Co-op Facts and Figures

Horry Electric Cooperative isn’t the only electric cooperative celebrating Co-op Month.  Approximately 900 electric cooperatives own and maintain nearly half of the electric distribution lines in the U.S. and cover 75 percent of the land mass and provide electricity to 37 million people.   All of them are celebrating Co-op Month.

Cooperatives range in size from large enterprises, including U.S. Fortune 500 companies, to single, small local storefronts.

• Some 250 purchasing cooperatives offer group buying and shared services to more than 50,000 independents businesses.
• Cooperatives operate in every industry including agriculture, childcare, energy, financial services, food retailing and distribution, health care, insurance, housing, purchasing and shared services, telecommunications, and others.
• 255 telephone cooperatives provide service to 964,000 households.
• Approximately 900 rural electric cooperatives own and maintain nearly half of the electric distribution lines in the U. S., cover 75 percent of the land mass and provide electricity to 37 million people.
• More than 1,000 mutual insurance companies, with more than $80 billion in net written premiums, are owned by their policyholders.
• More than 6,400 housing cooperatives provide homes for 1.5 million households.
• Americans hold more than 350 million memberships in cooperatives, which generate nearly $79 billion in total impact from patronage dividends and refunds.
• There are more than 72,000 cooperative establishments in the United States providing over 2 million jobs.
• The top 100 co-ops generate more than $150 billion in revenues.
• Nearly 30,000 U.S. credit unions have 91 million members and assets in excess of $760 billion.

 What’s a Co-op?