Unbanked Household Rate (FDIC)
4.2% in 2023, about the same as the 4.5% of 2021
Where the Unbanked Household Rate (FDIC) stands now
The Unbanked Household Rate (FDIC) was 4.2% in 2023, the lowest in data back to 2011. It has been lower than the release before for six releases in a row.
What it means for households: Household Financial Health Statistics
How the Unbanked Household Rate (FDIC) has moved since 2011
Unbanked Household Rate (FDIC): little changed over the past year
FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, share without a bank account: 4.2% in 2023, little changed from 4.5% a year earlier. Biennial, 2011–2023.
What the Unbanked Household Rate (FDIC) measures
A higher rate is worse for households.
Unbanked Household Rate (FDIC) by release, 2011 to 2023
| Release | Rate (%) | Change from a year earlier (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 4.2 | — |
| 2021 | 4.5 | — |
| 2019 | 5.4 | — |
| 2017 | 6.5 | — |
| 2015 | 7.0 | — |
| 2013 | 7.7 | — |
| 2011 | 8.2 | — |
Biennial · Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households
Counties with the highest safety net and buffer scores
There's no county figure for this measure, so this list uses the safety net and buffer part of our County Distress Index.
| Rank | County | Score (0–100) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Choctaw County, OK | 94.8 |
| 2 | Stewart County, GA | 94.2 |
| 3 | Noxubee County, MS | 94.2 |
| 4 | Hudspeth County, TX | 94 |
| 5 | Brooks County, TX | 94 |
| 6 | Lake County, TN | 94 |
| 7 | Duval County, TX | 93.9 |
| 8 | Ripley County, MO | 93.5 |
| 9 | Dunklin County, MO | 93.3 |
| 10 | Quitman County, GA | 93.2 |
Questions about households without bank accounts
How many U.S. households don't have a bank account?
The FDIC's latest survey, from June 2023, puts the share at 4.2% of U.S. households. The rate counts households, not people: if anyone in the home has a checking or savings account, the household counts as banked.
What does 'underbanked' mean?
An underbanked household has a bank account but used at least one of eight nonbank financial services in the past 12 months, such as a check casher, payday lender, pawn shop or rent-to-own store. It is a separate FDIC measure from the unbanked rate on this page.
Is the unbanked rate going down?
The 2023 rate was 4.2%, about the same as the 4.5% of 2021, a difference too small to call a change in this survey. In 2011 it was 8.2%.
Where does the unbanked data come from?
The FDIC runs its National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households every two years as a supplement to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. It is fielded in June of odd-numbered years and published in the fall of the following year.
Sources and method for the Unbanked Household Rate (FDIC)
- Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households We use the biennial figures as published, from 2011 through 2023, with no adjustment of our own. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s report
We write with assistance from AI tools. Figures come from the data and sources named on this page.