The FDIC National Survey of Unbanked and Underbanked Households, or the “Household Survey” supports the FDIC’s commitment to expanding Americans' access to safe, secure, and affordable banking services. Conducted biennially since 2009 in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, the Household Survey collects information on bank account ownership and other financial products and services that households may use to meet their transaction and credit needs. The nationally representative survey is administered to approximately 30,000 U.S. households and yields findings that are representative for the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Resources: Household Survey Home | Custom Chart Tool | Instructions
FAQs
- What does the custom chart tool offer that is not in the full report?
- How do I create a chart? How do I customize a chart?
- What is the difference between a topic and a variable?
- What time periods or survey waves are included in the custom chart tool?
- Where can I find unbanked and underbanked rates?
- Where can I find variables on alternative financial services (AFS) use?
- How are the racial and ethnic categories defined?
- What is a “filter” and how do I use this function?
- Why do some of the 2013-2017 estimates I obtained through the custom chart tool differ from estimates that I had obtained prior to the release of the 2021 survey data for the same variable and year?
- How do I download charts and tables?
- Can I download all the data instead of using this tool?
- How do I contact technical support?
What does the custom chart tool offer that is not in the full report?
The custom chart tool allows you to create your own charts and supporting data tables, including ones that are not included in the full report. The tool also allows you to download these charts and tables.
How do I create a chart? How do I customize a chart?
Start by selecting a chart type, which generates a default chart and supporting data table. From there, use the Customize Chart Variables or Add Filter box above the chart to change topics, change variables, and add filters to customize the information being displayed. For more details, see the Custom Chart Tool Instructions.
What is the difference between a topic and a variable?
The analysis variable is the household behavior or subject of interest, such as Unbanked, Most common way to access account, or Used prepaid card. For ease of use, the tool organizes variables by common subject matter or topic. For example, the topic, "Bank Account Ownership," includes variables such as Unbanked, Previously banked, and Main reason unbanked. Due to changes in the survey over time, not all variables are available in each year.
What time periods or survey waves are included in the custom chart tool?
The custom chart tool includes data from each year of the survey (biennially since 2009). “Multiyear” generates a chart that consists of single-year estimates for multiple years, allowing you to compare certain variables across multiple surveys. The custom chart tool contains many, but not all, of the variables from each year.
Where can I find unbanked and underbanked rates?
For each survey year, unbanked and underbanked rates can be found under the topic, “Bank Account Ownership.” Underbanked rates are not available for the multiyear option because of changes in the definition of underbanked between the 2023 and previous surveys.
Where can I find variables on alternative financial services (AFS) use?
Variables on transaction AFS use (e.g., use of nonbank money orders in the past 12 months) can be found under the topic, “Nonbank Financial Transaction Services.” Variables on credit AFS use (e.g., use of payday loans in the past 12 months) can be found under the topic, “Credit.”
How are the racial and ethnic categories defined?
For the 2019 report, racial and ethnic categories were revised to be consistent with the 1997 U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) standards for the classification of race and ethnicity and with Current Population Survey (CPS) tabulations of race and ethnicity. To generate a bar chart (for any year) with the racial and ethnic categories used in the 2019 and later reports (see Appendix 1 of the 2019 report for a description of these racial and ethnic categories), select the X Variable, “Race/Ethnicity,” under the X Topic, “Demographic.” To generate a bar chart (for any year) with the racial and ethnic categories used in the 2017 and previous reports (see Appendix I of the 2013 report for a description of these racial and ethnic categories), select the X Variable, “Race/Ethnicity (previous definition),” under the X Topic, “Demographic.”
In March 2024, OMB published new standards for the classification of race and ethnicity. As the new standards are implemented in the CPS, please note that future reports may use different racial and ethnic categories.
What is a “filter” and how do I use this function?
A filter allows you to further refine the data by limiting the view of the entire data to certain aspects of one or two variables within the data, such as households that were unbanked and that used prepaid cards. After generating the initial chart, you can select filter variables in the Customize Chart Variables or Add Filter box above the chart. You can select up to two filters. For each filter selection, select a topic, variable, and the value(s) of the variable to filter on.
Why do some of the 2013-2017 estimates I obtained through the custom chart tool differ from estimates that I had obtained prior to the release of the 2021 survey data for the same variable and year?
In the 2013 and later survey data, item nonresponse (that is, nonresponse to individual survey questions) was addressed through imputation, consistent with the Census Bureau's treatment of missing values in the CPS. For a given question, item nonresponse occurred when a household refused to answer the question, responded “don't know,” or dropped out of the survey before the question was administered. For nearly all missing values in the 2013 and later survey data, the Census Bureau implemented hot deck allocation, replacing a missing value for a particular question with a response to the same question provided by a household with similar characteristics. See Appendix 1 of the 2023 report for additional details. Missing values in the 2009 and 2011 survey data were not imputed.
Estimates using 2013, 2015, and 2017 survey data may not match previously published estimates because missing values in the 2013, 2015, and 2017 survey data were replaced with imputed data at the time of the release of the 2021 survey data.
How do I download charts and tables?
Once you have created your chart, save the chart as a PDF, PNG, JPG, or SVG by clicking the appropriate file type next to Download As above the chart. You may also save the table as a PDF or spreadsheet (CSV) by clicking the appropriate file type next to Download As above the table.
Can I download all the data instead of using this tool?
Yes, all datasets may be downloaded through the Data Downloads and Resources page. Once downloaded, you will need to employ a statistical analysis package to process the data.
How do I contact technical support?
For additional information, please see the Custom Chart Tool Instructions. You may also email the Survey Team at HouseholdSurvey@FDIC.gov.
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