Facts about Cooperatives

Bolstering our decision to incorporate as a cooperative are statistics such as the following:

• 29,000 cooperatives operate in every sector of the U.S. economy.
• 1 billion people are members of cooperatives worldwide.
• 1 in 3 Americans are co-op members holding 350 million co-op memberships worldwide.
• U.S. cooperatives generate 2 million jobs each year, contribute $652 billion in annual sales, and possess $3 trillion in assets.
• 92 million Americans turn to 7,500 credit unions – which are cooperatives – for their financial services.
• Most of the America’s 2 million farmers are farmer co-op members providing 250,000 jobs and $8 billion in annual wages.
• 1.2 million U.S. families of all income levels live in homes owned and operated through cooperatives.
• 42 million Americans rely on electricity from 900 rural electric co-ops in 47 states – making up 42% of the nation’s electric distribution and covering 75% of our land mass.
• 233 million people are served by co-op-owned and affiliated insurance companies.
• 1.2 million rural Americans are served by 260 telephone cooperatives in 31 states.
• 50,000 U.S. families rely on cooperative daycare facilities and preschools for the care of their children.

Learn More:

Five Types of Cooperatives

Basic Principles of a Cooperative

If you would like to know more about what being a cooperative means to us – and to you – explore our website and contact the IWDC