The average credit score in America is 713, according to Experian's September 2025 data using the FICO Score 8 model. That's a two-point drop from 2024 — the first annual decline since 2013 — though 70% of Americans still hold a score of 670 or higher, which sits in the "good" range by FICO standards.
Quick Answer
|
Data Point |
Figure |
|
National Average FICO Score (2025) |
713 |
|
Change from 2024 |
−2 points |
|
Last time scores declined |
2013 |
|
% of Americans with good or better score |
70% |
|
Score model used |
FICO Score 8 |
FICO or VantageScore — Which Model Produces the 713 Average?
Before getting into the numbers, this matters more than most people realize.
There are two widely used credit scoring models in the US: FICO and VantageScore. Both produce a score between 300 and 850, but they weigh factors differently and aren't interchangeable.
The national average of 713 — the one most news outlets and credit bureaus report — is based on FICO Score 8, the version used in over 90% of US lending decisions, according to CNBC Select.
VantageScore tends to produce slightly different numbers for the same consumer. So if your bank shows you a VantageScore and you're comparing it to the national average, you're not quite comparing apples to apples.
|
Factor |
FICO Weight |
VantageScore Weight |
|
Payment history |
35% |
40% |
|
Amounts owed / credit used |
30% |
20% |
|
Length of credit history |
15% |
21% (age + type combined) |
|
Credit mix |
10% |
— (folded into other factors) |
|
New credit |
10% |
5% |
|
Available credit |
— |
3% |
|
Total balances/debt |
— |
11% |
In practice, most lenders pull a FICO score — not VantageScore — when evaluating a loan or credit card application. That's why the FICO figure is the one worth tracking most closely.
What Is the Average Credit Score in America Right Now?
The 2025 national average of 713 sits in the "good" tier of the FICO scale (670–739). It's not exceptional, but it's not worrying either — at least not for most borrowers.
What's more significant is the trend behind the number.
How the US Average Has Shifted From 2020 to 2025
|
Year |
National Average FICO Score |
|
2020 |
711 |
|
2021 |
714 |
|
2022 |
716 |
|
2023 |
715 |
|
2024 |
715 |
|
2025 |
713 |
Source: Experian annual data, September of each year
Scores climbed steadily after the post-2008 financial crisis period bottomed out around 2013. For over a decade after that, the national average either held or rose every year. The 2025 dip is modest in raw numbers — but it breaks a meaningful streak.
What Does a 713 Score Actually Get You?
This is the question competitors rarely answer directly. A 713 score — right in the middle of the "good" range — is enough for most mainstream financial products, but it won't unlock the lowest rates.
|
Credit Score Tier |
Typical Access |
Rate Impact vs. Best Available |
|
800–850 (Exceptional) |
Best rates on all products |
Baseline (lowest possible) |
|
740–799 (Very Good) |
Strong approval odds, competitive rates |
Marginally higher |
|
670–739 (Good / where 713 sits) |
Approved for most products |
Noticeably higher rates |
|
580–669 (Fair) |
Limited options, higher rates |
Significantly higher |
|
300–579 (Poor) |
Mostly secured products |
Highest rates or declined |
Interestingly, most people with a 713 score won't be rejected for a credit card or car loan. But they will pay more in interest than someone with a 760. Over a 30-year mortgage, that difference can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. That's not a scare tactic — it's just how rate tiers work.
What Counts as a Good Credit Score in America?
FICO Score Ranges — Full Breakdown
|
Score Range |
Rating |
How Lenders Generally View It |
|
800–850 |
Exceptional |
Minimal risk; best terms offered |
|
740–799 |
Very Good |
Low risk; strong approval odds |
|
670–739 |
Good |
Acceptable risk; standard terms |
|
580–669 |
Fair |
Elevated risk; limited options |
|
300–579 |
Poor |
High risk; often declined or secured-only |
A score of 670 is the most commonly cited threshold where borrowing becomes meaningfully more accessible. Below that, options narrow and costs rise quickly.
How Many Americans Fall Into Each Score Range?
The distribution shifted noticeably in 2025 — and not in a single direction.
|
FICO Score Range |
% of Consumers (2024) |
% of Consumers (2025) |
|
Poor (300–579) |
13.2% |
14.7% |
|
Fair (580–669) |
15.5% |
14.9% |
|
Good (670–739) |
21.0% |
20.1% |
|
Very Good (740–799) |
27.8% |
27.5% |
|
Exceptional (800–850) |
22.5% |
22.8% |
Source: Experian, September 2025
Both ends of the spectrum grew simultaneously. The "poor" category expanded while the "exceptional" category hit an all-time high at 22.8%. The middle tiers — fair, good, and very good — all shrank slightly.
What this suggests is a gradual pulling apart at both ends. More Americans are struggling while, at the same time, a record share have reached exceptional credit health. Whether that continues into 2026 depends heavily on employment and inflation trends.
Average Credit Score in America by State (2026)
Highest and Lowest Scoring States
|
Rank |
State |
2024 Score |
2025 Score |
Change |
|
Highest |
Minnesota |
742 |
741 |
−1 |
|
2nd |
Vermont |
737 |
737 |
0 |
|
3rd |
Wisconsin |
738 |
737 |
−1 |
|
4th |
New Hampshire |
736 |
735 |
−1 |
|
5th |
Washington |
735 |
734 |
−1 |
|
Lowest |
Mississippi |
680 |
677 |
−3 |
|
2nd Lowest |
Louisiana |
690 |
686 |
−4 |
|
3rd Lowest |
Alabama |
692 |
689 |
−3 |
|
4th Lowest |
Georgia |
695 |
692 |
−3 |
|
5th Lowest |
Oklahoma |
696 |
693 |
−3 |
Source: Experian, September 2025
The spread between Minnesota and Mississippi is 64 points. That's a substantial gap — large enough to meaningfully affect what loan terms a borrower in either state is likely to receive, all else being equal.
What Explains the Regional Divide?
The Upper Midwest and New England consistently score higher; the South consistently scores lower. This pattern has held for years.
What's often overlooked is that no single factor explains it cleanly. Local unemployment rates, median household incomes, cost of living pressures, and historical access to financial services all appear to be correlated with state-level credit scores. But none have been confirmed as the singular cause in the data. It's a layered picture, not a simple one.
Worth noting: Louisiana and Washington D.C. saw the steepest declines of any region in 2025 — both dropping four points. Illinois, Maine, and Vermont were the only three places where the average held flat.
Average Credit Score by Age in America (2025)
How Scores Break Down Across Generations
|
Generation |
Age Range (2025) |
2024 Score |
2025 Score |
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
The younger the generation, the steeper the decline. Gen Z dropped three points; Millennials dropped two. Baby Boomers, on the other hand, actually improved by one point.
Why the Age Gap Exists
For younger Americans, it comes down to three things: shorter credit history, higher student loan exposure, and fewer established account types. Credit scoring models reward time — a 10-year-old account carries more weight than a 2-year-old one. That's not fixable quickly.
The ending of the SAVE student loan income-based repayment plan in 2025 is particularly relevant here. Nearly 8 million borrowers were enrolled. With that program gone, interest is accruing again and monthly payments are rising — placing extra financial pressure on the generations most likely to carry federal student debt.
Baby Boomers, by contrast, tend to have paid-off or near-paid mortgages, longer account histories, and lower revolving balances relative to their credit limits. Their credit profile is, in many ways, the easiest to maintain once built.
Is a Lower Score at 25 Normal?
Yes — and it's expected. A 678 average for Gen Z is not a crisis; it reflects where most people are at the start of their credit journey. The key is building consistently from there.
What Is Driving the 2025 Credit Score Decline?
Not everything causing this decline is equally confirmed by data. Here's an honest split between what the numbers show and what appears likely.
Confirmed by Data
- Mortgage delinquencies rose from 2.24% in 2024 to 2.45% in 2025
- Auto loan delinquencies rose from 3.68% to 3.78%
- Credit application rejection rates climbed to record highs — as reported by Bloomberg, applications for auto loans and mortgage refinancing were turned down at the highest rates in more than a decade, with rejection rates rising across all major credit types
- The SAVE repayment plan ended, affecting millions of student loan borrowers
- Unemployment rates increased, though from historically low levels
Likely Contributing — Stated With Appropriate Caution
- Sustained inflation has compressed household budgets, particularly for shelter and transportation costs
- Consumer confidence indexes have declined sharply — though sentiment and actual credit behavior don't always move in lockstep
- Credit card application volume softened in 2025, suggesting consumers are becoming more cautious about taking on new debt
In practice, most financial advisors and credit analysts treat rising delinquency rates as the most direct signal to watch — because missed payments (35% of a FICO score) are the fastest route to score decline.
How Credit Scores Are Calculated in America
The Five FICO Score Factors
|
Factor |
Weight |
What It Means in Practice |
|
Payment history |
35% |
On-time payments build it; missed ones damage it quickly |
|
Amounts owed (utilization) |
30% |
Lower balances relative to limits = better score |
|
Length of credit history |
15% |
Older accounts help; closing them can hurt |
|
Credit mix |
10% |
Having cards, loans, and installment debt helps modestly |
|
New credit |
10% |
Too many applications in a short window triggers hard inquiries |
The Factor Most Americans Underestimate: Utilization
The national credit utilization rate held at 29% in 2025 for the second consecutive year — right at the edge of where it starts to hurt.
|
FICO Score Range |
Average Utilization Rate |
|
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
At first glance, 29% sounds fine. But look at the table above — consumers in the "good" range average 39%. To move into very good territory, utilization needs to drop considerably. Consumers with exceptional scores keep theirs under 10%, often well under.
This is the lever most people don't pull hard enough. Paying down balances — not just on time, but below 10% of the limit — is the fastest legitimate way to improve a score that's stuck in the 680–720 range.
Delinquency Rates by Debt Type (2025)
Which Debt Categories Are Falling Behind?
|
Account Type |
2023 Rate |
2024 Rate |
2025 Rate |
|
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
Mortgage delinquencies are rising the fastest in relative terms — nearly doubling from their 2023 levels. Auto loan delinquencies are also climbing steadily.
Credit card delinquencies, interestingly, are actually improving — down from 2.45% in 2023 to 2.31% in 2025. That runs against the narrative that consumers are uniformly struggling. The picture is more complicated than a single trend line suggests.
Three Common Credit Score Myths Worth Clearing Up
"Checking your score hurts it." It doesn't. Checking your own credit score is a soft inquiry and has zero impact on your FICO score. Only hard inquiries — initiated by a lender when you apply for credit — affect your score, and even then only slightly.
"Closing old credit card accounts is a good idea." Usually the opposite. Closing an old account reduces your total available credit (raising your utilization ratio) and can shorten your average account age — both of which work against your score.
"Carrying a small balance each month builds credit." No evidence supports this. Paying your balance in full avoids interest charges and keeps utilization low, which is what actually helps. The "small balance" idea is a persistent myth with no FICO basis.
How to Improve Your Credit Score From the American Average
If you're sitting near 713, you're not far from the "very good" threshold of 740. In practice, most people who move from the good range to very good do it through consistency — not dramatic action.
Highest-Impact Steps, In Order
- Pay every bill on time. Payment history is 35% of your score. One missed payment reported at 30+ days late can drop a score by 60–110 points, depending on where you start.
- Bring utilization below 30% — then aim for below 10%. The national average sits at 29%. Moving to the low single digits is what separates the good tier from the exceptional tier.
- Keep older accounts open. Even if you rarely use a card, closing it can shorten your credit history and reduce available credit.
- Avoid multiple credit applications in a short window. Each hard inquiry has a small negative impact. Several in a few months signals risk to lenders.
- Check your credit report for errors annually. Errors on credit reports are more common than most people expect. Disputing and correcting them can produce meaningful score improvements with no financial outlay.
Conclusion
The average credit score in America is 713 in 2025 — a slight dip, but still in the "good" range. Most Americans remain creditworthy. Younger generations and lower-income borrowers are feeling the most strain. Knowing where you stand, and why, is the most practical starting point.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is the average credit score in America in 2025?
The national average FICO Score is 713 as of September 2025, based on Experian data. It fell two points from 2024 — the first annual decline since 2013. Most Americans (70%) still hold a score of 670 or above.
Q2: Is 713 a good credit score?
Yes. A 713 score falls in the "good" range (670–739) on the FICO scale. It qualifies for most mainstream loans and credit cards, though rates won't be as competitive as those offered to borrowers above 740.
Q3: Which state has the highest average credit score?
Minnesota holds the highest average at 741 as of 2025. Mississippi has the lowest at 677 — a 64-point spread that reflects regional differences in income, employment, and financial access.
Q4: Why did average credit scores drop in 2025?
The main confirmed factors are rising mortgage and auto loan delinquencies, the ending of the SAVE student loan repayment plan, and record-high credit application rejection rates. Inflation and unemployment pressures also contributed.
Q5: Does checking your credit score lower it?
No. Checking your own score is a soft inquiry and has no effect on your FICO score. Only hard inquiries — triggered by lender applications — cause a small, temporary dip.
