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Most people don’t think about their credit score until it starts costing them money. A higher interest rate, a rejected application, or a loan offer that doesn’t quite make sense is often the first sign that something is off.
That’s why knowing what the average American's credit score really is matters for you. The average provides a baseline that lenders quietly use to assess risk. Fall below it, and borrowing gets more expensive. Stay above it, and approvals tend to come easier. The gap between the two can add up to thousands of dollars over the life of a loan.
For borrowers carrying balances, juggling multiple payments, or trying to recover from past mistakes, that comparison becomes even more critical. This guide breaks down where the average credit score stands, what it signals to lenders in 2026, and how everyday credit behavior, not income or luck, determines where you land.
A credit score is a three-digit number ranging from 300 to 850 that represents your creditworthiness based on your credit history. Lenders use this number to determine how likely you are to repay borrowed money on time.
Comparing your credit score to national and demographic averages helps you understand where you stand financially. This comparison is valuable in specific situations:
When comparing scores is beneficial:
The average credit score in the United States is 715, according to data from Experian's 2024 Consumer Credit Review. This score falls within the "good" credit range and has remained remarkably stable over the past year despite economic challenges, including inflation, rising interest rates, and elevated consumer debt levels.
This stability tells an essential story about American financial behavior. For 11 consecutive years, the national average credit score has not decreased annually. This resilience is particularly notable given that U.S. total credit card debt reached $1294.5 billion in Q1 2025, reflecting significant financial pressure on consumers.
Key insights about the average score:
The average score of 715 indicates that most Americans can qualify for credit products with reasonable terms. However, those with higher scores typically receive better interest rates and more favorable loan terms.
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Credit scores are numerical summaries of your credit history that lenders use to assess how likely you are to repay borrowed money on time. These scores typically range from 300 to 850 in widely used scoring systems like FICO® and VantageScore; the higher your score, the more creditworthy you appear to lenders. A higher score can lead to easier loan and credit card approval, as well as better interest rates and terms.
Different credit score models categorize borrowers differently, but broadly, lenders place borrowers into categories such as Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, and Excellent based on where their scores fall. Below is a verified summary of what these credit score ranges mean and how lenders typically view them.
Note:
Each range signals a different level of lender confidence, which directly shapes approval odds, pricing, and borrowing flexibility.
Credit scores are not arbitrary numbers. They are calculated using specific data points from your credit report that predict how reliably you repay borrowed money. While multiple scoring models exist, most U.S. lenders rely on FICO Scores.
Payment history is the single most influential factor in your credit score. It reflects whether you pay your bills on time and how consistently you meet your obligations.
What impacts this factor:
Example: If you miss a credit card payment by 30 days, your score can drop 60–100 points. Repeated late payments compound the damage.
This factor measures how much of your available credit you are using. Lenders view high balances as a sign of financial stress.
Key elements lenders evaluate:
Length of credit history reflects how long you have been using credit. An extended history gives lenders more data to assess your behavior.
What matters most:
Opening new accounts introduces risk, mainly when multiple applications are submitted in a short period.
This category considers:
Credit mix evaluates the variety of credit types you manage. A balanced blend shows you can handle different financial responsibilities.
Types of credit considered:
Both FICO and VantageScore analyze similar data but apply different weightings.
Key differences:
Despite these differences, improving core behaviors, such as on-time payments and low utilization benefits, is key to scoring models.
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Your credit score is not static. It usually changes as your financial responsibilities grow, your income stabilizes, and your credit history lengthens. Across the U.S., credit scores tend to rise with age, not because older borrowers are perfect, but because time works in their favor when credit is managed responsibly.
Recent 2025 data from sources like FICO and Equifax confirms consistent generational patterns, with small variations driven by debt levels, inflation, and borrowing behavior.
If you are in Gen Z, your credit score is likely still forming. The average falls between 676 and 681, placing many in the good range, but early mistakes can carry an outsized impact.
What shapes Gen Z credit profiles:
At this stage, consistency matters more than perfection.
As a Millennial, your credit score typically reflects competing priorities. Average scores range from 680 to 687, solidly in the good range, but debt levels remain high.
Common pressures affecting Millennial credit:
Your score often improves as debt becomes more structured and income grows.
Generation X maintains average scores between 700 and 710, showing stability even while carrying the highest overall debt.
Why Gen X scores tend to hold steady:
At this stage, experience offsets higher balances.
Baby Boomers hold some of the strongest average scores, typically 742 to 746, placing most in the very good range.
Factors supporting higher Boomer scores:
Lower borrowing needs play a significant role here.
The Silent Generation consistently posts the highest scores, averaging 750-760 over multiple years.
What drives these top-tier scores:
Their scores reflect stability rather than active borrowing.
As you age, several credit score factors improve naturally when you avoid major missteps.
What improves over time:
This upward trend is not automatic, but it is achievable with consistent behavior. Moreover, generational trends show that time can work in your favor, but only when credit is managed with discipline.
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Your location influences your credit score more than you might expect. Regional economic conditions, cost of living, and local employment markets all play a role in credit health across different states.
Average credit scores range from 742 to 680, demonstrating significant geographic variation. These differences reflect broader economic patterns across regions. Listed below are the states with the highest to lowest credit scores.
States with higher average scores tend to combine stable employment, lower default rates, and longer credit histories rather than higher incomes alone.
If your state falls below the national average, it does not automatically signal a higher risk to lenders. State-level data mainly highlights broader regional trends rather than individual financial reliability.
These patterns provide useful context, but credit decisions are still driven by how debt, payments, and balances are managed at an individual level.
Suggested Read: What is Considered Too Much Credit Card Debt?
Discovering that your score falls below the national average of 715 doesn't mean you're stuck there. With strategic action, you can rebuild your credit and improve your financial position.
Here is what you can do:
Payment history is the most critical factor in a FICO Score. Even if you can only make minimum payments, paying on time protects this crucial component of your score.
Set up automatic payments for at least the minimum amount due. If you've already missed payments, get current as quickly as possible. The negative impact lessens over time as you build a pattern of on-time payments.
The amount of debt you carry accounts for roughly 30% of your credit score. Keeping your balances under 30% of your available credit, and closer to 10% when possible, helps protect this portion of your score.
Reduce balances with intention by paying down cards closest to their limits first. Making multiple payments during the billing cycle can also help keep reported balances lower. Leave older, paid-off accounts open, since closing them shrinks your total available credit and can push your utilization higher.
Collection accounts severely damage your credit. While paying collections won't remove them from your report immediately, it prevents future legal action and may improve your score under newer scoring models.
Contact collectors to negotiate settlements or payment plans. Request a "pay-for-delete" agreement in writing before paying, though not all collectors will agree. Document all communications and payments for your protection.
Inaccurate information on your credit report can unfairly lower your score. Review your reports from all three bureaus annually at AnnualCreditReport.com.
Dispute any errors you find with the credit bureau and the company that reported the information. Common mistakes include accounts that don't belong to you, incorrect payment statuses, and outdated information that should have been removed.
At large, targeted action focused on payment reliability and debt control creates the fastest path back toward the national range.
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When debt becomes difficult to manage, credit scores often decline. Missed payments, delinquent accounts, and collections signal higher risk to lenders and can suppress scores for years. Addressing the debt itself is usually the most effective way to stop further damage and create conditions for credit improvement.
Shepherd Outsourcing specializes in helping individuals regain control over overwhelming debt through structured resolution strategies. The focus is not on quick fixes, but on reducing total debt obligations and stabilizing monthly payments, which supports healthier credit behavior over time.
You get help with:
By lowering overall debt levels and resolving delinquent accounts, Shepherd Outsourcing helps remove the conditions that commonly suppress credit scores. As debts are settled and payment stability improves, credit reports begin to reflect reduced risk, creating the foundation for long-term score improvement.
Understanding what the average American’s credit score is gives you a useful benchmark, but it does not define your financial future. Credit outcomes change when the underlying pressures shaping them are addressed, especially unresolved debt that continues to strain monthly cash flow and reporting history.
If debt has become the main obstacle holding your score back, structured support can make a measurable difference. Shepherd Outsourcing focuses on helping individuals reduce and resolve debt through practical, negotiated solutions that bring stability back to personal finances. As debt becomes more manageable, the conditions for long-term credit improvement naturally follow.
Ready to take control of debt and move toward a stronger financial position? Get in touch with Shepherd Outsourcing to discuss your options and next steps.
Roughly 23% of U.S. consumers have a FICO Score of 800 or higher as of 2025. This group is concentrated among older borrowers with long, stable credit histories.
A perfect 850 score is infrequent. About 1.7% of Americans reach it, typically individuals with decades of flawless payment history and very low credit usage.
There is no practical difference for lending decisions. Both scores fall in the exceptional range and qualify for the best interest rates, limits, and approval terms.
Consistent on-time payments, keeping credit utilization low, maintaining older accounts, limiting new credit applications, and managing multiple credit types responsibly drive high scores.
Yes. Payment history makes up 35% of a FICO Score. Regular on-time payments steadily strengthen credit profiles and offset older negative marks over time.
©2024 by Shepherd Outsourcing.