What Is the Average Credit Score in America?

The average credit score in America is 713, based on the most recent FICO Score 8 data from September 2025. That's down two points from 2024 the first annual drop in over a decade.

Most people land somewhere in the "good" range, but the picture shifts a lot once you break it down by age or state.

The Short Version: What the Average Credit Score in America Actually Means

A score of 713 sits comfortably in the FICO "good" tier (670–739). Lenders generally treat anything above 670 as acceptable risk, and most consumer loan products are accessible at this level.

So if you're hovering near 713, you're roughly where the typical American borrower stands right now.

What's worth noticing is the direction. The national average had been climbing steadily since 2013. The recent dip is small in absolute terms, but it's the first one in years, which is why it's getting attention.

How the Average Has Shifted Over the Past Year

For more than ten years running, the national FICO average either held steady or ticked upward. That streak ended in 2025. The two-point decline isn't dramatic on its own, but it broke a pattern.

The likely contributors aren't mysterious. Higher prices on essentials, shifts in employment, and rising delinquency rates in some loan categories have all chipped away at consumer financial cushions.

As reported by CNBC, a record share of cardholders are now making only minimum payments while past-due rates have more than doubled from their pandemic-era lows the kind of pattern that filters straight into average credit scores.

In practice, when households get squeezed, late payments tend to follow and payment history is the single biggest input into a FICO score.

Despite the dip, scores are still meaningfully higher than they were a decade ago. So the longer arc still looks positive, even if the shorter one wobbled.

Average Credit Score by Age

Credit scores tend to climb with age, and that pattern shows up clearly in generational data. Older borrowers have had more time to build credit history, settle into lower utilization, and pay down or pay off major loans like mortgages.

Average Score by Generation (FICO, 2025)

Why Older Borrowers Tend to Score Higher

A few things stack in favor of older consumers. Length of credit history makes up 15% of a FICO score, so simply having older accounts helps.

Boomers and the Silent Generation also tend to carry lower revolving balances relative to their limits, often have paid-down mortgages, and aren't taking on new debt as often all of which feed into a healthier profile.

Younger borrowers, by contrast, are still building. Gen Z and Millennials saw the biggest score drops in 2025, partly because they hold more student loan debt and were affected by the wind-down of the SAVE income-driven repayment plan.

Teams that work with first-time borrowers commonly report that thin credit files take three to five years of consistent activity before they really stabilize.

A Different View: Average Score by Decade of Life

Some sources also report averages by decade rather than by generation. These figures are commonly cited but aren't always tied to a specific year or scoring model, so treat them as general benchmarks rather than precise current numbers.

Average Credit Score by State

Geography matters more than most people expect. The gap between the highest and lowest state averages is over 60 points bigger than the gap between most age groups.

States With the Highest Average Credit Scores

The Upper Midwest and New England dominate the top of the list. Minnesota leads at 741, followed by Vermont and Wisconsin at 737, New Hampshire at 735, and Washington at 734.

These states tend to share characteristics like lower household debt loads and steadier employment patterns.

States With the Lowest Average Credit Scores

The lowest averages cluster in the South. Mississippi sits at 677, Louisiana at 686, Alabama at 689, and Georgia and Texas tie at 692. Average scores fell in nearly every state in 2025; only Illinois, Maine, and Vermont held steady.

Full State-by-State Table (2024 vs. 2025)

Where Most Americans Fall on the FICO Range

Knowing the average is useful, but knowing the distribution is often more useful. Most people aren't sitting exactly at 713 they're scattered across the FICO range, and that scatter has shifted a bit recently.

What's interesting is the movement at the edges. The share of consumers in the "poor" range grew, and the share in "exceptional" also grew both at the expense of the middle tiers.

Analysts at the credit bureaus have noted this pattern matches broader economic conditions where outcomes are spreading out rather than clustering toward the middle.

FICO vs. VantageScore: Why You Might See Different Numbers

When you see a national average reported, it almost always means a FICO score usually FICO Score 8, the version most lenders use. But there's a second major scoring model called

VantageScore, and the two don't always produce the same number for the same person. As explained in the Wikipedia entry on credit score, both models are built from credit report data held by the three major bureaus, but they apply different formulas to that underlying information.

Both run on the same 300–850 scale. The difference is in how they weight the underlying factors.

In practice, the two scores usually land within 20–40 points of each other for the same borrower, but the gap can be larger for people with thin files or unusual credit patterns.

When someone tells you their score from a bank app or a free monitoring service, it's worth asking which model produced it.

How to Compare Your Score to the Average

A national average is a benchmark, not a target. Your score reflects your specific borrowing history, not the country's. Still, knowing where you stand helps.

If Your Score Is Above 713

You're at or above average and likely in the "good" or "very good" tier. Crossing 740 typically unlocks the most favorable rates on mortgages and auto loans, so that's the next meaningful threshold worth aiming for if you're somewhere in the 715–735 range.

If Your Score Is Below 713

Being below average doesn't mean you're in trouble. The "fair" range (580–669) still gives you access to most credit products, though usually at higher rates.

The most common path upward is consistent on-time payments and gradually reducing utilization neither is fast, but both are reliable.

Checking Your Own Score

Most major banks now show a free FICO or VantageScore inside their app. Annualcreditreport.com gives you free copies of your full credit reports from all three bureaus. Checking your own score is treated as a soft inquiry and has no effect on it.

How to Move Your Score Toward (or Past) the Average

There's no shortcut, but the inputs are well understood:

• Pay on time, every time. Payment history is 35% of a FICO score. One 30-day late payment can drop a strong score by 60 to 100 points.
• Keep utilization low. Below 30% of your limit is the standard rule. Below 10% is where the highest scorers tend to sit.
• Don't close your oldest card. The age of your accounts matters, and closing an old one can shorten your average credit history.
• Be selective about new applications. Each hard inquiry can dent your score slightly, and several in a short window adds up.
• Check your report for errors. Disputes are free, and bureau data is often imperfect.

Conclusion

The average credit score in America is 713 as of late 2025, down two points from the prior year. Most Americans sit in the "good" range or higher, but scores vary widely by age and state. Treat the average as context your own habits matter far more.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average credit score in America right now?

The average is 713 based on FICO Score 8 data from September 2025. That's a two-point decline from 2024 and the first annual drop in over a decade.

Is 713 a good credit score?

Yes. A score of 713 falls inside the FICO "good" range (670–739). Most lenders consider borrowers at this level acceptable risk for credit cards, auto loans, and mortgages.

Which state has the highest average credit score?

Minnesota leads the country with an average FICO score of 741. New England and Upper Midwest states generally cluster at the top, while Southern states tend to sit lower.

Why are younger Americans' average scores lower?

Younger borrowers have shorter credit histories, which counts against them in the scoring formula. Many also carry student loan debt, which has become more burdensome since the SAVE repayment plan ended.

Does FICO or VantageScore set the national average?

National averages are almost always reported using FICO Score 8, the version most lenders rely on. VantageScore averages exist but are cited less often in public reporting.