What’s the Average Credit Score in America?

The average FICO® credit score in the U.S. was 710 in 2020. That’s according to data from an annual study by Experian®. 

The Experian 2020 Consumer Credit Review uses FICO scores nationwide to determine averages by age, state and more. FICO is a credit-scoring company that provides some of the most commonly used scores in America. Read on for more of the study’s findings and see what they mean for you.

Credit scores are based on the information in your credit reports. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), a credit score represents “a snapshot of a person’s creditworthiness.” And that’s why the CFPB says potential lenders might use your credit scores to make decisions about things like approving loans and extending credit. 

High scores can mean better interest rates when you buy a new home, a new car and more. 

But what is a good credit score? FICO says good credit scores fall between 670 and 739. That’s on a scoring range from 300 to 850. And in 2020, 69% of Americans had a credit score of 670 or higher.

Keep in mind: Credit-scoring companies use different formulas, or models, to calculate credit scores. And there are many different credit scores and scoring models. Some credit scores even use different ranges. That means people have more than one score out there. According to the CFPB, some of the most commonly used credit scores come from FICO and VantageScore®. 

Your age doesn’t directly impact your credit scores. But older people generally have better credit scores than younger people do. 

According to Experian, Americans who are 75 and older regularly have the highest FICO scores of any generation. One possible reason: Credit scores are partly determined by your credit history. And a longer history of responsible credit use can result in a better score.

You can use the following average scores to get a sense of where you stand compared with others your age.

Average FICO Score by Age Group in 2020

Source: Experian 2020 Consumer Credit Review

Where you live doesn’t directly impact your credit scores. But you might still be curious.

You can use the following averages to see how your credit scores compare with the average score in your state.

Average FICO Score by State in 2020

Source: Experian 2020 Consumer Credit Review

Experian’s data shows that the average FICO credit score in America has grown by around one point every year for the past 10 years. But from 2019 to 2020, the nation’s average credit score jumped seven points—from 703 to 710.

Ready to improve your credit score? Building credit takes time. But it’s possible to build and keep a good credit score if you practice responsible financial behaviors like paying your bills on time and staying well below your credit limits.

It can help to monitor your credit regularly. Aside from showing you where you stand, monitoring your credit can help you spot reporting errors and potential fraud attempts. Errors and fraud could hurt your scores.

CreditWise from Capital One makes that easy. The free tool lets you monitor your TransUnion® credit report and your VantageScore® 3.0 credit score. And checking it won’t hurt your score—a major plus if you’re working to improve a bad credit score—so you can check it as often as you like. The built-in CreditWise Simulator even lets you explore the potential impact of your financial decisions before you make them.