Rates updated · Based on 71 tracked CDs
How much are you losing in a typical CD instead of the best one?
A saver in a typical CD gives up about $725 a year versus a top-available one — a gap of 2.90 percentage points (1.80% national average vs 4.70% best available) on a $25,000 balance.
Gap Spread
2.90%
percentage points
Best Available
4.70%
APY
National Average
1.80%
APY
What the gap costs you per year
| Balance | Annual interest lost | 5-year cost |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $290 | $1,450 |
| $25,000 | $725 | $3,625 |
| $50,000 | $1,450 | $7,250 |
| $100,000 | $2,900 | $14,500 |
| $250,000 | $7,250 | $36,250 |
How the 12-Month CD Gap Index has moved
Each month's value is recorded as a dated snapshot. The full machine-readable series is published as a public dataset.
| Month | Index value | Gap | Tracked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | $708/yr | 2.83% | 71 |
| Oct 2026 | $651/yr | 2.60% | 72 |
| Sep 2026 | $642/yr | 2.57% | 72 |
| Aug 2026 | $604/yr | 2.42% | 75 |
| Jul 2026 | $588/yr | 2.35% | 75 |
| Jun 2026 | $584/yr | 2.34% | 75 |
Methodology
12-Month CD Gap Index = representativeBalance × (bestAvailableAPY − nationalAverageAPY)
representativeBalance is $25,000 — held fixed so the Index moves only when rates move. bestAvailableAPY is the average of the top-3 rates across the 71 actively tracked CDs (12-month term) in the SwitchWize rate database. nationalAverageAPY is the FDIC national average rate for this product — what a typical big-bank saver actually earns (updated quarterly).
The dated monthly series is published as a public dataset at /data/indices/cd-spread.