Go Banking Rates Study Discovers Which States Have the Best and Worst Savings Account Rates

Sept. 20, 2012 - PRLog -- The days when savings account rates soared past 2% now seem like just a dream, and finding any savings account that offers more than .05% APY often feels like a pointless initiative. On the other hand, living within a struggling economy with no clear solution in sight makes saving money more important than ever. http://www.gobankingrates.com/savings-account/

The good news is that according to our latest study of savings account interest rates in the U.S., there are plenty high-interest options for desperate savers -- the most plentiful of which, it turns out, are in Alabama.
Best and Worst Savings Account Rates by State
Go Banking Rates recently surveyed the current data in our interest rate database, and calculated the average savings account rates in each state. Alabama took the top spot with an average .40% APY savings rate, followed closely by North Carolina, Vermont and Oklahoma, all with an average savings account interest rate of .35% APY.

At the other end of the spectrum, the state of Arizona took last place at a paltry average savings account rate of just .13% APY. New Hampshire wasn't far behind at only .14% APY, while Maine and Wyoming tied for third-worst at .15% APY.
See Average Savings Account Interest Rate by State
You can check out this interactive heat map to see how states stack up against each other, or view the state-by-state ranking below.


State   APY      State   APY
Alabama   0.40% APY      Virginia   0.24% APY
North Carolina   0.35% APY      Florida   0.24% APY
Vermont   0.35% APY      Nebraska   0.24% APY
Oklahoma   0.35% APY      Kansas   0.23% APY
Mississippi   0.33% APY      South Carolina   0.22% APY
Rhode Island   0.32% APY      Illinois   0.22% APY
New Jersey   0.31% APY      Wisconsin   0.22% APY
New York   0.31% APY      Alaska   0.21% APY
West Virginia   0.30% APY      Washington   0.21% APY
North Dakota   0.30% APY      Nevada   0.21% APY
Missouri   0.30% APY      Ohio   0.18% APY
Louisiana   0.29% APY      South Dakota   0.18% APY
Utah   0.28% APY      Indiana   0.18% APY
Delaware   0.27% APY      Michigan   0.17% APY
Arkansas   0.27% APY      Idaho   0.17% APY
Maryland   0.27% APY      Colorado   0.17% APY
Hawaii   0.27% APY      Minnesota   0.17% APY
Georgia   0.26% APY      California   0.16% APY
Texas   0.26% APY      Connecticut   0.16% APY
Pennsylvania   0.25% APY      Oregon   0.16% APY
Iowa   0.25% APY      Montana   0.16% APY
Kentucky   0.25% APY      Maine   0.15% APY
Massachusetts   0.25% APY      Wyoming   0.15% APY
New Mexico   0.25% APY      New Hampshire   0.14% APY
Washington DC   0.24% APY      Arizona   0.13% APY
Tennessee   0.24% APY      Source: Go Banking Rates   
Why Do Savings Account Rates Matter?
While it's discouraging to see such low savings account rates across the board, it still makes more sense to deposit at a higher interest rate when possible. Establishing yourself as the  customer of a bank or credit union with competitive interest rates now will take some of the work out of finding a quality bank in the future, when interest rates begin to rise again. All the while, you'll earn a little interest and have the added protection of FDIC insurance.
How Are Average Savings Account Interest Rates Calculated?
Go Banking Rates is refreshingly unique, with the ability to provide the most comprehensive and authentic savings rate information. While many interest rate aggregators simply survey local branches belonging to national banks and credit unions, we manually collect interest rate information from individual community banks and local credit unions in every U.S. state, in addition to national and online banks.

State savings account interest rate averages are calculated based on the information in our rates database, which populates our Rates Table. Currently, there are more than 4,000 financial institutions in our Rates Table. Rates are based on a $10,000 deposit and are as of July 15, 2012. http://www.gobankingrates.com/
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