The Average Credit Score in the U.S.

The average credit score held at 714 in April 2026, according to FICO, unchanged since October 2025 and down 1 point from a year earlier. The median FICO® Score tells the same story, holding at 744 and likewise down 1 point year over year. Experian's most recent measurement, from September 2025, put the average at 713.

The credit score decline in 2025 was not driven by a surge in new debt or reckless spending but by two structural factors: the resumption of student loan delinquency reporting after a multi-year federal pause, and a steady rise in mortgage delinquencies. Credit scores affect eligibility for mortgages, auto loans, the best credit cards, and lenders typically use them to set interest rates and credit limits.

According to FICO's April 2026 data, nearly half of all consumers (48.1%) now hold credit scores of 750 or higher, up from 43.3% in 2019.

The average U.S. credit score: 714

The average FICO® Score had risen every year from 2013 through 2024, climbing from 691 to a record high of 716. The decline to 714 in 2025 reversed that streak, but the average credit score has held steady since.

The 714 national average falls squarely in the "good" tier of the FICO scale (670-739), meaning most borrowers with scores near the average are unlikely to have trouble opening new lines of credit, depending on the product and amount.

The average VantageScore's® 4.0, a separate scoring model used by many lenders, was 701 as of August 2026, according to VantageScore's® Sept. 24, 2026 CreditGauge® release — within the same 700-to-702 range it has held for the past 12 months.

VantageScore® and FICO use different methodologies and are not directly comparable, but their alignment confirms that consumer credit health has largely stabilized after softening in 2025.

Average credit score by generation: Gen Z fell 3 points in 2025

Gen Z and millennials saw their credit scores averages fall in 2025, while Gen X and baby boomers' scores were flat or improved.

• Gen Z (ages 18-28) saw the largest average FICO® Score decline of any generation, falling three points to 678 in 2025, according to Experian. The decline follows a pattern directly tied to student loan repayment: FICO data shows 14.4% of consumers aged 18-29 experienced a 50-point-or-greater score drop year over year, compared to 10.1% for the overall population.
• Millennials (ages 29-44) averaged a 689 credit score in 2025, down two points from 2024, according to Experian. Like Gen Z, millennials are disproportionately exposed to student loan debt, and many are entering the housing market at relatively elevated mortgage rates.
• Baby boomers (ages 61-79) were the only generation to improve their credit scores, rising one point to an average of 747 in 2025, according to Experian. Gen X (ages 45-60) and the Silent Generation (80+) held steady at 709 and 760, respectively.

The generational split in credit scores and recent trends is largely driven by three factors: student loan debt, the length of credit history, and mortgage balances and interest rates.

Nearly half of consumers have a credit score of 750 or higher

Credit score distribution in 2025 shows a credit market moving toward the high and low ends, with fewer consumers sitting in the middle.

• 48.1% of U.S. consumers with a FICO® Score now have a score of 750 or higher, a share that has held steady for a full year, up from 43.3% in October 2019, according to FICO. Within that group, 24.8% score in the 800-850 range, flat since April 2025 but up from 20.7% in April 2019.
• The sub-600 credit score range slightly grew from Oct 2025 to April 2026, from 18.1% to 18.2%.
• 1.71% of U.S. consumers held a perfect 850 FICO® Score as of June 2026, according to Experian.

Growth at 750+ and below 600 range reflects diverging consumer financial health, where those struggling are finding it harder to improve their credit scores and those with strong credit scores continue to strengthen them.

Student loans and mortgage stress drive credit score declines

Credit card utilization held flat at 29% for the third consecutive year while student loan and mortgage delinquencies grew, leading to an overall drop in credit scores and declines for Gen Z and millennials, according to Experian.

• Nearly one-third of student loan borrowers with a payment due, approximately 7.1 million consumers, had a new delinquency reported on their credit file in 2025, according to FICO. Their average FICO® Score dropped 62 points since January 2025, when the federal government resumed student loan collections.
• Mortgage delinquencies have risen steadily, with the 30-day-plus delinquency rate reaching 4.8% in October 2025, according to FICO. That's approaching the pre-pandemic level of 5.0%. The 90-day-plus rate of 1.6% exceeded the October 2019 level of 1.5%.
• Auto and bankcard delinquency rates stabilized or declined in 2025. Bankcard 30-day-plus delinquency held at 11.7% through the year and auto loan 30-day-plus delinquency of 7.2% remained below the pre-pandemic rate of 7.5%, according to FICO.

The data suggests that the resumption of student loan collections after a multi-year pause and rising mortgage delinquencies are the key factors behind the drop in the average credit score, despite those stressors applying largely to younger borrowers. Overall, 10.1% of all consumers saw their FICO® Score drop 50 or more points in the 12 months through October 2025, according to FICO. That rate was 7.9% in 2024.

Average credit score by state: Minnesota leads at 743, Mississippi trails at 676

Average FICO® Scores fell in nearly every state in 2025. No state saw an increase.

• Minnesota posted the highest average state FICO® Score at 743 as of April 2026, followed by Vermont (741), Wisconsin (739), New Hampshire (738), and Washington (736), according to FICO
• Mississippi ranked last at 676, followed by Louisiana (686) and Alabama (690). Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas tied for the next-lowest spot at 694 apiece.
• The average credit score in 26 states and the District of Columbia declined by 1 or 2 points from April 2025 to April 2026, according to FICO data. Scores increased by a point in three states, and held steady in 21.
  
  

Most states still hold average scores above their 2020 levels.

Average credit score by metro area: Madison, Wisconsin leads at 754

Madison's average FICO® Score is 91 points higher than McAllen, Texas, the lowest-scoring major U.S. metro area, at 663, according to FICO data as of April 2026. San Jose (749) and San Francisco (745) hold the second and third spots, giving the Bay Area two of the five highest-scoring metros even though California's statewide average lands closer to the middle of the pack.

The highest-scoring metros cluster in the Midwest, the Mountain West, and the West Coast, several of them university or tech-industry hubs. Minneapolis-St. Paul ranks fourth among metros at 744, consistent with Minnesota's position as the top-scoring state overall. The lowest-scoring metros are concentrated in the South and along the Texas-Mexico border, matching the regional pattern already visible in the state-level data.

The metro data shows how much credit health can vary within a single state. California spans a 56-point range, from San Jose's 749 down to Bakersfield's 693. Texas spans 54 points, from Austin's 717 down to McAllen's 663. Those in-state gaps are wider than the differences between many pairs of states.

How to boost your credit score

Raising your credit score is important for getting approved for the best credit cards and loans. Thankfully the checklist for doing so isn't too lengthy.

• Pay bills on time: Payment history is the most important part of how FICO® Scores and VantageScores are calculated, and a single late payment can lower your credit score. Setting up autopay for recurring payments can make improving your payment history much simpler. Opening a credit card for fair/average credit and making payments on time can help build payment history.
• Pay down debt: Having a healthy credit utilization ratio -- the credit card debt held relative to your overall credit limit -- is the second most important aspect of credit scoring. To keep your credit utilization ratio low, pay off your credit card each month in full. If that's not possible, aim for a ratio of 30% or less. Asking your credit card provider to increase your credit limit can also lower your credit utilization ratio.
• Limit activities that generate hard credit inquiries: Hard credit checks can decrease your credit score and occur when applying for a new credit card or loan.