CU Executive Compensation Continues to Climb, CUES Compensation Surveys Find
MADISON, Wis.— August 7, 2025 — 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.