What Is the Average American Credit Score in 2026?

The average American credit score is 713, according to Experian's September 2025 data — placing most Americans squarely in the "good" range. It's also the first year-over-year decline in over a decade, which makes it worth paying attention to.

What the Number Actually Means for Borrowers

A 713 sits in the "good" tier of the FICO scale. That's not bad — but it's not the score that unlocks the best loan rates either. Here's a practical snapshot of what a score in this range typically means when you apply for credit:

In practice, lenders look at more than just the score — income, debt-to-income ratio, and employment history all factor in. The score is the starting point, not the whole picture.

FICO Score Ranges — What Each Tier Means

Most lenders in the U.S. use the FICO Score 8 model, which runs from 300 to 850. The five tiers break down like this:

FICO Score vs. VantageScore — Why Your Number May Look Different

This trips a lot of people up. If you check your score on Credit Karma, you're probably seeing a VantageScore. If your bank shows you a score, it may be a FICO variant. They use different formulas, so the numbers won't match exactly.

The national average figures you see cited in financial news — including the 713 figure — almost always refer to FICO Score 8, which is the most widely used model in lending decisions.

VantageScore uses slightly different ranges: scores between 661 and 780 are considered "good," and anything above 780 is excellent.

Why Your Score May Differ Across Bureaus

The three main credit bureaus — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — each maintain their own separate credit files. Not every lender reports to all three, so the data they hold on you can differ. That's why your score might read 718 on one platform and 704 on another. It's normal, not an error.

How Has the Average U.S. Credit Score Changed Over Time?

For most of the 2010s, the national average climbed steadily. The 2025 dip is notable because it breaks that pattern — but context matters.

What's Behind the 2025 Decline?

No single cause. A few things converging at once:

• Rising prices on essentials — shelter and transportation costs remain elevated, stretching household budgets
• Unemployment edging up — still low historically, but climbing from its floor
• The end of the SAVE student loan repayment plan — as reported by CNBC, interest resumed accruing on accounts in August 2025 after the plan was blocked, raising monthly obligations for millions of younger borrowers
• Higher delinquency rates — mortgage and auto loan delinquencies both rose in 2025, though from historically low baselines
• Consumer confidence declining — the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported that consumers' expectations for missed payments hit their highest level since early 2020

What's often overlooked is that even with this dip, average scores across all states are still higher than they were in 2020. The decline is real, but the broader trend over five years is still positive.

Average American Credit Score by Age Group

Scores and age are closely linked — and the relationship is fairly predictable once you understand why. Longer credit history, a broader mix of account types, and years of on-time payments all build up over time. Younger borrowers are simply working with less of all three.

Average Credit Score by Generation (2025)

Source: Experian, September 2025

Gen Z and Millennials took the biggest hits in 2025 — and that's partly structural. They're the generations most exposed to student loan changes, less likely to have home equity as a financial cushion, and more likely to be in the early stages of building credit history.

Average Credit Score by Decade of Life

What's interesting is that even the lowest age-group average (662 in the 20s) still lands in the "fair" range — not poor. Most people starting out aren't in terrible shape; they just don't have enough history yet.

Average Credit Score by State (2025)

No state saw its average credit score increase in 2025. Three held steady. Every other state declined.

Source: Experian, September 2025

Louisiana and Washington D.C. saw the steepest single-year drops — four points each. Illinois, Maine, and Vermont were the only places where average scores didn't move.

How Americans Are Distributed Across Score Ranges

The spread is shifting in an unusual way — more Americans are moving toward the extremes.

Source: Experian, September 2025

At one end, the share of Americans with poor credit grew. At the other, those with exceptional scores hit an all-time high of 22.8%. The middle is thinning slightly. Some economists describe this pattern as a "K-shaped" split — where those at the top continue to improve while those at the bottom face increasing pressure.

Delinquency Rates — A Forward-Looking Signal

Delinquency data matters here because it's one of the leading indicators of where average scores are heading. When more people miss payments, scores fall.

Source: Experian, September 2025

Mortgage and auto loan delinquencies are trending up. As reported by Bloomberg, around 4.5% of U.S. consumer debt was at least 30 days delinquent in Q3 2025 — the highest level since early 2020.

Credit card and personal loan delinquencies have pulled back slightly — likely because many borrowers are consolidating that debt into personal loans or HELOCs at lower rates. Neither direction is alarming on its own, but the mortgage and auto trends are worth monitoring.

What Goes Into a FICO Credit Score?

Payment history and amounts owed together account for nearly two-thirds of your score. Everything else is secondary.

Credit Utilization and the National Average

The national average credit utilization rate has held steady at 29% for three consecutive years — just under the commonly cited 30% threshold. That consistency suggests utilization isn't the main driver of the 2025 decline.

Source: Experian, September 2025

People with exceptional scores typically use under 10% of their available credit. The 30% guideline is a floor, not a target.

Common Credit Score Misconceptions

Checking your own credit does not lower your score. Viewing your own score is a soft inquiry — it has no effect on your FICO or VantageScore. Only hard inquiries (from lenders when you apply for credit) cause a temporary dip.

Closing an old account can hurt, not help. It reduces both your available credit and your average account age — two things that factor into your score. In most cases, leaving old accounts open is the better call, even if you rarely use them.

Your income has no direct effect on your credit score. FICO doesn't factor in salary, employment status, or net worth. A high earner with poor payment habits will score lower than someone with a modest income who pays every bill on time.

How to Improve Your Credit Score

Most of the levers are slow-moving. That's not a bad thing — it means they're also stable.

What actually moves the needle:

• Pay every bill on time. One missed payment can set a score back meaningfully
• Keep credit card balances well below 30% of your limit — ideally under 10%
• Keep older accounts open even if inactive
• Review your credit report for errors and dispute any you find — bureaus are legally required to investigate
• Avoid applying for multiple new credit lines in a short window

What won't help — and might hurt:

• Closing paid-off cards
• Assuming a balance on your card each month "builds credit" — it doesn't, and it costs you interest
• Opening a new card just to increase your credit limit without reducing your balance

Credit score improvement in practice is genuinely slow. Most people who move from fair to good credit do it over 12–24 months of consistent on-time payments, not through any single action.

Conclusion

The average American credit score sits at 713 — good, but declining for the first time in over a decade. Economic pressure, rising delinquencies, and student loan changes are the main forces at work. Most Americans still fall in an approvable range, but the gap between the top and bottom of the score spectrum is widening.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average American credit score in 2025?

The average American credit score is 713 as of September 2025, according to Experian. FICO reported a slightly higher figure of 715 as of April 2025. Both figures fall in the "good" range of the FICO scale (670–739).

Is a 700 credit score considered good?

Yes. A 700 falls in the "good" range (670–739) on the FICO scale. It qualifies for most standard loan and credit card products, though the most competitive interest rates typically require scores of 740 or higher.

Why did the average U.S. credit score drop in 2025?

Contributing factors include rising costs of living, increasing mortgage and auto loan delinquency rates, the end of the SAVE student loan repayment program, and softening consumer confidence. No single cause has been isolated.

Does checking your credit score lower it?

No. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry and has no effect on your FICO or VantageScore. Only hard inquiries — triggered when you apply for new credit — cause a small, temporary score dip.

How long does it take to improve a credit score?

It depends on where you're starting. Minor improvements from reducing utilization can show up within one to two billing cycles. Moving from poor to good credit typically takes 12–24 months of consistent on-time payments and responsible credit use.