Savings and CD rates
FDIC national averages as of 2026-10-01 (data for October 2026). The average savings account pays 0.38%; the 12-month CD average is 1.76%; a 2-year Treasury pays 4.69% and inflation is 3.72%. Moving an emergency fund from a near-zero account to a competitive one is the easiest raise in personal finance.
What moving your money earns
Prefilled with the national savings average and the 12-month CD average. Online high-yield accounts and Treasuries are often higher: check the Treasury row below.
Result
Every product, October 2026
| Product | National rate | vs last month | vs a year ago | Rate cap floor (+0.75) | Treasury for the term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Savings | 0.38% | +0.01 | -0.02 | 1.13% | |
| Interest checking | 0.07% | +0.00 | +0.00 | 0.82% | |
| Money market | 0.63% | +0.00 | +0.04 | 1.38% | |
| 1-month CD | 0.23% | +0.00 | -0.02 | 0.98% | |
| 3-month CD | 1.14% | +0.01 | -0.38 | 1.89% | |
| 6-month CD | 1.39% | -0.02 | -0.07 | 2.14% | |
| 12-month CD | 1.76% | +0.03 | +0.08 | 2.51% | 4.69% (2-yr) |
| 24-month CD | 1.55% | -0.06 | +0.11 | 2.30% | 4.69% (2-yr) |
| 36-month CD | 1.39% | +0.03 | +0.06 | 2.14% | 4.69% (2-yr) |
| 48-month CD | 1.31% | +0.03 | +0.05 | 2.06% | 5.00% (10-yr) |
| 60-month CD | 1.41% | +0.03 | +0.07 | 2.16% | 5.00% (10-yr) |
Source: FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps via FRED, monthly; savings and checking use the $2,500 tier, CDs and money market average the $10,000 and $100,000 tiers. Treasury yields: FRED DGS2 / DGS10 (2026-10-23). Interest on Treasuries is exempt from state income tax; bank interest is not.
Since 2021 ■ savings · ■ 12-month CD · ■ money market
Deposit rates lag the Fed: they rose through 2023 and 2024, slipped in 2025, and have drifted up again with the September 2026 hike. Fed funds target now 3.88%.
How to use this
- Emergency fund (3 to 6 months of spending) belongs in savings or a money market at a competitive rate, not a CD: you need it the day the car dies.
- Money with a known date (tuition in 18 months, a down payment in 2 years) can go in a CD or a Treasury of that term. Whichever pays more after tax wins; Treasuries skip state tax.
- A CD ladder (equal amounts in 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year CDs, each renewed as a 5-year) smooths rate changes and keeps a fifth of the money within a year of maturity.
- The national average is a floor, not a target. If your bank pays less than the 12-month CD average on savings, move it.
Keep going
Sources: FDIC National Rates and Rate Caps · FRED SNDR and related series · FRED DGS2.