What's the Average Credit Score in the US? 2026 Data by Age, State and Score Range

The average credit score in the US is 713 as of September 2025, according to Experian data — placing the national average squarely in the "Good" range. This marks a two-point drop from 2024 and the first annual decline since 2013.

Quick Answer

National Average FICO Score (2025)	713
Score Range It Falls In	Good (670–739)
Change from 2024	−2 points
Last Annual Decline Before This	2013
Americans with Good or Better Score	70%

How Has the National Average Credit Score Changed Over Time?

713 sounds low if you compare it to headlines from a few years ago. But zoom out and the picture looks different.

The national average has climbed steadily since 2013, when it sat at 669. That's a 44-point improvement over roughly a decade — a meaningful shift in how Americans as a whole manage credit. The 2025 dip is real, but it's also modest.

Despite the decline, average scores are still higher than they were in 2020 in nearly every state in the country. Historical data tracked by Statista shows the long upward trend from 2005 through the pandemic era before the recent pullback.

National Average FICO Score — Historical Trend

Year	Average FICO Score
2013	669
2015	672
2017	675
2019	703
2021	714
2023	715
2024	715
2025	713

Source: Experian annual credit data

One thing worth noting: FICO's own Spring 2026 Credit Insights report cites the average as 714, not 713. That one-point difference comes down to data timing and sampling methodology — Experian measures in September; FICO's report uses a slightly different cut. Both point to the same underlying trend.

What Do the Credit Score Ranges Actually Mean?

Before the age and state breakdowns make sense, it helps to understand what these numbers represent in practice.

FICO Scores run from 300 to 850. That range is divided into five categories, and where you fall determines the kind of credit terms lenders are likely to offer you.

FICO Score Ranges and What They Mean for Borrowers

FICO Score Range	Rating	What It Typically Means
300–579	Poor	Limited approvals; highest interest rates
580–669	Fair	Some approvals; above-average rates
670–739	Good	Most products accessible; moderate rates
740–799	Very Good	Strong approvals; competitive rates
800–850	Exceptional	Best available rates and terms

At 713, the national average sits near the lower end of "Good." That's not a red flag — but it does mean the average American isn't unlocking the best rate tiers lenders reserve for scores above 740.

What Does a 713 Score Actually Qualify You For?

This is the question most articles skip. Knowing the average is fine. Knowing what it gets you is more useful.

These are general market patterns, not guarantees — individual lenders set their own thresholds.

Credit Product	Typical Minimum Score	Where 713 Stands
Conventional mortgage	620–640	Qualifies comfortably
FHA mortgage	500–580	Well above threshold
Auto loan (competitive rate)	661–780 range	Solid position
Rewards credit card	670+	Meets most requirements
Personal loan (good rate)	670–739	Within the target range

In practice, borrowers with scores around 713 generally get approved for most standard credit products. What they often miss out on is the lowest available rate — that tier typically kicks in above 740 to 760, depending on the lender and product type.

FICO Score vs. VantageScore — Why the Numbers Sometimes Differ

If you've checked your score on different platforms and gotten different numbers, this is probably why.

FICO and VantageScore are two separate scoring models. Both use a 300–850 scale, but they weigh factors differently and define their ranges slightly differently. A "Good" score under VantageScore runs from 661 to 780 — broader than FICO's 670 to 739.

FICO Scores are used in over 90% of US lending decisions, which is why most published national averages refer to FICO specifically.

Model	Good Score Range	Used In
FICO Score 8	670–739	90%+ of lending decisions
VantageScore 3.0	661–780	Many free monitoring tools

What Makes Up Your Credit Score?

Understanding what drives the number matters — especially when you're trying to move it.

Five FICO Score Factors

Factor	Weight	What It Measures
Payment History	35%	On-time vs. missed payments
Amounts Owed	30%	Credit utilization across accounts
Length of Credit History	15%	Age of oldest and average accounts
Credit Mix	10%	Variety of credit types held
New Credit	10%	Recent hard inquiries and new accounts

Payment history is the single biggest lever. One missed payment can leave a mark that takes months to fade. Credit utilization — how much of your available credit you're using — is a close second.

What's often overlooked is the "length of credit history" factor. Closing an old account you no longer use might feel like good financial hygiene. In practice, it can shorten your average account age and quietly drag your score down.

How Is the Average Credit Score Distributed Across Americans?

Not everyone clusters around 713. The spread is wider than most people expect.

Distribution of US Consumers by FICO Score Range

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

Source: Experian, September each year

Interestingly, both extremes grew at the same time. More Americans moved into the poor range and more reached exceptional. The share of consumers with exceptional scores — 22.8% — is an all-time high. Meanwhile, the poor tier grew by 1.5 percentage points.

This kind of split, where the top and bottom both expand while the middle thins, is sometimes called a K-shaped pattern. Whether or not that label fits neatly, the data does suggest the credit landscape is becoming less uniform than it was five years ago.

Average Credit Utilization by Score Range

One of the clearest ways to see what separates good scores from exceptional ones is credit utilization — the percentage of available credit being used.

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

Source: Experian, September 2025

The national average utilization rate held steady at 29% in 2025 — technically below the commonly cited 30% threshold. But notice the jump between "Good" (39%) and "Very Good" (15%). That gap is large. Consumers looking to break into the 740+ range often find that getting utilization well below 30% — not just under it — is what actually moves the needle.

Average Credit Score by Age Group

Scores tend to rise with age. That's not a coincidence — it's how the FICO model is built. Longer credit history, more account types, and years of consistent payments all work in older consumers' favor.

Average FICO Score by Generation (2025)

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

Source: Experian, September 2025

Gen Z took the sharpest hit — down three points — largely because younger borrowers have fewer financial buffers when conditions tighten. Student loan resumption in 2025 hit this group disproportionately, since many are carrying government-held debt with payments that rose after the SAVE repayment plan was wound down.

Baby boomers, meanwhile, gained a point. Fewer financial obligations, largely paid-off mortgages, and decades of credit history all contribute. Their profile is simply less exposed to the factors driving the broader decline.

Average Credit Score by State

Geography plays a bigger role than most people expect. The spread between the highest and lowest state averages is 64 points — wider than the gap between a "Fair" and "Good" score classification.

Top 5 States by Average FICO Score (2025)

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

Bottom 5 States by Average FICO Score (2025)

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

Source: Experian, September 2025

The pattern is consistent: upper Midwest and New England states cluster near the top; southern states occupy the lower end. This has held for several years and isn't a 2025 anomaly.

Why Do State Scores Vary?

None of the numbers above come with a clean explanation attached, and it's worth being careful here — correlation isn't causation. That said, several observable factors tend to track with these regional differences:

• Median household income — states with higher median incomes generally show lower rates of missed payments
• Homeownership rates — mortgage accounts, when managed consistently, build credit history over time
• Unemployment patterns — states with more volatile labor markets tend to show higher delinquency rates
• Student debt concentration — regions with higher proportions of borrowers carrying federal student debt saw more score pressure in 2025 specifically

These are contributing factors, not definitive causes. State-level scores reflect the aggregate behavior of millions of borrowers across very different economic circumstances.

Why Did the Average Credit Score Drop in 2025?

The 2025 decline ended a run of more than a decade without a year-over-year fall. A few things happened at once.

Mortgage and auto loan delinquencies both rose from their 2024 levels. Credit card application rates softened. Record-high rejection rates on mortgages and auto loans pushed more consumers toward personal loans for debt consolidation. And for the millions of borrowers affected by the end of the SAVE student loan program, monthly payment obligations went up.

As reported by CNBC, the resumption of federal student loan delinquency reporting on consumers' credit files was identified by FICO as a significant contributing factor — with the share of consumers 90+ days past due surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time.

What didn't change: national credit utilization held at 29% for the second year in a row. That suggests the decline wasn't driven by consumers maxing out their cards — it was driven more by missed payments and external financial pressure.

Delinquency Rates by Account Type (2023–2025)

Account Type	2023	2024	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 each year

Mortgage delinquencies showed the sharpest rise — up from 1.88% in 2023 to 2.45% in 2025. Auto loans followed a similar path. Credit card and personal loan delinquencies, interestingly, edged downward — possibly because more consumers are consolidating those balances into personal loans at lower rates.

How to Improve Your Credit Score

Most of this comes down to consistency over time — not tricks.

• Pay on time, every time. With 35% weight in the FICO model, payment history is the single most impactful factor. Even one missed payment can set a score back months.

• Get utilization below 30% — then push lower. The data shows consumers with very good scores average 15% utilization. Under 10% is where exceptional scores typically live.

• Don't close old accounts. Keeping them open — even with zero balance — preserves your average account age.

• Limit new applications. Each hard inquiry causes a small, temporary dip. Multiple applications in a short window compound that effect.

• Let time work. Credit history length is 15% of the score. There's no shortcut here — the best thing you can do is not disrupt it.

You can check your credit reports for free at AnnualCreditReport.com — the federally authorized source for free annual reports from all three major bureaus. For guidance on understanding what's in those reports, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) at consumerfinance.gov maintains clear, non-promotional explainers.

Conclusion

The average credit score in the US sits at 713 in 2025 — still "Good," still higher than a decade ago, but showing the first real crack in a long upward trend. Most Americans remain in reasonable credit standing. Knowing your own score and what drives it is the most useful starting point.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is the average credit score in the US?

The average FICO Score in the US is 713 as of September 2025, according to Experian data. FICO's Spring 2026 report cites 714 — the slight difference reflects different data collection periods. Both fall in the "Good" range.

Q2: Is 713 a good credit score?

Yes. A 713 FICO Score falls in the "Good" range (670–739). It qualifies for most credit products, though the best interest rates generally require a score of 740 or above.

Q3: Which age group has the highest average credit score?

The Silent Generation (age 80+) has the highest average at 760, followed by Baby Boomers at 747. Scores tend to rise with age due to longer credit history and lower outstanding balances.

Q4: Which state has the highest average credit score?

Minnesota leads with an average FICO Score of 741. Mississippi has the lowest at 677 — a 64-point spread between the two extremes.

Q5: Why did average credit scores drop in 2025?

 Rising mortgage and auto delinquencies, the end of the SAVE student loan program, and broader affordability pressures contributed. It's the first annual decline since 2013, though scores remain above 2020 levels nationally.