CU Executive Compensation Continues to Climb, CUES Compensation Surveys Find

Sharon Messmore

Credit union executive compensation is on the rise, with many leadership roles seeing significant increases in both base salary and total compensation, according to the newly-released 2025 CUES Executive Compensation Survey Report.

Report data comes from credit unions that participated in CUES Executive Compensation Survey and CUES Employee Salary Survey between March 3 and March 16 of this year. 

The annual report from CUES offers a detailed look at how compensation trends are evolving across asset sizes and roles, and what that means for talent strategies in today’s market.

Among the key findings:

• Bonuses Climb to New Highs: While CEO base salaries continue to rise, total compensation jumped 10.2% from the previous year primarily due to increased bonus payouts. Bonus eligibility hit a record 95.9%. CEOs at credit unions over $5 billion average more than $1.25 million in total compensation, and among the largest credit unions, CEOs earned bonuses up to 32.7% of their base salary.
• Higher Education on the Rise: More credit union executives are advancing their education. The portion with only an undergraduate degree dropped to 60.9%, while nearly 40% now hold advanced degrees—including MBAs (14.0%) and other master’s degrees (16.3%).
• More Investment in Professional Development: Average spending on executive development climbed to $9,225 per person—surpassing pre-pandemic levels and reflecting a renewed commitment to leadership growth.

“This year’s surveys show credit unions are investing strategically in their leaders—not only through compensation, but through professional development and long-term planning,” said Sharon Messmore, CUES Products & Services Manager. “In a competitive talent market, it’s clear that boards and executives are aligning on the value of leadership continuity and growth.”

Results for both surveys are available to CUES Unlimited+ members, and for purchase by subscription for all others. 

CUES Executive Compensation Survey includes information on 23 executive positions and features questions related to wage, bonus, and benefits information for each.

CUES Employee Salary Survey includes information on a wide range of non-executive positions and focuses on pay ranges and actual wages for each position.

Learn more or subscribe at cues.org/ECS and cues.org/ESS

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