If you have noticed that your local bank branch seems a little harder to find these days, you are not imagining things. Banks have been closing branches across the country, partly due to budget cuts and partly because more customers are doing their banking online.
For many of us, that shift matters. There are things you simply cannot do from a phone screen: depositing cash, disputing a charge face to face, or sitting down with a banker to work through a loan. A 2023 study by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation found that 96 percent of Americans hold an account at a traditional bank. But how easy it is to walk into a branch depends a great deal on where you live.
The Midwest Has You Covered
If you live in the heartland, you have better access to physical bank branches than almost anywhere else in the country. Nebraska leads all 50 states, with 51.7 bank branches per 100,000 residents and more than 1,000 branches total. North Dakota is right behind it at 51.5, and South Dakota comes in third at 45.9.
Part of the reason? Many of these branch networks were built up decades ago and are still running strong, even as the population around some of them has thinned out over the years.
Here are the five states with the most bank branches per 100,000 residents, according to data from FinanceBuzz:
| State | Branches per 100,000 Residents |
|---|---|
| Nebraska | 51.7 |
| North Dakota | 51.5 |
| South Dakota | 45.9 |
| Kansas | 45.1 |
| Iowa | 43.8 |
Out West, Branches Are Scarce
The picture looks very different in the western United States. Nevada has the fewest bank branches of any state, just 12.2 per 100,000 residents across about 400 total branches. Arizona is not far behind at 12.7.
Four of the five states with the fewest branches are in the West. One big reason is population growth. These states have grown so quickly that banks have not been able to build new branches fast enough to keep up with all the new residents moving into areas that never had many banks to begin with.
Residents in western states are also more likely to use digital banking than people in other parts of the country, which reduces the pressure to open new branches.
The five states with the fewest branches per 100,000 residents:
| State | Branches per 100,000 Residents |
|---|---|
| Nevada | 12.2 |
| Arizona | 12.7 |
| California | 14.0 |
| Utah | 14.2 |
| Hawaii | 15.1 |
What to Do If Your Branch Closes
If your nearest branch shuts its doors, you still have good options. First, find out if your bank has another location nearby that you can use when you need in-person service.
Beyond that, it is worth looking at what your bank offers online and through its phone app. Features like mobile check deposit can save you a trip entirely. And if you use ATMs often, look for a bank that charges few or no fees when you use machines outside your home branch. That can save you real money over time.
The landscape is changing, but with a little planning, you can stay in control of your finances, branch nearby or not.