Credit Union growth rebounds in 2025, but membership declines persist.
New federal data shows improving asset, deposit and loan growth even as more than half of credit unions report shrinking membership.
Federally insured credit unions saw a modest rebound in growth in 2025, with gains in assets, deposits and lending, even as membership declines continued to weigh on much of the industry, according to newly released data from the National Credit Union Administration.
At the median, assets rose 3.3% over the year ending in the fourth quarter of 2025, a notable increase from 0.9% growth a year earlier. The figures indicate that half of all credit unions grew assets at or above that rate, while the other half expanded more slowly or declined.
Growth varied significantly by state. Credit unions in New Hampshire posted the strongest median asset growth at 6.9%, followed closely by Maine at 6.5%. At the other end of the spectrum, assets declined slightly in Washington, D.C., down 0.1%, and grew just 0.4% in New Jersey.
Shares and deposits followed a similar trajectory. Median growth reached 2.9% in 2025, compared with 0.8% in 2024. Again, New Hampshire led the nation with 7.0% growth, while Idaho followed at 6.9%. Not all regions participated in the gains; shares and deposits declined at the median in New Jersey, down 0.7%, and in Oregon, down 0.2%.
Lending activity also showed signs of improvement, though at a slower pace. Loans outstanding increased 0.7% at the median in 2025, reversing a slight 0.1% decline the year before. The strongest loan growth occurred in Alaska, at 6.2%, and New Hampshire, at 4.9%. Still, loan balances declined in Washington, D.C. and 14 states, with the sharpest drops in the capital, at -4.7%, and West Virginia, at -3.7%.
Even as balance sheet measures improved, membership trends told a different story.
While total membership across the system continued to grow in aggregate, the median credit union saw membership decline by 0.5% in 2025, matching the decline recorded in 2024. Overall, about 55% of federally insured credit unions had fewer members at the end of the year than they did 12 months earlier.
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The declines were most pronounced among smaller institutions. More than half of the credit unions experiencing membership losses held less than $50 million in assets, underscoring ongoing consolidation pressures within the industry.
Geographically, membership trends varied widely. Credit unions in Alaska posted the strongest median membership growth at 2.0%, followed by Vermont at 1.8%. But membership declined at the median in 33 states and Washington, D.C., with the steepest drops in Kentucky, at -2.1%, and both Connecticut and New Jersey, at -1.5%.
The data suggests a credit union system that is stabilizing financially after a slower period in 2024 but remains challenged by uneven growth and demographic pressures. Gains in assets, deposits and lending point to improving conditions, yet persistent membership declines — particularly among smaller institutions — highlight the structural changes reshaping the industry.
Ken McCarthy is manager of marketing communications at Tyfone, where he monitors the credit union industry and contributes to conversations shaping its future. He previously covered credit unions and community banking for American Banker and S&P Global Market Intelligence. He holds a journalism degree from Point Park University and has more than 15 years of experience covering financial services. He is also the author of three literary fiction novels.
