How Happy Are Credit Union Members?

J.D. Power is sharing the results of its 2025 U.S. Credit Union Satisfaction Study. It looks at how how happy credit union members are with their financial institution. Overall, it shows that credit unions are doing a better job at keeping customers happy than banks - and that includes on digital channels.

Researchers say better interest rates and lower fees offered by credit unions have been a winning combination to earn consistently high satisfaction scores during periods of economic uncertainty. According to the study, overall satisfaction among credit union members remains unchanged from 2024 at 729 (on a 1,000-point scale).  However, satisfaction does change a bit by age group year over year.  Among members under age 40 satisfaction has declined 4 points and is 16 points lower compared with those age 40 and older. J.D. Power says that for most credit unions, digital interactions and overdraft fees create some challenges, particularly for younger members and those with lower levels of financial health.

“Credit unions are doing a great job when it comes to their core focus on delivering competitive rates and driving very high levels of member satisfaction, loyalty and brand advocacy,” said Dann Allen, senior director of banking and payments intelligence at J.D. Power. “Top-ranked credit unions perform significantly better than banks in trust-related actions such as supporting members and providing convenience. While digital is a risk for the industry, the study shows that many credit unions are overcoming that challenge.”

Following are some key findings of the 2025 study:

• Credit unions outperform banks in overall satisfaction: This year, overall member satisfaction with U.S. credit unions (729) is 74 points higher than the average overall satisfaction score for U.S. retail banks. J.D. Power says credit unions outperform their retail bank counterparts across all dimensions measured in the study, including trust, people and problem resolution.
• Fees a sore point, especially for younger members: While credit unions have a reputation for offering lower fees than retail banks, in the study, nearly one-third (31%) of members under age 40 say they “probably will” or “definitely will” leave their credit union in the next 12 months because of the fees they were charged. That number falls to 25% among members aged 40 and older.
• Financial health affects satisfaction: More than two-thirds (69%) of credit union members are financially unhealthy, which negatively affects overall member satisfaction scores. The average overall satisfaction score among financially healthy credit union members is 788, while the average score among financially unhealthy members is 702.
• Digital in the spotlight: The overall member satisfaction score for credit union digital channels is 715, which is 45 points higher than for retail bank digital channels. However, J.D. Power's study found that satisfaction with mobile apps has declined significantly among credit union members who cite lack of clarity of information, range of services and ease of navigation as some of the common problems with their credit union apps.

Study Ranking

SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union ranks highest in credit union member satisfaction with a score of 783. Idaho Central Credit Union (754) ranks second and Navy Federal Credit Union (748) ranks third. BECU (745) is fourth followed by Mountain America Credit Union (741).

About the Study

The study is in its second year, but the first year of being award eligible. It measures member satisfaction with the 29 largest credit unions in the continental United States. Seven dimensions are taken into account. In order of importance they are: trust; people; allowing members to bank how and when they want; account offerings; saving time and money; digital channels; and resolving problems or complaints.

The 2025 study is based on responses from 9,989 credit union members. It was fielded from January 2024 through January 2025. The largest U.S. credit unions are defined as those with at least $7.5 billion in domestic deposits.

For more information about the U.S. Credit Union Satisfaction Study, visit J.D. Power.

 Photo Credit: LightField Studios/Shutterstock.com.