Average Credit Score in America: Current Data, Age Breakdowns, and What It Means

The average credit score in America is 713 as of September 2025, per Experian's FICO Score 8 data. That marks a two-point drop from 2024 and the first annual decline since 2013. Most Americans still fall in the "good" range — but the shift is worth understanding.

Why This Number Matters

A single three-digit number carries a lot of weight. It influences whether you get approved for a mortgage, what interest rate you're offered on a car loan, and sometimes even whether a landlord accepts your rental application.

What's often overlooked is that the national average is not just trivia — it's a useful benchmark. If your score is above 713, you're ahead of the midpoint. If it's below, you have a clearer picture of where you stand relative to other borrowers.

Also Read: gomyfinance.com credit score

How Credit Scores Are Actually Measured

Two models dominate U.S. credit scoring: FICO and VantageScore. Both run on a 300–850 scale. FICO Score 8 is the version most lenders use and the basis for the national averages in this article.

FICO scores are built from five factors:

• Payment history — 35%
• Amounts owed — 30%
• Length of credit history — 15%
• Credit mix — 10%
• New credit — 10%

VantageScore weighs things slightly differently — payment history counts for 40%, and the age and type of credit you hold accounts for 21%. In practice, the two models usually produce similar results, but they are not identical. When a lender says they pulled your credit score, it is worth asking which model they used.

What the FICO Score Ranges Mean

A score of 670 or above is broadly considered "good" by most lenders. As of 2025, roughly 70% of Americans meet that threshold.

The Average Credit Score in America Right Now

The national average FICO score in America was 713 in September 2025. That places the average American squarely in the "good" range — but just barely trending downward.

A year earlier the figure was 715.

Before that, scores had been climbing steadily for more than a decade. The 2025 dip marks the first annual decline since 2013. It is not a collapse. But it is a reversal that reflects real economic pressure on household finances and as reported by CNBC, high interest rates and rising prices have pushed more consumers deeper into debt, contributing directly to the score decline.

Interestingly, the decline is not uniform. Some Americans are doing better than ever on credit. Others are slipping. More on that below.

How Americans Are Distributed Across Score Ranges (2025)

What this table shows is a mild polarization. The share of consumers with exceptional scores hit an all-time high of 22.8%. At the same time, the share in the poor range grew from 13.2% to 14.7%.

The middle is thinning slightly with consumers drifting toward both ends. Some financial commentators have described this as a "K-shaped" credit landscape, where higher-income households continue to strengthen their position while others face growing strain.

Average Credit Score by Age Group

Scores tend to rise with age. That is not surprising older consumers have longer credit histories, more account types, and often lower balances relative to their limits. A 25-year-old and a 65-year-old are not operating with the same credit profile, even if both are responsible borrowers.

Average Credit Score by Generation (2025)

Younger generations absorbed the steepest declines. Gen Z dropped three points; Millennials dropped two. Both groups are more likely to carry student loan debt, and many were affected by the winding down of the SAVE income-based repayment plan in 2025 — which pushed monthly payments higher for millions of borrowers.

Baby Boomers, by contrast, edged up one point. Older consumers tend to have paid-off or low-balance mortgages, fewer ongoing financial obligations, and a long, stable payment history working in their favor.

What's worth noting: despite the declines, every generation still averages in the "good" or "very good" FICO range. No generation has fallen into "fair" territory on average.

Average Credit Score by State

Average FICO scores fell in most states in 2025. Not a single state saw an increase. Three states Illinois, Maine, and Vermont held steady.

Top and Bottom States by Average FICO Score (2025)

State averages reflect regional economic conditions and demographics. They do not determine how a lender will evaluate your individual application — your personal credit file is what matters. Louisiana and Washington D.C. saw the sharpest drops, each falling four points in a single year.

What Affects Your Credit Score Most

Understanding the national average credit score is one thing. Knowing what moves your own number is more useful.Payment history is the single biggest factor at 35%. One missed payment can leave a mark that takes months to recover from.

Lenders look at this first.Credit utilization — how much of your available credit you are actually using — accounts for 30%. The commonly cited guidance is to stay below 30% of your total credit limit. According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, credit card balance data consistently shows that consumers with lower credit scores carry significantly higher balances relative to their limits.

In practice, consumers with exceptional scores typically keep utilization under 10%.Nationally, average credit card utilization held steady at 29% in 2025 for the second consecutive year. That means utilization alone is not driving the score decline other factors, like missed payments and higher delinquency rates on auto loans and mortgages, are doing more of the damage.

Length of credit history matters too, which is why closing old accounts even ones you rarely use can sometimes backfire. The age of your oldest account and the average age across all your accounts both factor in.

How to Improve Your Credit Score

There is no shortcut here. Lenders commonly note that borrowers with the strongest scores got there through consistent, unglamorous habits over time — not through tricks or rapid fixes.

Five things that reliably help:

1. Pay on time, every time. Set up autopay for at least the minimum if you are prone to forgetting.
2. Keep balances low. Aim for under 30% utilization on each card. Under 10% if you are trying to push into the "exceptional" range.
3. Do not close old accounts. Especially your oldest ones. The history they carry is an asset.
4. Limit hard inquiries. Every new credit application triggers one. Too many in a short window signals risk to lenders.
5. Check your credit report regularly. Errors happen. A wrongly reported late payment can drag your score down for years if left uncorrected. Pairing this habit with a tool to track your budget on gomyfinance.com can help you stay on top of both spending and credit health at the same time.

Also Read: gomyfinance.com create budget

Conclusion

The average credit score in America is 713 in 2025 — still in "good" territory, but down for the first time in over a decade. Younger Americans are feeling the most pressure, while older generations remain stable. Knowing where the average sits gives you a practical benchmark, but your individual history is what lenders actually look at.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average credit score in America right now?

The average credit score in America is 713 as of September 2025, based on FICO Score 8 data from Experian. This is two points lower than the 2024 average of 715.

Is a 700 credit score considered good?

Yes. A 700 FICO score falls in the "good" range (670–739). Most lenders will approve standard loan and credit card applications at this level, though the best rates typically require 740 or above.

Why did the average credit score drop in 2025?

The decline reflects broader economic pressure — higher living costs, rising unemployment, and increased loan delinquencies, particularly in auto loans and mortgages. It is the first annual drop since 2013.

What is a good credit score for my age?

All generations currently average in the "good" or "very good" FICO range. Gen Z averages 678, Millennials 689, Gen X 709, Baby Boomers 747, and the Silent Generation 760.

Does the average credit score differ by state?

Yes. Minnesota leads at 741 while Mississippi averages 677. State averages reflect local economic conditions but do not directly affect how individual lenders evaluate your application.