If you’re not involved in a cooperative you almost certainly know people who are. Consumer co-ops: 100,000,000 people belong to 29,000 cooperatives in the US Producer co-ops: there are over 9,300 producer cooperatives Housing co-ops: over 1,200,000 people live in 6,400 housing co-ops Worker-owned businesses: there are over 6,700 worker-owners in about 400 worker co-ops Co-ops have been in Pittsburgh from the beginning… MORE interesting statistics: 29,000 cooperatives operate in every sector of the U.S. economy. 1 billion people are members of cooperatives worldwide. 1 in 3 Americans are co-op members holding 350 million co-op memberships nationwide. U.S. cooperatives generate 2 million jobs each year, contribute $652 billion in annual sales, and possess $3 trillion in assets. 92 million Americans turn to 7,500 credit unions – which are cooperatives – for their financial services. Most of the America’s 2 million farmers are farmer co-op members providing 250,000 jobs and $8 billion in annual wages. 1.2 million U.S. families of all income levels live in homes owned and operated through cooperatives. 42 million Americans rely on electricity from 900 rural electric co-ops in 47 states – making up 42% of the nation’s electric distribution and covering 75% of our land mass. 233 million people are served by co-op-owned and affiliated insurance companies. 1.2 million rural Americans are served by 260 telephone cooperatives in 31 states. 50,000 U.S. families rely on cooperative daycare facilities and preschools for the care of their children. Source: International Cooperative Alliance, National Cooperative Business Association Check out some folks involved in co-ops and loving it! Go on to 3-How Co-ops Are Started and Run… Go back to 1-What is a Co-op? Go to the Learn page