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 West Virginia
74 credit unions are headquartered in West Virginia, with 376,054 members in total. 71 are federal credit unions and 3 are state-chartered; all are federally insured by the NCUA.
- Credit unions
- 74
- Members
- 376,054
- Federal
- 71
- State-chartered
- 3
- Members per 100 people
- 21
- CUs per 100k people
- 4.1
Credit unions vs payday loan stores in West Virginia
West Virginia has 74 credit unions headquartered here and 31 payday, installment and title loan stores. Local credit unions count 376,054 members — roughly 21 memberships per 100 residents.
Credit unions
74
4.1 per 100k residents
376,054 members
Payday & loan stores
31
1.7 per 100k residents
3 store chains
Biggest loan store chains in West Virginia: OneMain Financial (16), Lendmark Financial Services (13), loanDepot (2).
Borrowing $500 for 6 months in West Virginia
| Option | Payment | Total cost of borrowing |
|---|---|---|
| Installment loan at the West Virginia rate cap (31% APR) | $91.03/mo | $46.17 |
| Credit union PAL (28% APR) | $90.27/mo | $41.62 |
| Payday loan renewed every 2 weeks (typical $15 per $100, not available in West Virginia) | $75.00 every 2 weeks | $975.00 |
- Monthly payment at the West Virginia rate cap vs median monthly household income
- 1.8%
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 West Virginia
- Median household income
- $60,548
- A $400 emergency equals
- 2.4 days of income
- Households earning under $25,000
- 21.8%
- Residents below the poverty line
- 16.7%
Income and poverty: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey, by ZIP code; figures for West Virginia are population-weighted and approximate. Hours of work are based on the median individual income.
Payday loans vs credit union PALs: the rules in West Virginia
| Payday loan in WV | Credit union PAL | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal status | Not allowed — storefront payday loans are banned | Offered by many federal credit unions |
| Rate cap | Capped at 31% APR | 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: West Virginia law as summarized on our West Virginia 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 West Virginia
Credit unions are headquartered in 34 cities and towns across West Virginia. Pick a city for addresses and websites, or scroll down for the smaller towns.
All credit unions in West Virginia
| Credit union | Headquarters | Members | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairmont Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fairmont | 45,432 | fairmontfcu.com |
| Bayer Heritage Federal Credit UnionFederal | New Martinsvill | 45,014 | bayerhfcu.org |
| First Choice America Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Weirton | 30,677 | firstchoiceamericacu.org |
| West Virginia Central Federal Credit UnionFederal | Parkersburg | 23,842 | wvccu.org |
| Pioneer Appalachia Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 15,071 | pioneerafcu.org |
| Star Usa Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 13,708 | starusafcu.com |
| Long Reach Federal Credit UnionFederal | Middlebourne | 10,913 | lrefcu.org |
| Peoples Federal Credit UnionFederal | Nitro | 10,760 | peoplesfcu.com |
| Mountain Heritage Federal Credit UnionFederal | Parkersburg | 8,873 | mhfcu.net |
| The State Credit UnionState-chartered | Charleston | 8,433 | scuwv.com |
| One Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Parkersburg | 8,348 | onecommunityfcu.com |
| 167th Tfr Federal Credit UnionFederal | Martinsburg | 7,815 | 167tfrfcu.com |
| First Priority Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 7,321 | firstpriorityfcu.org |
| West Virginia Federal Credit UnionFederal | South Charlesto | 7,168 | wvfcu.org |
| Wvu Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Morgantown | 6,034 | wvucu.com |
| Members Choice Wv Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 5,991 | mcwvfcu.com |
| The United Federal Credit UnionFederal | Morgantown | 5,950 | tufcu.org |
| Universal Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 5,929 | universalfcu.com |
| Ravenswood Federal Credit UnionFederal | Ravenswood | 5,443 | rfcu.net |
| Camc Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 5,121 | camcfcu.org |
| Alloy Federal Credit UnionFederal | Alloy | 4,887 | alloyfcu.com |
| Huntingtonized Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 4,836 | huntingtonized.com |
| Metro Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 4,643 | metrocommunityfcu.com |
| Element Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 4,401 | elementfcu.org |
| Huntington C & O Railway Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 4,245 | huntingtonco.com |
| Morgantown A E S Federal Credit UnionFederal | Morgantown | 4,183 | aesfcu.com |
| Chhe Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 4,079 | chhe.org |
| Strip Steel Community Federal Credit UnionFederal | Weirton | 3,535 | stripsteelcfcu.com |
| Kemba Charleston Federal Credit UnionFederal | Dunbar | 3,420 | kembacharlestonfcu.org |
| Home Federal Credit UnionFederal | Clarksburg | 3,027 | homefcu.org |
| National Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Bluefield | 2,956 | nefcu.virtualcu.net |
| Union Trades Federal Credit UnionFederal | Parkersburg | 2,931 | uniontradesfcu.com |
| Eastern Panhandle Federal Credit UnionFederal | Martinsburg | 2,728 | easternpanhandlefcu.com |
| Hope Federal Credit UnionFederal | Bridgeport | 2,498 | hopefcu.org |
| Marshall County Federal Credit UnionFederal | Moundsville | 2,490 | marshallcountyfcu.com |
| Mercer County W Va Teachers Federal Credit UnionFederal | Bluefield | 2,429 | mctfcu.virtualcu.net |
| Raleigh Co. Educators Federal Credit UnionFederal | Beckley | 2,294 | raleighcountyfcu.com |
| Raleigh County Federal Credit UnionFederal | Beckley | 2,053 | raleighcountyfcu.com |
| Ibew 317 Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 1,957 | ibew317fcu.com |
| Preston Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kingwood | 1,928 | prestonfcu.com |
| Putnam School Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Eleanor | 1,892 | psewv.com |
| Wv National Guard Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 1,806 | wvngfcu.com |
| Wee Federal Credit UnionFederal | Parkersburg | 1,765 | weefederal.org |
| Martinsburg V.A. Center Federal Credit UnionFederal | Kearneysville | 1,756 | martinsburgfcu.com |
| Willow Island Federal Credit UnionFederal | Saint Marys | 1,701 | wifcu.com |
| Romney Federal Credit UnionFederal | Romney | 1,621 | romneyfcu.com |
| United Hospital Center Federal Credit UnionFederal | Bridgeport | 1,472 | uhcfcu.virtualcu.net |
| Hancock School Emp. Federal Credit UnionFederal | Weirton | 1,402 | hsefcu.com |
| Twin Oaks Federal Credit UnionFederal | Apple Grove | 1,280 | twinoaksfcu.com |
| Charleston Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 1,259 | cfcuwv.virtualcu.net |
| Cha-Tel Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 1,240 | chatelfcu.com |
| Harrison County Federal Credit UnionFederal | Nutter Fort | 1,216 | harrisoncountyfcu.com |
| South Charleston Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | South Charlesto | 1,210 | — |
| Pace Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 1,200 | pace-fcu.com |
| Cape Federal Credit UnionFederal | Clarksburg | 1,165 | capecu.com |
| Berkeley County Public Schools Federal Credit UnionFederal | Martinsburg | 1,043 | bcpsfcu.com |
| C C M H Federal Credit UnionFederal | Parkersburg | 935 | ccmhfcu.org |
| Appalachian Power Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 838 | appalachianpowerefcu.virtualcu.net |
| Marion County School Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fairmont | 821 | schoolcu.virtualcu.net |
| Fayette Federal Credit UnionFederal | Mount Hope | 777 | fayettefcu.com |
| Natrium Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Proctor | 756 | natriumefcu.com |
| City of Clarksburg Federal Credit UnionFederal | Clarksburg | 744 | — |
| Alderson Fci Federal Credit UnionFederal | Alderson | 670 | — |
| Charleston Postal Federal Credit UnionFederal | Charleston | 664 | charlestonpostalfcu.com |
| Huntington West Va Firemens Federal Credit UnionFederal | Huntington | 651 | wvhffcu.com |
| Ohio County Public Schools Federal Credit UnionFederal | Wheeling | 619 | boe.ohio.k12.wv.us |
| Teamsters Local 697 Federal Credit UnionFederal | Wheeling | 532 | teamsters697creditunion.com |
| Local No. 317 I.A.F.F. Credit UnionState-chartered | Charleston | 456 | — |
| Logan County School Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Logan | 402 | — |
| City of Fairmont Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fairmont | 336 | — |
| W. Virginia State Convention Credit UnionState-chartered | Hilltop | 195 | wvbsc.org |
| U S Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Fairmont | 118 | creditunion1.org |
| Eagle Can Employees Federal Credit UnionFederal | Wellsburg | 117 | — |
| Mcdowell County Federal Credit UnionFederal | Welch | 32 | — |
Credit unions in smaller towns of West Virginia
Other cities and towns in West Virginia where credit unions are headquartered, and how many there are in each.
- Alderson 1
- Alloy 1
- Apple Grove 1
- Beckley 2
- Bluefield 2
- Bridgeport 2
- Clarksburg 3
- Dunbar 1
- Eleanor 1
- Fairmont 4
- Hilltop 1
- Kearneysville 1
- Kingwood 1
- Logan 1
- Middlebourne 1
- Moundsville 1
- Mount Hope 1
- New Martinsvill 1
- Nitro 1
- Nutter Fort 1
- Parkersburg 6
- Proctor 1
- Ravenswood 1
- Romney 1
- Saint Marys 1
- South Charlesto 2
- Weirton 3
- Welch 1
- Wellsburg 1
- Wheeling 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.