Rural road in New Mexico. (Credit/AdobeStock)
Two weeks ago, CU Times revealed the credit union branches located the closest to the 10 zip codes in the U.S. that contain the most expensive homes. Now, we’re taking a look at the flip side – the credit union branches located in, or within a few miles of, the nation’s zip codes where the money isn’t.
In April 2024, GOBankingRates released this list that includes the 10 “poorest” zip codes in the country, based on mean income, median income, total household population and various household populations by income levels sourced from the latest U.S. Census American Consumer Survey. CU Times then searched “credit union” near these 10 zip codes in Google Maps. We found four credit union branches inside two of the zip codes on the list, six credit union branches within five miles of three zip codes on the list, and one credit union branch within 10 miles of another zip code on the list. Please note that this story does not necessarily represent an exhaustive list of credit unions with a presence close to these zip codes.
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Also of note, according to our research, is that six of the zip codes on GOBanking Rates’ list do not appear to have a credit union branch within close proximity, with the nearest credit union branch being 20 miles or more away. They are: 24604 (Bishop, Va.), 75441 (Enloe, Texas), 70082 (Pointe a la Hache, La.), 25134 (Miami, W.Va.), 40830 (Gulston, Ky.) and 87936 (Garfield, N.M.).
Read on to find out which eight credit unions operate branches in or near the nation’s zip codes where people earn the least.
1. University of Michigan Credit Union
This $1.3 billion, Ann Arbor, Mich.-based credit union operates three branches within the zip code of 48109. Also located in Ann Arbor, the median household income in this zip code is $11,404 and 73.86% of households earn less than $25,000 annually. It should be noted that in contrast to the zip codes listed below, the mean household income in this zip code is $73,118 and 3.86% of households there earn $150,000 or more.
UMCU’s three branches within the zip code are its Michigan Medicine Branch located at 1500 E. Medical Center Dr., its Michigan Union Branch located at 530 S. State St. and its Pierpoint Branch located at 2101 Bonisteel Blvd.
2. DFCU Financial
This $6.9 million, Dearborn, Mich.-based credit union also serves the community of Ann Arbor and operates two branches within a few miles from the 48109 zip code. Its Plymouth Road Branch at 2793 Plymouth Rd. is 3.1 miles away, and its Carpenter Road Branch at 2910 Carpenter Rd. is 4.7 miles away.
3. U.S. Employees Credit Union
Another one of the nation’s poorest zip codes on GOBankingRates’ list is 60141, located in Hines, Ill., about 12 miles west of Chicago. There, the median household income is $14,539, the mean household income is $17,397 and 72.99% of households earn under $25,000. Not one household there earns $150,000 or more, according to the report.
USECU, a $99 million, Chicago-based credit union, operates one branch within the zip code at the intersection of 5th Avenue and Roosevelt Road in Hines.
4. Northside L Federal Credit Union
There are also three credit unions with branches within just a two-mile radius of the 60141 zip code in Hines. The first is Northside L FCU, a $5 million credit union that operates its main office 1.5 miles away in Broadview, Ill.
5. Loyola University Employees Credit Union
This $42.4 million credit union runs its main office out of what’s known as the Maguire Building at 2160 S. 1st Ave. in Maywood, Ill. – 0.6 miles from the 60141 zip code.
6. Access Credit Union
The final credit union operating a branch close to the 60141 zip code is Access CU. The sole location of this $57.6 million credit union is two miles away at 1807 W. Cermak Rd. in Broadview, Ill.
7. Issaquena County Federal Credit Union
Another zip code on the GOBankingRates list where household incomes are among the lowest is 39113. Located in Mayersville, Miss., a town on the east bank of the Mississippi River, the median household income there is $11,607, with 77.72% of households earning under $25,000 and no households earning $150,000 or more.
Issaquena County FCU, a $1.1 million credit union with 522 members, is located at 111 Cedar St. in Mayersville, 1.7 miles away from the zip code.
8. R-G Federal Credit Union
The final credit union we found that operates a branch in or near one of GOBankingRates’ list of the 10 poorest zip codes is R-G FCU. This $138 million, Raymore, Mo.-based credit union’s Belton Branch at 400 Towne Center Dr. in Belton, Mo., is nine miles away from the zip code 64147.
Located in Kansas City, Mo., the median household income in this zip code is just $7,453. The mean household income is $12,846, 67.91% of households earn under $25,000, and again, not one household there earns $150,000 or more.
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Natasha Chilingerian
Natasha Chilingerian has been immersed in the credit union industry for over a decade. She first joined CU Times in 2011 as a freelance writer, and following a two-year hiatus from 2013-2015, during which time she served as a communications specialist for Xceed Financial Credit Union (now Kinecta Federal Credit Union), she re-joined the CU Times team full-time as managing editor. She was promoted to executive editor in 2019. In the earlier days of her career, Chilingerian focused on news and lifestyle journalism, serving as a writer and editor for numerous regional publications in Oregon, Louisiana, South Carolina and the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition, she holds experience in marketing copywriting for companies in the finance and technology space. At CU Times, she covers People and Community news, cybersecurity, fintech partnerships, marketing, workplace culture, leadership, DEI, branch strategies, digital banking and more. She currently works remotely and splits her time between Southern California and Portland, Ore.
