Average American Credit Score in 2026: National Data, Age Breakdowns and What It Means for You

The average American credit score is 713 as of September 2025, a two-point drop from 2024 — and the first annual decline since 2013. It still falls in the "good" range, but the details behind that number tell a more interesting story.

Understanding the FICO Credit Score Scale

Before diving into what 713 means, it helps to know the full range. FICO scores — the most widely used credit scoring model by lenders — run from 300 to 850 across five tiers.

Score Range	Rating	What It Generally Signals to Lenders
300–579	Poor	High lending risk; approvals are limited
580–669	Fair	Fewer options; higher interest rates apply
670–739	Good	Broad access to most credit products
740–799	Very Good	Competitive rates on most loans
800–850	Exceptional	Best available rates and terms

At 713, the national average sits in the "good" tier. That means most Americans can access credit. The catch? Not always at the best rates available. The threshold where loan pricing typically improves is 740 — and that gap matters more than most people realize.

Has the Average Credit Score Always Been This High?

Not quite. The national average was meaningfully lower before 2020, and what followed was over a decade of steady improvement. That streak ended in 2025.

Even with the recent dip, scores across most states are still above where they stood in 2020. The decline is real, but it doesn't erase years of progress. In practice, the long-term trend still points upward — this is a speed bump, not a reversal.

Why Did the Average Credit Score Drop in 2025?

A few things converged at once.

Economic Pressures on Consumers

Housing costs stayed elevated. Driving-related expenses stayed high. The job market wasn't shedding jobs at scale — but it wasn't adding many either. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York noted that, heading into 2026, consumers expected both a tighter job market and higher prices ahead.

Credit application rejection rates hit record highs during 2025, particularly for mortgages and auto loans. That's a telling sign: lenders tightened standards precisely when more consumers were looking for help.

Consumer confidence indexes dropped sharply — and while those numbers don't always track real economic activity, they do influence spending and borrowing behavior.

Student Loan Changes Hit Younger Borrowers Hard

The SAVE income-based repayment plan — which had reduced monthly obligations for millions of federal student loan borrowers — was ended in 2025. Interest resumed accruing on nearly 8 million accounts, and monthly payments for those borrowers moved higher under less generous repayment terms.

As reported by CNBC, the resumption of federal student loan delinquency reporting on credit files became one of the most significant contributors to the national score decline — with severe delinquencies surpassing pre-pandemic levels for the first time. Gen Z and Millennials absorbed most of that pressure.

What Isn't Causing the Drop

Here's what's often overlooked: credit utilization has held steady at 29% nationally for two consecutive years. People aren't running up card balances recklessly. The decline in scores reflects broader economic strain, not a sudden collapse in individual financial discipline.

How Is a Credit Score Calculated?

FICO Score Factors and Their Weights

Factor	Weight	What It Measures
Payment history	35%	On-time vs. missed or late payments
Amounts owed	30%	Credit utilization across all accounts
Length of credit history	15%	Age of oldest, newest, and average accounts
Credit mix	10%	Variety of credit types held
New credit	10%	Recent applications and hard inquiries

Payment history and utilization together account for 65% of the score. Everything else is secondary. In practice, people with strong scores tend to share two habits: they pay on time, every time, and they don't carry high balances relative to their limits.

FICO vs. VantageScore — Why You Might See Two Different Numbers

This trips a lot of people up. If your bank app shows 730 but a lender pulls your credit and sees 708, both numbers can be accurate. They're just from different models.

VantageScore — used by free tools like Credit Karma and Chase Credit Journey — weights factors differently. Payment history carries 40%, and age and type of credit account for 21%. The 300–850 range is the same, but the thresholds for each tier differ slightly.

When lenders pull credit for a major loan decision, they almost always use FICO 8. Knowing which model you're looking at avoids unnecessary confusion when you're preparing to apply.

Average American Credit Score by Age in 2025

Credit scores and age have a predictable relationship. The longer you've been borrowing responsibly, the more history you have — and history accounts for 15% of your FICO score. Older consumers also tend to carry lower utilization and more diversified credit profiles.

Generational Benchmarks — 2024 vs. 2025

Generation	Age Range (2025)	2024 Average	2025 Average	Change
Generation Z	18–28	681	678	−3
Millennials	29–44	691	689	−2
Generation X	45–60	709	709	0
Baby Boomers	61–79	746	747	+1
Silent Generation	80+	760	760	0

Source: Experian, September 2025

Gen Z and Millennials took the hardest hits in 2025 — no coincidence given the student loan changes. Baby Boomers saw a modest uptick. Many carry paid-down mortgages, fewer active monthly obligations, and decades of clean payment history working in their favor.

Despite the declines, every generational average still falls in either the "good" (670–739) or "very good" (740–799) range.

Decade-by-Decade Benchmarks

If generational groupings feel too broad, here's a decade-by-decade look:

• 20s: ~662
• 30s: ~672
• 40s: ~684
• 50s: ~706
• 60s and older: ~749

Being below your decade's average isn't a crisis. It is a useful signal.

How Americans Are Distributed Across Score Tiers

A single national average can obscure a lot. Here's how the full population is spread.

Score Range	Rating	2024	2025
300–579	Poor	13.2%	14.7%
580–669	Fair	15.5%	14.9%
670–739	Good	21.0%	20.1%
740–799	Very Good	27.8%	27.5%
800–850	Exceptional	22.5%	22.8%

Source: Experian, September 2025

Both extremes grew at the same time. More Americans are in the poor range than a year ago — but the share in the exceptional range hit an all-time high of 22.8%. The middle tiers are shrinking slightly.

Consumers are sorting toward the edges, which broadly mirrors what's happening economically: higher-income households are holding steady while lower-income households absorb more of the strain.

Average Credit Score by State in 2025

Geography doesn't directly set your score, but regional economic conditions shape the broader averages.

As reported by Fortune, the pattern of state-level credit score declines reflects a national trend tied to rising debt loads and delinquency — a trend that has continued into 2025 with no state seeing an improvement.

State	2024 Average	2025 Average	Change
Minnesota	742	741	−1
Vermont	737	737	0
Wisconsin	738	737	−1
New Hampshire	736	735	−1
Washington	735	734	−1
Oklahoma	696	693	−3
Arkansas	695	693	−2
Alabama	692	689	−3
Louisiana	690	686	−4
Mississippi	680	677	−3

Top 5 and bottom 5 states shown. Source: Experian, September 2025

Three states — Illinois, Maine, and Vermont — held steady. Louisiana and Washington, D.C., saw the steepest drops at four points each. The spread between the highest and lowest scoring states is roughly 64 points. That's a meaningful gap when you're applying for a mortgage and lenders are pricing based on local risk patterns.

Credit Utilization — What the Numbers Actually Show

How much of your available credit you're using — your credit utilization ratio — is the second biggest driver of your FICO score. The standard advice is to stay below 30%. The reality is a bit more nuanced.

Score Range	Average 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 sits at 29% — technically within the recommended ceiling. But look at where exceptional scorers land: 7%. The 30% rule is a floor to stay out of trouble, not a target to aim for. Consumers pushing toward 740 and above typically keep utilization well under 15%.

Delinquency Rates by Account Type

Missed payments do more damage to a credit score than almost anything else. Here's where delinquency trends currently stand.

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 (unsecured)	3.89%	3.86%	3.76%

Source: Experian, September 2025

Credit card delinquencies are actually declining slightly — people are managing revolving debt more carefully than a year ago. Mortgage and auto loan delinquencies are rising, which fits the broader affordability picture. Neither figure is alarming historically, but the direction of travel for secured debt is worth watching.

What Does Your Credit Score Actually Qualify You For?

Knowing your score is useful. Knowing what it unlocks is more useful.

Financial Product	Typical Minimum Score	Notes
Conventional mortgage	620–640+	Best rates generally start above 740
FHA mortgage	500–580+	Depends on down payment amount
Auto loan	600+	Below 600 options exist at significantly higher rates
Personal loan	580–640+	Wide variance by lender
Rewards credit card	670+	Premium cards typically require 720+
Balance transfer card	670–700+	Best offers usually need 740+

These are general thresholds based on widely reported lender guidelines. Individual lenders set their own criteria.

A score of 713 gets you through most doors. It won't always get you the best rate on the other side. The difference between 713 and 750 on a 30-year mortgage can add up to thousands of dollars over the life of the loan. That gap is worth closing — and it's achievable.

How to Improve Your Credit Score

Highest Impact: Payment History and Utilization

These two factors make up 65% of your FICO score. Pay every account on time — not mostly on time, but consistently. And bring revolving balances down. If your utilization is sitting above 30%, that's the fastest lever available. Consumers targeting the exceptional range typically stay under 10%, not just under 30%.

Medium Impact: History Length and Credit Mix

Keep older accounts open. The age of your oldest account and your average account age both matter. Closing a card you rarely use might feel tidy — it can actually shorten your history and nudge your score down. A mix of installment loans and revolving credit helps modestly over time.

Starting From Scratch or Rebuilding

A secured credit card — where your deposit becomes your credit limit — is a practical starting point. It builds payment history with controlled risk. Becoming an authorized user on a responsible family member's account can also add positive history quickly.

Before anything else, check your credit report for errors. Roughly one in five credit reports contains an inaccuracy. Disputing and removing incorrect negative items costs nothing and can move a score meaningfully.

Checking your own score is a soft inquiry — it does not lower your FICO score. Free options include Experian, annualcreditreport.com, Credit Karma, and Chase Credit Journey. Note which model each uses — FICO 8 or VantageScore — so you're always comparing like for like.

Conclusion

The average American credit score is 713 — still good, but slipping for the first time in over a decade. Younger borrowers and lower-income households feel the most pressure. The practical target to unlock better loan terms is 740+. Payment history and controlled utilization remain the two highest-leverage factors, by a wide margin.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average American credit score in 2025?

The average FICO Score in the US is 713 as of September 2025, per Experian data. That's a two-point decline from 2024 — the first annual drop since 2013 — and falls in the "good" credit range of 670–739.

Is a 700 credit score considered good?

Yes. A 700 FICO score falls in the "good" tier (670–739). Most lenders will approve applications at this level. For the best rates on mortgages and auto loans, a score of 740 or higher is typically where pricing improves noticeably.

At what age do most Americans reach a good credit score?

Based on generational averages, scores typically enter the "good" range in the early 30s. Scores climb steadily with age as credit history grows and balances tend to decrease relative to available credit.

What is the difference between a FICO score and a VantageScore?

Both use a 300–850 scale but weight factors differently. FICO 8 is the standard most lenders use for major credit decisions. VantageScore is common in free monitoring apps. The same person can see different numbers from each model — neither is inaccurate.

How can I check my credit score without hurting it?

Checking your own score is a soft inquiry and does not affect your FICO score. Free options include Experian, annualcreditreport.com, Credit Karma (VantageScore), and Chase Credit Journey (VantageScore). Check which model each tool uses before comparing scores across platforms.