What's the Average Credit Score in the US? 2026 Data by Age & State

The average credit score in the US is 713 as of 2025, according to Experian data — a two-point dip from 2024 and the first annual decline since 2013. A separate FICO report puts it at 714. Both figures land in the "good" range, and 70% of Americans still sit at 670 or above.

What Is a Good Credit Score?

Before getting into the averages, it helps to know what the numbers actually mean. Credit scores don't exist in a vacuum — every lender uses them to gauge risk, and a few points in either direction can change the terms you're offered.

FICO Score Ranges — What Each Tier Means for Borrowers

FICO Scores are used in over 90% of US lending decisions. Here's how the ranges break down and what they typically mean in practice:

FICO Score Range	Rating	What It Generally Means
800 – 850	Exceptional	Qualifies for best rates; lowest perceived risk
740 – 799	Very Good	Strong approval odds; competitive rates offered
670 – 739	Good	Broadly acceptable to most lenders
580 – 669	Fair	Approvals possible; rates are noticeably higher
300 – 579	Poor	Limited options; secured products often required

In practice, most lenders treat 670 as a meaningful floor. Below that, you're not automatically rejected — but the terms get harder to swallow.

FICO Score vs VantageScore — A Quick Comparison

Both models use a 300–850 scale, but the thresholds differ slightly. Free monitoring tools — including Chase Credit Journey — typically use VantageScore. Lenders making actual credit decisions almost always use FICO.

Rating	FICO Score Range	VantageScore Range
Exceptional/Excellent	800 – 850	781 – 850
Very Good	740 – 799	661 – 780
Good	670 – 739	601 – 660
Fair	580 – 669	500 – 600
Poor	300 – 579	300 – 499

Worth knowing: a score that looks "good" on a VantageScore tool might land in the "fair" bucket under a lender's FICO model. The gap is usually small, but it's real.

Average Credit Score in the US — 2025 Data

National Average FICO Score: 2020 to 2025

The steady climb in average scores over the past decade stalled in 2025. Here's how the national average has moved since 2020:

Year	Average FICO Score
2020	710
2021	714
2022	716
2023	715
2024	715
2025	713

Source: Experian, September data each year

The 2025 figure marks the first decline since 2013. It's modest — two points — but it reverses a trend that held for over a decade. As reported by Bloomberg, the pace of decline in 2025 was the steepest seen since the financial crisis era, driven by rising delinquencies and affordability pressures across borrower segments.

How Americans Are Distributed Across Score Ranges

What's the average credit score in the US telling us about the broader population? The distribution is more interesting than the single number.

Score Range	Rating	% of Consumers 2024	% of Consumers 2025	Change
800 – 850	Exceptional	22.5%	22.8%	+0.3%
740 – 799	Very Good	27.8%	27.5%	−0.3%
670 – 739	Good	21.0%	20.1%	−0.9%
580 – 669	Fair	15.5%	14.9%	−0.6%
300 – 579	Poor	13.2%	14.7%	+1.5%

Source: Experian, September 2025

Two things stand out. The exceptional tier hit an all-time high of 22.8%. At the same time, the poor tier grew from 13.2% to 14.7%. The middle ranges shrank slightly. This kind of polarisation — where both ends grow while the middle thins — suggests the economic pressures of 2025 hit some consumers hard while leaving others largely unaffected.

Average Credit Utilization by Score Range

Credit utilization — how much of your available revolving credit you are actively using — is one of the clearest indicators of where someone sits on the score spectrum.

Score Range	Rating	Average Utilization Rate
800 – 850	Exceptional	7%
740 – 799	Very Good	15%
670 – 739	Good	39%
580 – 669	Fair	61%
300 – 579	Poor	79%

Source: Experian, September 2025

The national average utilization rate held steady at 29% in 2025 — unchanged from 2024. So despite the score decline, Americans are not using significantly more of their available credit. The decline is coming from elsewhere.

Why Did the Average Credit Score Drop in 2025?

The short answer: the economy got harder for a meaningful portion of borrowers, particularly younger ones.

Macroeconomic Pressures

Shelter costs, grocery prices, and transportation expenses all stayed elevated through 2025. Unemployment ticked upward — not dramatically, but enough to affect payment reliability for households with thin financial buffers. Consumer confidence hit record lows by some measures. None of this is catastrophic, but it adds up month by month in credit reports.

Student Loan Repayments Resumed

The end of the SAVE income-based repayment plan affected roughly 8 million borrowers. With that program gone, interest resumed accruing and monthly payments increased for many.

According to data from CNBC, citing Federal Reserve Bank of New York research, more than 2.2 million student loan borrowers who became newly delinquent saw their credit scores drop by over 100 points — with some seeing drops of 150 points or more in just the first quarter of 2025. Gen Z and Millennials, already carrying higher debt loads relative to their assets, absorbed most of this impact.

Rising Delinquency Rates

Delinquency rates rose for mortgages and auto loans in 2025. Credit cards and personal loans were slightly better than the prior year, but overall the trend is upward — from a low base, but still upward.

Account Type	Delinquency Rate 2023	Delinquency Rate 2024	Delinquency Rate 2025
Credit card	2.45%	2.40%	2.31%
Mortgage	1.88%	2.24%	2.45%
Auto loans	3.51%	3.68%	3.78%
Personal loans	3.89%	3.86%	3.76%

Source: Experian, September 2025

What did not drive the decline: credit card overuse. Utilization stayed flat at 29%, which suggests most borrowers are managing their revolving balances — the pressure is coming from fixed payment obligations they cannot as easily reduce.

Average Credit Score by Age Group (2025)

Why Scores Tend to Rise With Age

Older consumers generally have longer credit histories, more account types on file, and lower debt relative to their income. It is not that age itself improves a score — it is what tends to accumulate over time: years of on-time payments, a paid-down mortgage, accounts that have been open for decades. Younger borrowers are building that foundation, and the process takes time.

Average FICO Score by Generation — 2024 vs 2025

Generation	Age Range (2025)	Avg Score 2024	Avg Score 2025	Change
Generation Z	18 – 28	681	678	−3 points
Millennials	29 – 44	691	689	−2 points
Generation X	45 – 60	709	709	Unchanged
Baby Boomers	61 – 79	746	747	+1 point
Silent Generation	80+	760	760	Unchanged

Source: Experian, September 2025

Gen Z took the hardest hit — a three-point drop. Baby Boomers, by contrast, improved by one point. The pattern is consistent with the student loan repayment story and with the fact that older consumers typically have fewer variable financial obligations.

Average Credit Score by Age Decade

For those looking for a more straightforward age comparison:

Age Group	Average Credit Score
20s	~662
30s	~672
40s	~684
50s	~706
60s+	~749

These figures align with VantageScore-based data commonly reported by financial institutions. Treat them as approximate benchmarks, not precise targets.

Average Credit Score by State

Why Do Scores Vary So Much Between States?

The 64-point gap between Minnesota (741) and Mississippi (677) is not random. States with higher average scores tend to have higher median household incomes, lower unemployment, and greater access to traditional banking infrastructure.

Southern states, which consistently cluster at the lower end, also have higher rates of unbanked or credit-thin households — meaning a larger share of the population has limited or no credit history, which pulls the average down. This is a structural issue, not a reflection of individual financial behaviour.

States With the Highest and Lowest Average Credit Scores

Top 5 States:

State	Average FICO Score (2025)
Minnesota	741
Vermont	737
Wisconsin	737
New Hampshire	735
Washington	734

Bottom 5 States:

State	Average FICO Score
Mississippi	677
Louisiana	686
Alabama	689
Georgia	692
Oklahoma	693

Full State-by-State Average FICO Score Table

State	2024	2025	Change
Alaska	722	720	−2
Alabama	692	689	−3
Arkansas	695	693	−2
Arizona	712	709	−3
California	722	721	−1
Colorado	731	729	−2
Connecticut	726	724	−2
Delaware	714	713	−1
District of Columbia	715	711	−4
Florida	707	704	−3
Georgia	695	692	−3
Hawaii	732	730	−2
Idaho	730	729	−1
Illinois	720	720	0
Indiana	712	710	−2
Iowa	730	728	−2
Kansas	722	720	−2
Kentucky	705	704	−1
Louisiana	690	686	−4
Maine	731	731	0
Maryland	715	714	−1
Massachusetts	732	731	−1
Michigan	719	717	−2
Minnesota	742	741	−1
Mississippi	680	677	−3
Missouri	714	712	−2
Montana	732	730	−2
Nebraska	731	728	−3
Nevada	701	699	−2
New Hampshire	736	735	−1
New Jersey	724	722	−2
New Mexico	702	701	−1
New York	721	719	−2
North Carolina	709	707	−2
North Dakota	733	730	−3
Ohio	716	713	−3
Oklahoma	696	693	−3
Oregon	732	730	−2
Pennsylvania	722	720	−2
Rhode Island	721	719	−2
South Carolina	700	699	−1
South Dakota	734	731	−3
Tennessee	706	703	−3
Texas	695	692	−3
Utah	730	728	−2
Vermont	737	737	0
Virginia	723	721	−2
Washington	735	734	−1
West Virginia	702	699	−3
Wisconsin	738	737	−1
Wyoming	725	722	−3

Source: Experian, September 2025

What the Average Credit Score Means for Borrowers

Typical Credit Score Requirements by Loan Type

Knowing the national average is useful context. Knowing what lenders actually require is more actionable. These are general market benchmarks — individual lenders set their own thresholds.

Loan Type	Typical Minimum Score	Notes
Conventional mortgage	~620	Better rates above 740
FHA mortgage	~580	3.5% down; 500+ with 10% down
Auto loan (best rates)	~660 – 720	Sub-prime loans available below this range
Personal loan	~580 – 600	Rates vary significantly by tier
Credit card (rewards)	~670+	Premium cards typically require 740+

At a score of 713, most borrowers fall comfortably within approval ranges for standard credit products. What changes at that level is the rate — not usually the approval itself.

How Score Tier Affects What You Pay

Interestingly, the financial difference between a 680 and a 740 is often more significant than people expect. On a 30-year mortgage, a 60-point score improvement can translate to tens of thousands of dollars in interest over the life of the loan. The score itself is a gateway number — but the tier you land in is what determines the actual cost of borrowing.

How to Improve Your Credit Score

Actions That Have the Most Impact

Payment history carries 35% of your FICO score — nothing else comes close. One missed payment can set a score back noticeably, and the damage tends to linger for months. In practice, borrowers who focus on just two things — paying on time and keeping utilization low — address roughly 65% of what drives their score.

For utilization, the widely cited guidance is to stay below 30% of your credit limit. What often gets overlooked is that borrowers in the exceptional range typically run utilization under 10%. That gap between 30% and 10% is worth paying attention to.

What to Avoid

• Closing a paid-off credit card: it shortens your average account age and reduces available credit, both of which can lower your score
• Applying for several credit products in a short window: each application triggers a hard inquiry, and multiple inquiries in a brief period signal elevated risk to lenders
• Treating a single missed payment as minor: payment history is unforgiving — even one 30-day late mark can cause a measurable drop

Realistic Timeframes for Score Improvement

Most people underestimate how long score recovery takes. A few honest benchmarks:

• Reducing utilization: Score changes can reflect within 30–60 days of paying down balances
• Recovering from a missed payment: Typically 12–24 months of consistent on-time payments to meaningfully offset the damage
• Building from thin or no credit: 6–12 months to establish a scoreable profile; longer to reach the good range

No shortcut moves a score dramatically in a matter of weeks unless the change involves correcting a credit reporting error.

Conclusion

The average credit score in the US sits at 713 in 2025 — a slight dip, not a crisis. Most Americans still hold scores in the good range or above. The real story is the growing divide: younger borrowers under more pressure, southern states structurally lower, and the extremes of the score distribution quietly widening.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 713 a good credit score?

Yes. A 713 FICO score falls in the "good" range (670–739). Most lenders will approve standard credit products at this level. You may not qualify for the absolute best interest rates, which typically start around 740–760.

What is the average credit score by age in the US?

Scores generally rise with age. Gen Z averages 678, Millennials 689, Gen X 709, Baby Boomers 747, and the Silent Generation 760, according to Experian's 2025 data.

Which state has the highest average credit score?

Minnesota leads with an average FICO score of 741 in 2025, followed by Vermont and Wisconsin at 737. Upper Midwest and New England states consistently rank highest.

Why did average credit scores fall in 2025?

The main factors were rising living costs, student loan repayment resumption affecting younger borrowers, and climbing mortgage and auto loan delinquency rates — all contributing to the first annual score decline since 2013.

What credit score do I need to buy a house or get a car loan?

Most conventional mortgages require a minimum of around 620. FHA loans go as low as 580 with a 3.5% down payment. The best mortgage rates typically go to borrowers at 740 or above. Auto loans are most competitive above 660–720.