insurance Fund and the FDIC, respectively. The credit union system net worth ratio sat at 11.26 percent in Q4 2025, well above the 7 percent statutory well-capitalized threshold, indicating a strong capital cushion across federally insured institutions.
Credit union loan rates are typically lower than bank rates across most consumer-loan products. NCUA Q4 2025 rate data show new-car loans averaged 5.44 percent at credit unions versus 7.41 percent at banks, and classic credit cards averaged 12.58 percent versus 15.27 percent. CD and money-market rates at credit unions also tend to run higher than bank averages.
Navy Federal Credit Union is the largest US credit union, with $197.2 billion in total assets and 15 million members at the end of 2025, according to Bankrate’s roundup of NCUA call-report data. State Employees’ Credit Union ranks second at $58.1 billion in assets, followed by SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, Boeing Employees Credit Union, and Pentagon Federal Credit Union.
The World Council of Credit Unions reports 412,681,905 members across 67,137 credit unions in 101 nations as of December 31, 2024, with more than $3.8 trillion in total assets. Membership grew 0.4%, and assets grew 2% during 2024, while the institution count fell by approximately 10%.
Conclusion
The cooperative consumer-finance footprint anchored by the United States now totals $2.43 trillion in assets and 144.7 million members, a scale that makes credit unions one of the most-used financial relationships in the country. The institution count keeps shrinking even as members keep joining. Borrowers see the rate advantage clearest on auto loans and credit cards, where the spread to bank averages reaches roughly 2 to 2.7% points.
Globally, the cooperative model holds 412,681,905 members across 101 nations, though regulatory infrastructure remains uneven: approximately 14% of countries operate a credit-union-specific supervisor, and 40% of systems lack a deposit guarantee scheme. For US savers and borrowers, the case for cooperative banking sits in the rate tables and the net worth ratio.
