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 Hawaii
45 credit unions are headquartered in Hawaii, with 877,951 members in total. 45 are federal credit unions and 0 are state-chartered; all are federally insured by the NCUA.
- Credit unions
- 45
- Members
- 877,951
- Federal
- 45
- State-chartered
- 0
- Members per 100 people
- 61
- CUs per 100k people
- 3.1
Credit unions vs payday loan stores in Hawaii
Hawaii has 45 credit unions headquartered here and 12 payday, installment and title loan stores. Local credit unions count 877,951 members — roughly 61 memberships per 100 residents.
Credit unions
45
3.1 per 100k residents
877,951 members
Payday & loan stores
12
0.8 per 100k residents
2 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in Hawaii: OneMain Financial (9), loanDepot (3).
Borrowing $500 for 6 months in Hawaii
| Option | Payment | Total cost of borrowing |
|---|---|---|
| Installment loan at the Hawaii rate cap (36% APR) | $92.30/mo | $53.79 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR) | $90.27/mo | $41.62 |
| Payday loan renewed every 2 weeks (typical $15 per $100, not available in Hawaii) | $75.00 every 2 weeks | $975.00 |
- Monthly payment at the Hawaii rate cap vs median monthly household income
- 1.1%
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 Hawaii
- Median household income
- $101,448
- A $400 emergency equals
- 1.4 days of income
- Households earning under $25,000
- 11.2%
- Residents below the poverty line
- 10.0%
Income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, by ZIP code; figures for Hawaii are population-weighted and approximate. Hours of work are based on the median individual income.
Payday loans vs credit union PALs: the rules in Hawaii
| Payday loan in HI | Credit union PAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Not allowed — storefront payday loans are banned | Offered by many federal credit unions |
| Rate cap | Capped at 36% APR (2021 Law) | 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: Hawaii law as summarized on our Hawaii 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 Hawaii
Credit unions are headquartered in 18 cities and towns across Hawaii. Pick a city for addresses and websites, or scroll down for the smaller towns.
All credit unions in Hawaii
| Credit union | Headquarters | Members | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii State Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 138,998 | hawaiistatefcu.com |
| Hawaiiusa Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 130,552 | hawaiiusafcu.com |
| Aloha Pacific Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 70,841 | alohapacific.com |
| Hfs Federal Credit UnionFederal | Hilo | 55,975 | hfsfcu.org |
| Hawaiian Financial Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 51,839 | hificu.com |
| Hawaii Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kailua Kona | 45,859 | hicommfcu.com |
| Lokahi Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 45,557 | lokahifcu.com |
| Gather Federal Credit UnionFederal | Lihue | 40,477 | gatherfcu.org |
| University of Hawaii Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 35,354 | uhfcu.com |
| Pearl Hawaii Federal Credit UnionFederal | Waipahu | 31,533 | pearlhawaii.com |
| Credit Union HawaiiFederal | Hilo | 29,596 | cuhawaii.com |
| Maui County Federal Credit UnionFederal | Wailuku | 20,767 | mauicountyfcu.org |
| Honolulu Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 19,786 | myhocu.com |
| Hawaii Central Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 16,294 | hawaiicentral.org |
| Hawaii Law Enforcement Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 14,139 | hlefcu.com |
| Valley Isle Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kahului | 12,868 | vicfcu.org |
| Hawaii Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 11,567 | hawaiiusafcu.com |
| Big Island Federal Credit UnionFederal | Hilo | 9,583 | bigislandfcu.com |
| Kauai Federal Credit UnionFederal | Lihue | 7,756 | kauaicreditunion.org |
| Maui Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kahului | 7,308 | mauifcu.com |
| Garden Island Federal Credit UnionFederal | Lihue | 7,279 | gardenislandfcu.com |
| Ko`Olau Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kailua | 6,238 | koolaufcu.org |
| Honolulu Fire Department Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 6,207 | hfdfcu.org |
| Hawaii First Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kamuela | 6,090 | hawaiifirstfcu.com |
| Hawaii County Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Hilo | 5,930 | hawaiicountyfcu.com |
| Wailuku Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kahului | 5,383 | wailukufcu.com |
| Hotel and Travel Industry Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 4,514 | htifcu.com |
| Molokai Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kaunakakai | 4,281 | molokaicommunityfcu.com |
| Kauai Ohana Federal Credit UnionFederal | Lihue | 3,983 | kauaiohanafcu.org |
| Kahului Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kahului | 3,981 | kahuluifcu.com |
| Hawaii Schools Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 3,352 | hawaiischoolsfcu.org |
| Mcbryde Federal Credit UnionFederal | Eleele | 3,168 | mcbrydefcu.org |
| Waialua Federal Credit UnionFederal | Waialua | 2,969 | waialuafcu.com |
| Kahuku Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kahuku | 2,105 | kahukufcu.com |
| Lanai Federal Credit UnionFederal | Lanai City | 2,062 | lanaifcu.org |
| Schofield Federal Credit UnionFederal | Wahiawa | 1,985 | schofieldfcu.org |
| Onomea Federal Credit UnionFederal | Papaikou | 1,849 | onomeafcu.org |
| Hawaiian Electric Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 1,838 | hecoefcu.org |
| Hamakua Federal Credit UnionFederal | Pepeekeo | 1,784 | hamakuafcu.org |
| Ewa Federal Credit UnionFederal | Ewa Beach | 1,558 | ewafcu.org |
| Helco Federal Credit UnionFederal | Hilo | 1,375 | helcofcu.org |
| Maui Teachers Federal Credit UnionFederal | Wailuku | 1,267 | mauiteachersfcu.com |
| Local Union 1186 Ibew Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 1,041 | ibew1186.org |
| Plumbers & Fitters Local 675 Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 876 | plumbershawaii.com |
| Glover Federal Credit UnionFederal | Honolulu | 187 | — |
Credit unions in smaller towns of Hawaii
Other cities and towns in Hawaii where credit unions are headquartered, and how many there are in each.
- Eleele 1
- Kahuku 1
- Kahului 4
- Kailua Kona 1
- Kamuela 1
- Kaunakakai 1
- Lanai City 1
- Lihue 4
- Papaikou 1
- Pepeekeo 1
- Wahiawa 1
- Waialua 1
- Wailuku 2
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.