ICBA Independent Banker Honors 2025 Best Community Banks to Work For Winners

Washington, D.C.—The December cover story of Independent Banker magazine, the award-winning publication of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), announced its 2025 Best Community Banks to Work For recipients. These honorees were selected for their shared commitment to creating workplace cultures that inspire creativity and philanthropy and empower employees to meaningfully contribute to the success of the communities they serve.  

“Community banks succeed because of their relationship-based focus, starting with their employees,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “This year’s honorees exemplify that care, culture and shared purpose can create spaces where employees are valued, engaged, and driven to better their communities. We congratulate these banks—voted by their employees—as exemplary places to work that help local communities prosper.” 

This year’s winners were chosen based on results from a nationwide survey conducted by Avannis, an independent research agency. Survey participants answered 48 scaled questions, which were used to calculate a composite score. Eligible banks were sorted into five asset categories, with the highest-scoring community bank in each category named as a winner in that class. Selection criteria considered this year included:  

• A commitment to building diverse and inclusive workplaces. 

• Opportunities for professional development and skills advancement.  

• Performance recognition programs and competitive compensation that reward excellence. 

This year’s Best Community Banks to Work For are: 

• $100 million-asset Bank of Bozeman, Mont., for building a performance-driven culture rooted in meritocracy, collaboration, and personal accountability. 

• $380 million-asset Texas Traditions Bank in Katy, Texas, for creating a fast-growing, people-centered startup culture that blends high trust with high energy. 

• $550 million-asset Peoples Bank & Trust in Buford, Ga., for its commitment to loyalty and care and a benefits philosophy rooted in shared success and opportunity. 

• $1.03 billion-asset Olympia Federal Savings in Olympia, Wash., for championing transparency, community leadership, and purposeful support.  

• $1.1 billion-asset Peoples Bank in Lubbock, Texas, for fostering a close-knit culture that nurtures talent and facilitates bank ownership. 

This is Independent Banker’s sixth annual Best Community Banks to Work For awards. To read more about these exceptional banks and their unique approaches to creating exemplary workplaces, read the December issue of Independent Banker at independentbanker.org. 

About ICBA 

The Independent Community Bankers of America® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.    

As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at icba.org.