What's the average credit score?

The average credit score is 715, according to FICO, the data analytics firm whose scoring models are used in 90% of lending decisions.

That's compared to 716 in January 2025 and 717 in April 2024. The average score peaked n April 2023 at 718.

Delinquent student loan payments powered this most recent drop, according to FICO. The moratorium on federal student loan payments and interest was lifted in October 2023. The Biden administration instituted a one-year grace period, during which late or missed payments wouldn't be reported to credit bureaus.

That "on ramp" period ended on September 30, 2024.

Federal student loan delinquencies aren't reported until they're 90 days past due, FICO indicated, so those past due payments are only now showing up on credit reports.

FICO also pointed to elevated interest rates, a spike in 90-day delinquencies and an increased reliance on credit cards. Americans used an average of 36.1% of their available credit limit in February 2025, compared to 21.3% in 2024 and 20.5% in 2023.

While still considered a  "good" credit score, 715 is a bit shy of the record 718 reached in April 2023.

Introduced in 1989, the FICO credit score is a three-digit figure that indicates to lenders how likely you are to repay your debt in full and on time. It's generated based on a variety of criteria, mainly:

Payment history: How often did you make full, on-time payments? This is the largest percentage of your credit score.

Credit utilization: What percentage of your total available credit are you tapping into right now?

Length of credit history: How long you've been using credit.

New credit: If you apply and receive several credit cards, the proliferation of new lines of credit will lower your score.

Credit mix: Lenders want to see a variety of lines of credit across several (but not too many) accounts.

While FICO is the industry standard, VantageScore is another credit score model used by some lenders.

In February 2025, FICO reported that the average credit score was 715. While 850 is a perfect score, 715 is still considered "good" for both FICO and VantageScore and would qualify you for a prime car loan interest rate.

It's well above the 620 needed to be approved for a conventional mortgage, but about 45 points shy of the 760 that will get you the best rates for a home loan.

FICO score ranges

Excellent: 800 to 850

Very good: 740 to 799

Good: 670 to 739

Fair: 580 to 669

Poor: 300 to 579

VantageScore ranges

Excellent: 781 to 850

Good: 661 to 780

Fair: 601 to 660

Poor: 500 to 600

Very poor: 300 to 499

According to FICO, stimulus programs from the government in the wake of the Covid-19 epidemic helped buoy credit scores, as did an inability to travel and purchase luxury goods.

Scores have declined in recent years, as interest rates have risen and more consumers have fallen behind on their payments. The end of the moratorium on student loan payments is another contributing factor, according to FICO.

The state with the highest average FICO score is Minnesota, with a 742. The state with the lowest credit score is Mississippi, with a 680.

1. Pay down revolving lines of credit

Credit card bills and other revolving lines of credit are the largest factor in determining your credit score. Paying off your revolving debt will have the biggest and fastest impact on your credit score because it keeps your credit utilization rate low. 

Whether you can afford to pay off an entire account or need to chip away at it slowly, you should see an improvement fairly quickly.

2. Increase your credit limit

Another factor in your credit score is your credit utilization ratio, the amount of available credit you have versus the amount you are using. One easy way to boost your ratio is to ask your credit card company for a limit increase.

The catch is, you can't spend that additional credit or you'll just slide deeper into debt.

How often you apply for and open new accounts gets factored into your credit score. Each application requires the card issuer or lender to pull your credit report, which results in a hard inquiry on your report and dings your credit score a few points.

3. Check your credit report for errors

One way to quickly increase your credit score is to review your credit report for any errors that could be negatively impacting you. Your score may increase if you are able to dispute them and have them removed. 

About 25% of Americans have an error on their credit reports, so it's important to take the time to review. Some common errors to look out for include fraudulent or duplicated accounts, as well as misreported payments.

4. Ask to have paid-off entries removed from your credit report

You may have a series of late payments on your credit report, or perhaps an old collection account that's since been paid off still shows up. If this is the case, ask to have them removed. (And if you do have a collection account that's unpaid, make this a priority. Unpaid collection accounts can negatively impact your score.)

This step may take more time and effort on your end, but it could be worth it.

Try to convince them to not only show the account as paid, but to remove the account altogether, which could have a much bigger impact on your credit score.

Most credit card issuers provide free credit score access to their cardholders, although they rarely offer information on both FICO and VantageScores from all three bureaus.

CreditWise from Capital One and Chase Credit Journey, for example, offer free VantageScores from TransUnion.

Both also offer dark web surveillance and alerts about your Social Security number. Anyone can register for CreditWise or Chase Credit Journey, whether they're a cardholder or not.

Experian free credit monitoring shares your Experian credit report and the FICO score it generates, but it doesn't include three-bureau credit monitoring.

Here are other credit card issuers that provide free FICO Score access to cardholders, typically every 30 days.:

• American Express: Offers a free FICO score from Experian.
• Bank of America: Offers a free monthly FICO score from TransUnion
• Barclays: A free FICO score from TransUnion.
• Citi: FICO score from Equifax
• Wells Fargo: Banking customers can access their FICO score from Experian

You can also get a free copy of your credit report from all three bureaus once a year by visiting Annualcreditreport.com or calling 877-322-8228.

For both FICO and VantageScore scores from all three agencies, you'll need to enroll in a credit monitoring service or identity theft protection service, which usually also comes with dark web monitoring, password managers and VPN generators.

You can also subscribe to a credit repair service, which will work to correct any mistakes or fraudulent items on your credit report, thereby raising your score.

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every credit article is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of tax products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.

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