Average CD Rates Rise Broadly;
6-Month CD Surges +0.273
Week Ending March 30, 2026

Most CD terms advanced this week with the 6-month posting the period's largest move. The benchmark 12-month CD crossed higher for a second consecutive week.

📊 Full week-over-week data for all 8 CD terms — drawn from 37,959 verified APY quotes across 19,505 institution-term combinations.

NATIONAL — National certificate of deposit APYs moved broadly higher this week, with the benchmark 12-month CD climbing to 2.786% for the week ending March 30, 2026 — a gain of 0.069 percentage points from the prior week's 2.716%. Six of the eight tracked CD terms posted gains, while the 3-month and 48-month terms edged slightly lower. The spread between the 12-month and 6-month CD currently stands at 0.139 percentage points.

The week's standout move was in the short-term segment. The 6-month CD surged to 2.647%, up from 2.374% the prior week — a gain of 0.273 points that pushed it to within 0.139 points of the benchmark 12-month rate. For savers comfortable with a shorter commitment, the 6-month CD now offers a compelling APY relative to longer terms. The 3-month CD bucked the trend, slipping 0.045 points to 1.897%, widening its discount to longer-duration products.

In the intermediate term range, the 24-month CD posted the second-largest weekly gain, rising 0.116 points to 2.628%. The 18-month CD also advanced, up 0.054 points to 2.591%. Both terms now sit within a narrow band of the 12-month benchmark, meaning savers locking in for two years are receiving nearly the same APY as those committing for one year — a flat term structure that suggests the market does not expect significant rate increases over the near term.

Longer-duration terms were mixed. The 60-month CD ticked up 0.033 points to 2.655%, while the 36-month gained a modest 0.029 points to 2.575%. The 48-month CD was the only longer term to decline, slipping 0.023 points to 2.564%. The 60-month CD now yields just 0.131 points more than the 6-month, making the case for locking in long-term rates relatively weak for rate-sensitive savers.

The broad uptick in CD APYs reflects continued competition among banks and credit unions for deposit inflows in a sustained higher-rate environment. While the Federal Reserve has signaled a cautious approach to rate cuts in 2026, deposit institutions are adjusting their CD offerings in response to Treasury yield movements and their own funding needs — creating week-to-week variability even when the Fed funds rate is unchanged.

The unusually flat term structure — where 6-month, 12-month, 18-month, and 24-month CDs all cluster within a 0.195-point band between 2.591% and 2.786% — suggests that institutions are not pricing in significant rate changes over the next two years. For savers, this environment rewards shopping aggressively across terms rather than defaulting to the 12-month benchmark: shorter terms offer nearly equivalent yields with more flexibility, while longer terms offer only modest additional yield for substantially more commitment. Track how these spreads evolve week over week on the national CD rate trends page.

With 6 of 8 terms rising this week, savers who have been waiting for APYs to stabilize may find the current environment favorable for opening or renewing CDs. The 12-month CD at 2.786% and the 60-month at 2.655% both represent meaningful returns relative to recent historical averages, though well below the peak APYs seen in late 2023 and early 2024. Compare the best CD rates from banks and credit unions nationwide →