The average credit score by age, state, and year

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• The average American has a FICO credit score of 703, according to data from Experian — that’s considered ‘good’ by FICO’s ratings.
• Credit scores are numerical ratings of your borrowing and repayment history, commonly used by banks to determine eligibility for loans and interest rates. 
• People over 50 have average credit scores higher than the national average. Scores in some states, including Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota, tend to exceed the US average, too. 
• Get your free credit score with CreditKarma

The average credit score during the second quarter of 2019 in the US was 703, according to credit reporting company Experian. 

Credit scores, which are like a grade for your borrowing history, fall in a range of 300 to 850. The higher your score, the better — people with higher credit scores tend to get better interest rates on loans, have access to credit cards with better perks and lower interest rates, and could even pay less for insurance.

The FICO model of credit scoring puts credit scores into five categories: 

• Poor: 300-579
• Fair: 580-669
• Good: 670-739
• Very good: 740-799
• Excellent: 800-850

Based on this scoring system, the average American has a good credit score. But, the average credit score is different by demographic.

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Average credit score by age

The average credit score looks very different between age groups. As credit scores are calculated on credit and borrowing history, older people have higher credit scores on average due to a more extensive borrowing history. Here’s how it breaks down by age group, according to data from Experian:

Age group	Average credit score in 2019 (FICO)
20-29	662
30-39	673
40-49	684
50-59	706
60+	749

Average credit score by year

Americans actually have better credit than ever. The average FICO score has increased about 10 points the past seven years. Here’s how it’s risen, according to Experian data:

Year	Average credit score (FICO)
2012	693
2013	691
2014	693
2015	695
2016	699
2017	699
2018	701
2019	703

Americans have more credit card debt than ever before, with a total of 930 billion in the fourth quarter of 2019. But at the same time, credit scores are rising. The period spanning from June 2009 until early 2020  became America’s longest-running period of economic expansion, and brought low unemployment rates. This could have contributed to America’s rising credit scores, with more people borrowing money and paying bills on time. 

By Liz Knueven