---
title: "Unbanked Household Rate"
slug: unbanked-underbanked-household-rate
summary: "4.2% of U.S. households had no bank account in 2023, about the same as 4.5% in 2021"
category: "Who's Hurting"
unit: percent
frequency: biennial
direction: higher_is_worse
latest_value: 4.2
latest_period: "2023"
trend: stable
last_updated: "2026-02-27T19:41:15Z"
source: "Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households"
source_url: https://www.fdic.gov/analysis/household-survey/
canonical_html: https://americandefault.org/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate/
citation_apa: "Kilburn, R. (2026). Unbanked Household Rate [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate/"
citation_chicago: "Kilburn, Ross. 2026. \"Unbanked Household Rate.\" American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate/."
citation_mla: "Kilburn, Ross. \"Unbanked Household Rate.\" American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate/."
---

# Unbanked Household Rate

> 4.2% of U.S. households had no bank account in 2023, about the same as 4.5% in 2021

## Current Reading

As of 2023, Unbanked Household Rate is **4.2%** (stable).

of U.S. households had no checking or savings account at a bank or credit union

## What Changed

- 4.2% of U.S. households had no checking or savings account in the FDIC's June 2023 survey, about the same as the 4.5% of 2021.
- The lowest estimate in any FDIC survey since 2011.

## Recent Values

| Period | Value |
|--------|-------|
| 2023-12-31 | 4.2% |
| 2021-12-31 | 4.5% |
| 2019-12-31 | 5.4% |
| 2017-12-31 | 6.5% |
| 2015-12-31 | 7% |
| 2013-12-31 | 7.7% |
| 2011-12-31 | 8.2% |

## Historical Context

- Peak since 2011: **8.2%** in December 2011
- Low since 2011: **4.2%** in December 2023
- Pre-pandemic average (2015-01 – 2019-12): **6.3%**

## Methodology

This indicator carries observations every two years and is interpreted as higher values indicate worse household conditions. Source: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households.
Automation: collected automatically on the daily refresh pipeline, with no hand entry.

## Source

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households — [https://www.fdic.gov/analysis/household-survey/](https://www.fdic.gov/analysis/household-survey/)

Data retrieved: 2026-02-27T19:41:15Z

## Machine-Readable Endpoints

- HTML page: https://americandefault.org/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate/
- JSON: https://americandefault.org/api/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate.json
- CSV: https://americandefault.org/api/downloads/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate.csv
- BibTeX: https://americandefault.org/citations/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate.bib
- RIS: https://americandefault.org/citations/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate.ris

## Citation

**APA 7th**

    Kilburn, R. (2026). Unbanked Household Rate [Data set]. American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate/

**Chicago (author-date)**

    Kilburn, Ross. 2026. "Unbanked Household Rate." American Default Research. https://americandefault.org/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate/.

**MLA 9th**

    Kilburn, Ross. "Unbanked Household Rate." American Default Research, 2026, americandefault.org/indicators/unbanked-underbanked-household-rate/.

Use **American Default Research** as the institutional name in source lists, bibliographies, and press citations. **American Default** is the brand and URL form. **American Distress Index (ADI)** is the product name for the national composite score.