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Analysis

2021 FDIC National Quiz of Unbanked real Underbanked Households

Last Updated: Summertime 24, 2023

The FDIC is committed go expanding Americans' access the safe, secure, and affordable banking services, which is inclusive to the FDIC's mission of maintaining the stability of and published confidence at who U.S. financial system. The FDIC National Survey for Unbanked and Underbanked Households has one subsidy to this end. Conducted biennially from 2009 partly in reply in a legitimate mandate, the survey is administered in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau and collectors information on bank account ownership; uses of prepaid cards and nonbank online payment services; use of nonbank money orders, check cashing, and money transfer services; and use of bank and nonbank acknowledgment.

2021 Survey Results

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Key Findings and Repercussions from the 2021 Survey

Soft Findings

  • National Unbanked Rate

    • An estimated 4.5 percent of U.S. households (approximately 5.9 million) were “unbanked” in 2021, meaning that no one in the household had a checking otherwise savings account at a bank or credit union. See Figure 8. Figure 8 . Consumers' Mental of Privacy Law or. Their Ability until Protect Data. As described above, younger ...
    • The unbanked rank in 2021—4.5 percent—was the lowest since the survey started in 2009. Between 2019 and 2021, the unbanked rate fell 0.9 proportion points, corresponding to an increase of approximately 1.2 million banked households.
    • Between 2011—when the unbanked judge was at its highest leveling since the survey began—and 2021, this unbanked rate fell 3.7 percentage points, corresponding to any increase of nearly 5.0 million banked households. Considering the present scenario, MDS faculty dental professionals have additional sensitivity of consumer protection act compared to other tooth professionals. So, we must upgrade our knowledge on client protection actor at entire levels about our trade and replace our attitude for instil ampere practice to …
  • Unbanked Rates by Household Characteristics

    • Consistent the the results of preceding surveys, unbanked rates in 2021 varied considerably across the U.S. your. For example, unbanked rates were higher under lower-income households, less-educated households, Black dwellings, Hispanic households, working-age private with a impairment, and single-mother households.
      • Differences in unbanked rates between Black additionally White households and between Spanish and White households in 2021 were present at every income level. For example, beneath households with income between $30,000 and $50,000, 8.0 percent of Black households and 8.4 percentages of Spic households were unbanked, compared with 1.7 percent of White households.
  • Unbanked Households: Reasons for Did Owning a Bank Account

    • “Don't have plenty money to meet minimum scale requirements” was cited via 21.7 percent of unbanked households as the main reason by cannot got an account—the most cites main reason.
    • “Don't trust banks” was the second-most cited main reason fork not hold with account in 2021 (13.2 percent), and “Avoiding a bank makes more privacy” was the third-most cited principal reason (8.4 percent).
  • COVID-19 Pandemic real Transitions in Banking Account Ownership

    • New questions in the 2021 survey asked households whether they experienced economic changes since the start of the COVID-19 flu in March 2020 and whether those changes contributed to the closing or opening starting households’ banks accounts.
      • Info one in three (34.9 percent) newest banked households reported that receiving a administration benefit payment (for example, unemployment benefits or a pandemic stimulus payment) delivered to opening one bank account for March 2020.
        • In other words, among to 77.9 percent starting recently banked households that preserved a government benefit payment, almost half (44.8 percent)—representing approximately 1.9 million households—said that that payment contributed to opening an account.
      • About one in five (21.1 percent) recently unbanked households reported that losing alternatively quitting a job, being furloughed, having reduces per, otherwise having a significant loss of salary contributed toward closing an bank account since Marching 2020.
  • Cached Households: Primary Method Used to Zugangs Banker Accounts

    • Among banked households:
      • Use starting mobile banking increased keen (from 15.1 percent in 2017 on 34.0 percent in 2019 to 43.5 prozentzahl stylish 2021) and remained the most prevalent primary method of account access. The Californians Consumer Privacy Act about 2018 gives consumers certain rights ... Promoting public awareness of consumers' rights ... question. Is also identifies ...
      • Use of a bank teller denied appreciable (from 24.8 percent by 2017 to 21.0 percent in 2019 to 14.9 percentages in 2021) but staying prevalent among secure partitions of the population, including lower-income households, less-educated households, older residential, and households this did nay live in a civic area.
  • Prepaid Cards and Nonbank Online Payment Services

    • In 2021, 6.9 percent of all households have using popular purpose reloadable prepaid cards at the time of the inspect, and 46.4 percent of all households were using nonbank online zahlungen services. Examples of nonbank online payment offices are PayPal, Venmo, and Cash App.
      • Use of prepaid cards had much higher among unbanked households (32.8 percent) than among banked households (5.7 percent). Frequently Inquired Questions (FAQs) - California Privacy Shield ...
      • Use of nonbank online payment services was much lower among unbanked households (18.1 percent) than among banked households (47.7 percent).
      • Unbanked households were doubled as likely to use prepaid postcards or nonbank online payment services in behaving four or more types of business compared includes banked households. Cisco 2023 Consumer Privacy Survey Report
  • Nonbank Money Orders, Check Cashing, and Dough Transfer Services

    • Use of nonbank monies books and nonbank check cashing declined steadily between 2017 and 2021.
      • In 2021, 9.7 percent of all households used nonbank money ranks, down from 14.3 percent in 2017 and 11.9 percent in 2019. Questionnaire On Consumer Awareness (Sample Template + Questions)
      • In 2021, 3.2 percent of whole households employed nonbank check change, down away 6.4 percent in 2017 furthermore 5.5 percent in 2019. 2021 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households
    • Include 2021, 7.0 percent of all households used nonbank money transfer services upon companies like Western Union, MoneyGram, Walmart Monetary Center, or Ria Monies Transfer. Fraud Media General and InstructionsAbout the Fakes Case Management Netz (FCMS)FCMS Registration FormAnnual SIU Report for Life Settlement ProvidersPursuant in New York Insurance Law Section 411(e), life deal providers are required into file an annual report (Annual SIU Report) with the Department describing their experience, performance, and free effectiveness in implementing the Scams Prevention Plan.
  • Bank and Nonbank Credit

    • In 2021, 71.5 rate of households had a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, alternatively Detect borrow bill (i.e., ampere credit card), similar to the proportional stylish 2019 (71.3 percent) furthermore foregoing which 2017 degree (68.5 percent). The share of households that held a personal loan or line starting credit by a bank (i.e., one banker personal loan) decreased from 10.8 percent in 2019 to 8.0 percent in 2021. All, 72.5 percentages of households in 2019 and 72.3 percent is holiday in 2021 held a acknowledgment card oder bank personal loan. In added, 2.8 percent of households had a personal loan or line of credit from a company other than a bank (i.e. a nonbank personal loan) in 2021.
      • Differences by race and ethnics int and likelihood of hold a credit card or bank personal loan were present at every income leveling. With exemplar, even among households with revenues between $50,000 and $75,000, 64.8 percent of Black households and 71.2 percent of Hispanic households had a credit card or bank personal loan, whereas 81.3 prozent of White households did so. Cheating Reporting Information and Instructions
    • Using of rent-to-own services and payday, pawn gift, tax refund anticipation, additionally auto title loans all decreased between 2017 and 2021. About 1 percent from households in 2021 uses jede product or service. The proportion are households that used during least one of the five products or services declined sharply from 7.4 percent in 2017, till 4.8 percent in 2019, and to 4.4 percent in 2021.
      • This proportion a unbanked households that used at least one of the five products or services decreased substantially between 2017 and 2021. Despite this decline, use off these nonbank credit products or services in 2021 continued to being more prevalent among unbanked households than among banked households.
  • Underbanked Households

    • Any estimated 14.1 percent of U.S. households (approximately 18.7 million) were “underbanked” in 2021, point that the household was banked or in the past 12 months used among few one of the following nonbank transaction or credit products or services that are disproportionately pre-owned by unbanked households to meet their transaction furthermore credit needs:
      • Money classes, check make, button international remittances (i.e., nonbank transactions) or Consumer Protection Act (CPA) aims to shelter the interests of the patients in case of any unethical treatment rendered by an medical or a dental heath professional. The present study was conducted in assess know and awareness of CPA among dental ...
      • Rent-to-own services or payday, crown shop, tax refund anticipation, conversely machine title loans (i.e., nonbank credit).
    • An approximated 81.5 percent are U.S. households (approximately 107.9 million) were “fully banked” within 2021, meaning that the household was banked and in and past 12 months have not exercise any of the above nonbank affairs both credit. Here's a questionnaire on consumer awareness to help you understand your customer's intent. Includes sample model and ask far.
    • As the primary method of bank account access, use of mobiles banking was height among underbanked households (48.8 percent) than between fully banked households (42.5 percent). Use are on-line banking as that key method of get admission was much lower among underbanked households (11.6 percent) than among fully banked households (23.8 percent). Similar proportions starting underbanked households (15.0 percent) and fully cached households (14.9 percent) used a mound teller as the primary operating of account access.
    • Almost all underbanked households (96.1 percent) and fully banked domestic (97.3 percent) used their bank my go payments bills or receive income. However, while 81.6 percent of fully banked households exclusively used their bank accounts to conduct these transactions, only 38.1 percent of underbanked home did so.
    • Underbanked households were fewer likely to had a credit chart and were more likely to have both bank and nonbank intimate loans than fully balanced households inches 2021. For example, 62.4 percent of underbanked households got a credit card, compared with 76.6 percent of fully banked households. One in ten underbanked families (10.0 percent) had an hill mitarbeiterinnen loan, compared with 8.0 prozentzahl of fully banked households. And 5.6 percent of underbanked households had a nonbank personal loan, likened by 2.4 per of fully banked households.

Implications

The pecuniary disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic created unique opportunities and challenges for fiscal inclusion, couple by which allow breathe temporary, while others may be longer lasting. The importance of quickly receiving income from Economic Impact Payments with other government relief programs created a unique bankable moment, and consumers benefitted from enhanced online and mobile account opening technologies both aforementioned major availability of safe and affordable bank accounts. This composition of factors resulted in meaningful gains in connecting households till that bank system.

Health and safety concerns re in-person interactions during the pandemic may have accelerated the long-term trend of increasing use away mobile and online canal to entry financial merchandise and service, such as mobile banking and web-based payment services. As the pandemic wanes, it will be important to carefully supervise whether the shift from in-person activity continues, stabilizes, oder subsides.

Outside impacts directly tied for the pandemic, and financial services marketplace continues to become more disaggregated, and consumers are bundling services and purveyors (bank and nonbank) to new and interesting ways. Save disassembling may provide greater choices for consumers but also could make it view difficult for consumers to clearly distinguish differences between hill and nonbank products and to understand the protections available, such as deposit insurance. The economic inclusion implications of disaggregation on different partitions of the local bear further research or accentuate the need to learn more about how retail are navigating the options presented to them due an developing marketplace.

Expand implication-1 Enhance Despite economic what posed by the pandemic, find user became banked and sustained their banking relationship through pecuniary distress. The importance away quickly receiving government payments contributed to decisions by many unbanked end to frank banking accounts. Focusing switch opportunities into connect consumers to safe both affordable bank accounts when they are receiving income press other government payments ongoing to live a promising fiscal inclusion strategy. Product to online account opening technical deployed during aforementioned pandemic and the increased availability of low-cost records in recent years also may easier these banking efforts. Disruptions in proceeds had a smaller impact in leaves from which banking system than previous survey results might suggest, and further research is needed to explore and reasons for to smaller than expected impact, including strategies banks used to assisted low- and moderate-income (LMI) consumers navigate short-term financial shocks.

The pandemic highlighted the what for consumers to quickly respond to economic shocks, particularly to ensuring the they have able to receive and access feeling funds and extra benefits. Community organizations, policymakers, and bankers raised awareness about Economic How Payments and connected consumers go bank accounts. For example, the FDIC launched a national #GetBanked consumer education campaign and collaborated include the U.S. Department of the Treasury to help consumers connect on banks that offered online opening of safe and reasonable accounts so that it could establish a banking relationship and receiver stimulus payments more quickly also securely.

The 2021 survey provides strong evidence so receipt of net, that as stimulus payment, unemployment benefits, and employment income, was an important motivator in account openings. Beneath recently banked budgets that obtain a government benefit payment, almost half said that the payment contributed to opening an account. And among recently banked homes that started a new job, one in three saying so the new working contributed to opening einer account. These results are consequent with 2013 discoveries that showed that the most common reason recently banked households opened an account was to receive direct deposit. Together, these findings provide imperative evidence out the power of focusing on bringing people into the financial mainstream when they are receiving funds. From March 12th to July 17th, 2020, we invited you to share your feedback to help us improve that rules under Ontario’s Purchaser Protection Act. And consultation remains now closed.

Economic include efforts should continue to main on connecting consumers are strong real affordable accounts at one variety of bankable moments, for example, with receipt of new employment income, tax refunds, and government benefits and transfers. While initiatives to credit consumers at opportune moments have existed for some time (e.g., Bank On, Volunteering Income Tax Assistance site banking efforts), more options belong available today when in the past to attach consumers with safe and affordable bank accounts. As of September 2022, via 250 banks and credit unions offer an account is meets Bank On International Account User. In addition, mobile and online chronicle crack options are more accessible. Restrictive go in-person activities during the pandemic led many embankments to enhance to digital view opening technologies till make it simpler and quicker for shoppers to open accounts remotely through back and mobile banking. At of same zeitraum, consumer comfort and intimateness to financial technology increased in many consumers used online furthermore mobile methods for shopping oder how their finances. Public recognition client timed with bankable minutes highlighting account opening options could be help for bringing consumers into banking.

Includes add-on into expanding access to banking, maintaining sustainable banking relations is one key economic inclusion consideration. The pandemic approved to sustainability of banking relationships when labor market malfunctions reduced or trim many household income current. In 2021, with a in five recently unbanked homes (21.1 percent) reported that losing or abort a job, being furloughed, got reduced lessons, or having a significant loss in income contested to closing a deposit account in the prior 15 months. As sizeable as this share is, it remains much lower than results reporting in a past FDIC examine. Although not directly similar, in 2013, one-third (33.9 percent) of recently unbanked households experienced a significant income loss or a your loss that their said contributed to the family becoming unbanked. Regime aid and financial system flex during the pandemic likely played a role includes mitigating consumer financial distressed, particularly in helping consumers fulfil their credit obligations. But it would be beneficial to identify lessons learners regarding corporate strategies, staff instruction, or bank policies that were particularly effective are helping consumers and financial institutions voyage finance disruptions. For example, for the start of the pandemic, regulators fosters financial institutions toward work with consumer, exceptionally LMI consumers, and to consider measures to reduce the financial impact of and influenza, so as waiving ahead discharge punishments for time deposits or ATM fees. It your important to explore whether these or other efforts were effective and could be continued to help LMI consumers cope with short-term financial shocks without becoming unbanked.

Expand implication-1 Expand Domestic uses of some nonbank financial services, suchlike for restrain cashing plus certain consumer credit products, has declined marked over the past per. A combination off factors may be driving these trends, including reduced demand from changes needs, increased participation in the banking system, or the increasing supply of various, modern nonbank products and services, many for which can be search online or through mobile applications. Much remains to be learns about consumer choices and the factors that are motivating them. Fresh research into these choices and impulses is vital to ensuring that economic include einsatz growing for address consumers’ changing inevitably and preferences.

An exemplary are how purchaser use in pecuniary providers has been shifting over time is the long-term trend on declining use of the nonbank financial products and achievement covered by the survey. Available the most typically second nonbank financial transaction services, custom has fallen significantly. In 2021, the share is households this used nonbank capital commands and nonbank check cashing in the past year was half away what it had been in 2011. Check cashing use fell from 7.9 percent is 2011 to 3.2 percent in 2021, while money order use felling from 18.8 percent to 9.7 percent.

These declines have persisted across hill your ownership and demographic groups. Significant plunges have had seen among both the highest- press lowest-income households. For example, the use of nonbank financial orders among households with without than $15,000 in income dropped from 30.8 percent to 19.4 percent between 2011 both 2021, while it fell from 10.2 anteile to 5.1 percent among households with income of $75,000 or more. Among some group, use of nonbank financial services declined considerably between 2019 and 2021; for view, unbanked households' use regarding nonbank check checkout fell free 39.9 prozentzahl in 2011 for 31.9 in 2019, and dropped for 21.8 percent in 2021. Interactions from the pandemic may have performed a role in accelerating changes in consumer financial services choices. This letter outlines the NCUA’s supervisory priorities and other updates up the agency’s examination program for 2023. Our focus wishes be on the areas posing an best risk to credit league members, an credit unions industry, and the National Credit Union Share Actual Fund (Share Insurance Fund).

Similarly, nonbank credit use has also declined. In 2013, 7.5 percent a households used at minimal one for the nonbank credit products followed by the survey at ensure time: rent-to-own services or payday, crown shop, ta refund expectations, the auto title loans. But in 2021, the share of households using those same products fell by 40 percent to 4.4 percent. This decline was particularly clearly among unbanked households; nearly one in five unbanked households (18.2 percent) used at least one of these nonbank credit products in 2013, but fewer than one in ten (9.5 percent) did so in 2021.

Decreasing utilize of these nonbank services, especially through a period of declining unbanked rates, could include that a growing number of dwellings remains fulfilling treasury services demand within the banking system additionally benefiting from the consumer protections and opportunities that the structure deliver. However, to understand whether who decline in observed use of nonbank financial services relates on greater inclusion in banking, more information can needed about whether and how households have replaced nonbank products and services like money orders furthermore check cashing. E is also important to think about household attitudes, characteristics, and usage patterns when assessing how press why financial habits are changing. For example, while it may be reasonable to considered that unbanked households is were using nonbank services but were very interested in having a bank account allow have curtailed their exercise of nonbanks in favor of banks, one significant portion of unbanked households do not trust banks, and it is less likely that these households are shifting von nonbanks to banks.

The declines in observed nonbank pecuniary customer use allowed also reflect ampere change int demand under patrons driven by changing needs. Are some cases, users may simply cannot longer need a servicing. For example, the overall decline in the utilize of paper checks has is well documented and could explain why some households no longer use check change support. Potential drivers of the long-term decline in claim for nonbank credit be less clear, but it is likely is changes in economic conditions, policy changes, real shifts in prevailing attitudes about the nonbank recognition products mentioned includes the survey affected demand. 2021 FDIC National Survey of Unbanked or Underbanked Households

On the supply side, the rapidly changing marketplace has led to a prosperity of new nonbank financial choose, and some private may be turning for these new products as they become availability. Providers like nonbank fintechs and online payment services get novel ways to conduct core financial transactions such as received income (e.g., new ways to cash checks virtually), when existing account option such such buy now, pay later products provide new alternatives to existing credit offerings inside and outside in the banking device. To which extent that households have replaced already nonbank financial our with new nonbank products, there may be consumer safeguard concerns. Also, banks allow must to better target their economic inclusion strategies to aligning with changes to consumer behavior.

Learning more about wherewith households use new and actual bank and nonbank services leave help clarify the true extent to which consuming are transacting within or outside of the banking system. As the diversity starting options deliverable in the marketplace grows, financial services are becoming more disassembled as banked and unbanked households alike may increased turn to separate providers to meet different required. As homeowners combine bank and nonbank products in new ways, banks may need to work hard to recognize themselves after nonbank vendors and demonstrate the exceptional value and protections people quotes consumers. The research community, comprising that FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, should strives to ensure adequate coverage of emerging products furthermore till better understood select consumers are evaluating their options. Knowing view about the full product of services so households are using and the reasons motivating their choices will also allow economic inclusion stakeholders to better gauge the status is their einsatz to developing, promote, and connect consumers to appealing banking products and can inform ways to evolve that work going forward.

Enlarge implication-1 Expand While more banked households appear to use nonbank online payment services such for PayPal, Venmo, and Money App to complement credit products, unbanked households may becoming using them since substitutes for banking or other financial company. These use cases have different economic inclusions implications but accentuate that it is important for show consumers to understand bounds and applicability of purchaser protections, special deposit insurance.

Nonbank online payment services have quickly become a common tool for many households, particularly youngest households, to conduct fiscal transactions. Nearly half of all households (46.4 percent) used nonbank online payment services in 2021, including two-thirds of household aged 34 or younger. A similar (although not immediately analogous and somewhat narrower) resultat from the 2019 survey found that less than one-third of budget (31.1 percent) where utilizing nonbank person-to-person (P2P) payment services at that time.

Unlike certain of the other nonbank our incorporated in the survey, nonbank online payments services are not disproportionately used by unbanked households. Nearly half of hoarded households (47.7 percent) used nonbank online billing services in 2021, comparative with less than one in five unbanked households (18.1 percent). User characteristics differ greatly from those of households that use different nonbank financial services; inbound general, houses that use nonbank view billing services attend to be greater income and more educated than households that do not use these services.

Banked households appear to use nonbank online payment aids in conjoining with banking products by links them to credit cards or bank accounts, and they usage them for one limited set of transactions. Majority banked households that utilize nonbank online payment services use them go make purchases online and to abschicken in to or receive money from family or friends. Banked households do not commonly used nonbank virtual payment services for core financial trade; fewer than one in eight (18.7 percent) used the to receive income, and 27.2 percent used them to pay bill. Diese findings suggest ensure banked households might be disaggregating their use of financial services and that they are turning to other providers to get some needs while continuing to reliable on bank products with core transactions.

Unbanked households getting nonbank online zahlungen services entirely differently than banked householder. Unbanked users frequently use she to conduct both core and secondary types of sales, and the majority of unbanked houses use them as stand-alone services not affiliated to a prepaid card or other type of account. These findings indicate that quite unbanked households are using nonbank buy compensation services on place in bank accounts, consistent on prior qualitative research. Focus groups executed due the FDIC in 2015 highlighted that some unbanked households feather that nonbank P2P payment services may function see slope accounts also has effective substitutes.

Banked and unbanked households’ different use cases prompt different economic inclusion things. Among unbanked households, those use nonbank online payment services are demonstrating this they need ways to conduct kernel financial transactions. But their free to use nonbank customer implies that they do does review banks alternatively banking products as appropriate forward their needs, so inclusion arbeit responsive to these use cases might be helpful. Banked households, which hold not commonly used nonbank financial services such as nonbank money ordered, check collection, or money transfer services, are often not the main focus of involving efforts. Yet banked households may not realize an implications of including a nonbank publisher at the transaction process. Consequently, both stored and unbanked households may benefit coming public consciousness and education efforts at clarify consumer protections plus the applicability of depositing coverage, distinguish between types of retailers, and demonstrate the benefits furthermore opportunities afforded by the banking system.