Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state before you talk to any lender. Compare legal limits, fees and the true cost of small loans in your state.
Credit Unions vs Payday Loans in Arkansas
49 credit unions are headquartered in Arkansas, with 381,485 members in total. 49 are federal credit unions and 0 are state-chartered; all are federally insured by the NCUA.
- Credit unions
- 49
- Members
- 381,485
- Federal
- 49
- State-chartered
- 0
- Members per 100 people
- 13
- CUs per 100k people
- 1.6
Credit unions vs payday loan stores in Arkansas
Arkansas has 49 credit unions headquartered here and 7 payday, installment and title loan stores. Local credit unions count 381,485 members — roughly 13 memberships per 100 residents.
Credit unions
49
1.6 per 100k residents
381,485 members
Payday & loan stores
7
0.2 per 100k residents
1 store chain
Biggest loan store chains in Arkansas: ACE Cash Express (7).
Borrowing $500 for 6 months in Arkansas
| Option | Payment | Total cost of borrowing |
|---|---|---|
| Installment loan at the Arkansas rate cap (17% APR) | $87.51/mo | $25.08 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR) | $90.27/mo | $41.62 |
| Payday loan renewed every 2 weeks (typical $15 per $100, not available in Arkansas) | $75.00 every 2 weeks | $975.00 |
- Monthly payment at the Arkansas rate cap vs median monthly household income
- 1.7%
Example calculation with fixed monthly payments; the payday row shows typical out-of-state pricing for comparison. Actual rates and terms vary by lender.
What it means for a household in Arkansas
- Median household income
- $61,012
- A $400 emergency equals
- 2.4 days of income
- Households earning under $25,000
- 20.6%
- Residents below the poverty line
- 16.2%
Income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, by ZIP code; figures for Arkansas are population-weighted and approximate. Hours of work are based on the median individual income.
Payday loans vs credit union PALs: the rules in Arkansas
| Payday loan in AR | Credit union PAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Not allowed — storefront payday loans are banned | Offered by many federal credit unions |
| Rate cap | Capped at 17% APR (State Constitution) | Up to 28% |
| Term | Usually 2–4 weeks, due in one payment | 1 to 12 months, in installments |
| Credit check | Usually none; a bank account and income are required | Membership required; payments can be reported to credit bureaus |
Payday rules: Arkansas law as summarized on our Arkansas payday page. PAL rules: National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) rules for federal credit unions (PAL I and PAL II); state-chartered credit unions may offer similar small loans.
Credit unions by city in Arkansas
Credit unions are headquartered in 21 cities and towns across Arkansas. Pick a city for addresses and websites, or scroll down for the smaller towns.
All credit unions in Arkansas
| Credit union | Headquarters | Members | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 176,734 | afcu.org |
| Telcoe Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 23,838 | telcoe.com |
| Success Federal Credit UnionFederal | Blytheville | 23,351 | successcreditunion.com |
| Mil-Way Federal Credit UnionFederal | Texarkana | 12,811 | milway.org |
| Arkansas Best Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fort Smith | 11,439 | abfcu.org |
| Timberline Federal Credit UnionFederal | Crossett | 11,031 | timberlinefcu.org |
| Arkansas Superior Federal Credit UnionFederal | Warren | 9,692 | asfcu.coop |
| Fairfield Federal Credit UnionFederal | Pine Bluff | 9,534 | fairfieldfcu.com |
| Clearway Federal Credit UnionFederal | Malvern | 8,953 | clearwaycu.org |
| Baptist Health Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 7,099 | baptist-health.com |
| Uark Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fayetteville | 7,026 | uarkfcu.com |
| River Valley Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Camden | 6,775 | myrvcu.com |
| Alcoa Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Benton | 6,065 | alcoacommunityfcu.org |
| Cotton Belt Federal Credit UnionFederal | Pine Bluff | 5,754 | cottonbeltfcu.com |
| Hurricane Creek Federal Credit UnionFederal | Benton | 5,413 | hurricanecreekfcu.org |
| Truservice Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 5,234 | truservice.net |
| Pine Federal Credit UnionFederal | Pine Bluff | 4,778 | pinefcu.com |
| Patterson Federal Credit UnionFederal | Arkadelphia | 3,918 | pfcuonline.org |
| Dillard's Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 3,437 | — |
| Up Federal Credit UnionFederal | North Little Ro | 2,801 | upfcu.org |
| Electric Cooperatives Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 2,581 | ecfcu.org |
| River Town Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fort Smith | 2,380 | rivertownfcu.org |
| Northwest Arkansas Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fayetteville | 2,338 | nwarkansasfcu.com |
| Lion Federal Credit UnionFederal | El Dorado | 2,224 | lioncreditunion.com |
| Subiaco Federal Credit UnionFederal | Subiaco | 2,153 | subiacofcu.com |
| White County Federal Credit UnionFederal | Searcy | 2,039 | whitecountyfcu.com |
| Priority Federal Credit UnionFederal | Russellville | 1,974 | priorityfederal.us |
| Arkansas Education Association Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 1,917 | arkansas.nea.org |
| People Trust Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 1,830 | — |
| Combined Federal Credit UnionFederal | Hot Springs | 1,773 | combinedfcu.org |
| Va Hospital Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 1,529 | vahospitalfcu.org |
| Fort Smith Teachers Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fort Smith | 1,419 | afcu.org |
| Two Rivers Federal Credit UnionFederal | Arkadelphia | 1,399 | tworiversfcu.com |
| Natural State Federal Credit UnionFederal | Searcy | 1,224 | naturalstatefcu.org |
| Arkansas Health Center Federal Credit UnionFederal | Benton | 1,040 | ahcfcu.com |
| Pba Federal Credit UnionFederal | Pine Bluff | 967 | pbafcu.com |
| L R F D Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 907 | lrfdfcu.virtualcu.net |
| Fort Roots Federal Credit UnionFederal | North Little Ro | 872 | fortrootsfcu.com |
| Garland County Educators Federal Credit UnionFederal | Hot Springs | 730 | gcefcuhotsprings.org |
| Cooperative Extension Service Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 722 | uaex.uada.edu |
| Arkansas Teachers Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 622 | atfcu.org |
| Arkansas Farm Bureau Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 559 | bhfcu.org |
| Arkansas Kraft Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Morrilton | 523 | — |
| Southern Gas Federal Credit UnionFederal | Little Rock | 515 | southerngasfcu.com |
| Arkansas Am & N College Federal Credit UnionFederal | Pine Bluff | 473 | amnfcu.org |
| U.P. Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | North Little Ro | 467 | upemployees.org |
| Usem Mena Federal Credit UnionFederal | Mena | 397 | usem-creditunion.com |
| North Little Rock Educators Federal Credit UnionFederal | North Little Ro | 227 | nlrsd.org |
| Fair Break Federal Credit UnionFederal | Earle | 1 | fairbreak.org |
Credit unions in smaller towns of Arkansas
Other cities and towns in Arkansas where credit unions are headquartered, and how many there are in each.
- Arkadelphia 2
- Blytheville 1
- Camden 1
- Crossett 1
- Earle 1
- El Dorado 1
- Hot Springs 2
- Malvern 1
- Mena 1
- Morrilton 1
- North Little Ro 4
- Pine Bluff 5
- Russellville 1
- Searcy 2
- Subiaco 1
- Texarkana 1
- Warren 1
Credit unions are listed in the city of their headquarters; many have branches in other cities and accept members from across the state or the country, so members per 100 people is an approximation.