Skip to main content
Advertiser Disclosure
We do receive compensation from some partners whose offers appear on this page. We have not reviewed all available products or offers. Compensation may impact the order in which offers appear on page, but our editorial opinions and ratings are not influenced by compensation.

The Ascent Logo The Ascent Logo - Blue circle with an A in it and the ascent a motley fool company to the right of that

  • Credit Cards
  • Banking
  • Brokerages
  • Loans
  • Mortgages
  • Knowledge
  • Latest Picks
  • Search Icon Click here to search

Credit Cards

Top Picks
  • Best of January 2021
  • Cash Back
  • Balance Transfer
  • Travel
  • 0% APR
  • Rewards
  • Bad Credit
Knowledge
  • Beginners Guide to Credit Cards
  • How to Rebuild Your Credit
  • Maximize Your Credit Card Rewards
  • Learn More About Credit Cards
Credit Card Tools
  • Compare Cards
Looking for a new credit card?

Explore the best credit cards in every category as of January 2021.

Get started!

Banking

Top Picks
  • Best Savings Accounts
  • Best Bank Accounts
  • Best Money Market Accounts
  • Best CDs
  • Best Checking Account Bonuses
Knowledge
  • Beginners Guide to Banking
  • Everything You Need to Know About Savings
  • Money Market Accounts Made Easy
  • Learn More About Banking
Looking for a place to park your cash?

Check out our top picks of the best online savings accounts for January 2021.

Get Started!

Brokerages

Top Picks
  • Best Brokers of January 2021
  • Best Online Brokers for Beginners
  • Best Options Brokers
  • Best IRA Accounts
  • Best Roth IRA Accounts
  • Best Robo Advisors
Knowledge
  • How to Open a Brokerage Account
  • Beginner's Guide to Brokerages
  • Learn More About Brokerage
Just getting started?

Explore our picks of the best brokerage accounts for beginners for January 2021.

Get Started!

Loans

Top Picks
  • Best Loans of January 2021
  • Best Personal Loans for Bad Credit
  • Best Loans for Debt Consolidation
  • Best Low-Interest Personal Loans
  • Best Personal Loans for Good Credit
  • Best Personal Loans for Fair Credit
Knowledge
  • Personal Loans Made Easy
  • Debt Consolidation Guide
  • How to Pay Off Debt
  • Learn More About Loans
Thinking about taking out a loan?

Before you apply for a personal loan, here's what you need to know.

Get Started!

Mortgages

Top Picks
  • Best Mortgage Lenders of January 2021
  • Best Mortgage Lenders for Poor Credit
  • Best Refinance Lenders
  • Best VA Mortgage Lenders
Knowledge
  • First Time Homebuyers Guide
  • Home Loans Made Easy
  • The Complete Guide to Refinancing
  • How to Get a Mortgage with Bad Credit
  • Learn More About Mortgages
Tools & Calculators
  • Mortgage Calculator
Compare Rates
  • Today's Mortgage Rates
  • Refinance Rates
  • 15-Year Mortgage Rates
  • 20-Year Mortgage Rates
  • 30-Year Mortgage Rates
  • Jumbo Mortgage Rates
  • VA Loan Rates
  • 5/1 ARM Rates
  • 7/1 ARM Rates
  • FHA Mortgage Rates

Knowledge

Knowledge Section
  • All Articles
  • Credit Card Articles
  • Banking Articles
  • Brokerage Articles
  • Personal Loan Articles
  • Mortgage Articles
  • Personal Finance Articles
Recent Articles
  • Biden's Unemployment Proposal Could Replace 86% of Lost Wages

    Personal Finance

    Biden's Unemployment Proposal Could Replace 86% of Lost Wages
  • U.S. Childcare Costs Are Crippling. Here's How Biden Plans to Help

    Personal Finance

    U.S. Childcare Costs Are Crippling. Here's How Biden Plans to Help
  • Stimulus Check Update: Biden Pushes for $1,400 Boost Not Just for the Jobless

    Personal Finance

    Stimulus Check Update: Biden Pushes for $1,400 Boost Not Just for the Jobless
  • Maxed Out Your Emergency Fund? 3 Other Places to Put Your Money

    Banks

    Maxed Out Your Emergency Fund? 3 Other Places to Put Your Money
  • The Ascent
  • Knowledge
  • Credit Cards

Are Credit Scores in Your State Above or Below Average?

by Christy Bieber | Dec. 28, 2019

The Ascent is reader-supported: we may earn a commission from offers on this page. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation.

How does your state stack up to the average?

Across America, credit scores have been steadily climbing to the point where the average American now has pretty good credit. 

As recent research from The Ascent on average credit scores shows, however, there are wide variations from one state to the next. In fact, there's more than a 61 point difference between the state with the highest average credit score (Minnesota) and the state with the lowest one (Mississippi).

So where does your state fall when it comes to average credit scores? Read on to find out.

A woman sitting in front of her couch with her laptop and celebrating with her hand in the air.

Image source: Getty Images

Credit scores in these states are above average

The average VantageScore in 2018 in America was 694. Since a VantageScore between 661 and 780 is considered to be a good score, this means the average American has a credit score to be proud of. However, residents of certain states beat out this average and did even better. 

Just 15 states had average scores equal to or above the nationwide average:

  • Colorado (694)
  • Connecticut (694)
  • Hawaii (697)
  • Iowa (700)
  • Massachusetts (703)
  • Minnesota (713)
  • Montana (695)
  • North Dakota (703)
  • Nebraska (701)
  • New Hampshire (704)
  • Oregon (695)
  • South Dakota (707)
  • Vermont (705)
  • Washington State (699)
  • Wisconsin (701)

Credit scores in these states are below average

All of the rest of the states had average VantageScores below 694. In most cases, though, these scores were still pretty close to the nationwide average. And in the majority of locales, average scores still fell within the "good" range. 

In fact, only Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, and Texas had average scores that were classified as fair, rather than good. 

Here are the scores for the states with below-average VantageScores: 

  • Alabama (660)
  • Alaska (675)
  • Arizona (673)
  • Arkansas (661)
  • California (685)
  • Delaware (679)
  • District of Columbia (676)
  • Florida (674)
  • Georgia (659)
  • Idaho (688)
  • Illinois (687)
  • Indiana (675)
  • Kansas (685)
  • Kentucky (668)
  • Louisiana (653)
  • Maine (692)
  • Maryland (678)
  • Michigan (682)
  • Mississippi (652)
  • Missouri (678)
  • Nevada (659)
  • New Jersey (691)
  • New Mexico (664)
  • New York (692)
  • North Carolina (670)
  • Ohio (681)
  • Oklahoma (660)
  • Pennsylvania (691)
  • Rhode Island (690)
  • South Carolina (662)
  • Tennessee (666)
  • Texas (659)
  • Utah (691)
  • Virginia (684)
  • West Virginia (662)
  • Wyoming (685)

Help your state boost its average by improving your credit

Unless you have a perfect credit score, there's room to boost your score and help bring up your state's average. 

You can do this by working to repay debt to reduce your credit utilization ratio; by making sure you have a good mix of different kinds of credit; by always paying every bill on time; and by avoiding behaviors that reduce your score, such as taking on too much new credit at once or maxing out your credit cards.

Of course, while you want to do your part to make sure your state's average score is a good one, you're the person that benefits the most from having great credit. You owe it to yourself to do everything you can to try to earn the score you need to open up the door to affordable borrowing.

Our credit card expert uses the card we reveal below, and it could earn you $1,148 (seriously)

As long as you pay them off each month, credit cards are a no-brainer for savvy Americans. They protect against fraud far better than debit cards, help raise your credit score, and can put hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars in rewards back in your pocket each year.

But with so many cards out there, you need to choose wisely. This top-rated card offers the ability to pay 0% interest on purchases into 2022, has some of the most generous cash back rewards we’ve ever seen (up to 5%!), and somehow still sports a $0 annual fee.

That’s why our expert – who has reviewed hundreds of cards – signed up for this one personally. Click here to get free access to our expert’s top pick.

About the Author

Christy Bieber
Christy Bieber icon-button-linkedin-2x

Christy Bieber is a personal finance and legal writer with more than a decade of experience. Her work has been featured on major outlets including MSN Money, CNBC, and USA Today.

Share This Page
Blue Facebook Icon Share this website with Facebook
Blue Twitter Icon Share this website with Twitter
Blue LinkedIn Icon Share this website with LinkedIn
Blue Mail Icon Share this website by email

The Ascent is reader-supported: we may earn a commission from offers on this page. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures our experts’ opinions aren’t influenced by compensation.

Related Articles

Credit cards on a desk image for Best Credit Cards for 2021

Best Credit Cards for 2021

Interest spelled out on a calculator image for Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

Man holding cash image for How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

Cyber security and computer screen image for How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud

How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud

Featured Articles

Best Credit Cards for 2021

Compare Credit Cards Side by Side

How Do Cash Back Credit Cards Work?

How to Protect Yourself from Credit Card Fraud


We’re firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.

The Ascent Logo

The Ascent is a Motley Fool service that rates and reviews essential products for your everyday money matters.

btn_facebook-yellow btn_twitter-yellow btn_instagram-yellow

Copyright © 2018 - 2021 The Ascent. All rights reserved.

About The Ascent
About Us Contact Us Newsroom How We Make Money Editorial Integrity Ratings Methodology
Legal
Terms of Use Privacy Policy Accessibility Policy Terms and Conditions Copyright, Trademark and Patent Information
Learn
Credit Cards Banking Brokerage Loans Recent Articles

By submitting your email address, you consent to us sending you money tips along with products and services that we think might interest you. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please read our Privacy Statement and Terms & Conditions.

Back to The Motley Fool