The Average Credit Score In America Is Now Excellent

If you’ve ever stared at your credit score the way you stare at a mystery stain on the couchworried, confused, and a little afraid to touch anythinghere’s some surprisingly good news: Americans, as a group, are doing better than ever with credit.

According to multiple major credit bureaus, the national average FICO® score is hovering around 715–717, tying or slightly below recent record highs and far above where it stood a decade ago. Another popular model, VantageScore, shows a similar story, with the U.S. average around 705.
On paper, that translates to “good” or “very good” credit for the average Americanjust shy of what most lenders call “excellent.”

So why are we calling it “excellent” in this article? Because when you zoom out and look at the trend, the distribution of scores, and the real-world opportunities those scores unlock, America’s credit picture is objectively the healthiest it’s ever beeneven with a small recent dip.

Wait, Isn’t 715 Just “Good,” Not Excellent?

Let’s clear this up first, because the internet loves a technicality.

On the classic 300–850 FICO scale:

• 670–739 = “Good”
• 740–799 = “Very good”
• 800–850 = “Exceptional” or “Excellent” (depending on the source)

In other words, the average FICO score around 715 sits squarely in the “good” rangecomfortably above the line where lenders start to relax and underwriters stop sweating. That doesn’t technically qualify as “excellent.”

But here’s why the phrase “The average credit score in America is now excellent” isn’t totally crazy:

• The average is near its historic high, after more than a decade of improvement.
• A huge share of Americans now sit in “very good” or “excellent/exceptional” territoryabout 23% with scores of 800+ as of 2025.
• Roughly three-quarters of consumers have scores above 670meaning the majority are considered at least “good” credit risks.

In other words, the typical American may only have a “good” number, but the overall landscapemore people with strong scores, more tools to improve credit, and more awarenessis what’s truly excellent.

How We Got to Today’s High Average Credit Score

A decade of quiet improvement

Before we talk about the recent wobble, it’s worth appreciating how far things have come. The average FICO score in the U.S. was around 710 in 2020 and 716 in 2021, up from lower levels in the mid-2000s. For roughly 11 years, average scores either climbed or held steadya remarkable run considering everything that happened in that period: a financial crisis hangover, a pandemic, and wild swings in the economy.

Several trends helped push the average credit score higher:

• More credit education: Banks, card issuers, and personal finance sites began pushing tools and content about how credit works.
• Free score access: Many cards and banks started offering free FICO or VantageScore updates, making your credit score less of a mystery and more of a dashboard metric.
• Refinancing booms: Low mortgage and refinance rates encouraged people to pay down higher-interest debt, lowering utilization.
• Pandemic savings spikes: Stimulus payments, lower discretionary spending, and forbearance programs helped many consumers pay down credit cards during COVID, which temporarily boosted scores.

The recent dip: still strong, just a bit bruised

The story isn’t perfectly smooth. In 2024 and 2025, the average FICO score nudged down from about 717 to 715still high, but the biggest year-over-year drop since the financial crisis.

What changed?

• Student loan payments returned: After federal student loan forbearance ended, missed payments started showing back up on credit reports in early 2025.
• Delinquencies ticked up: Roughly 2.7 million borrowers showed new student loan delinquencies on their reports, and many saw scores fall by more than 100 points.
• Higher credit utilization: Inflation, higher interest rates, and rising balances pushed utilization higher for many cardholdersthough some paid down holiday balances enough to partially offset that effect.

Even with those headwinds, a national average score in the mid-710s is still very strong. The “A-minus” got a tiny smudge, but it’s still an A-minus.

What “Excellent” Actually Looks Like on a Credit Report

To understand why today’s average is so impressive, it helps to look under the hood of what it takes to achieve truly excellent credit.

Most scoring models (FICO and VantageScore) look at similar factors:

• Payment history (~35% of FICO): Have you paid on time?
• Amounts owed / utilization (~30%): How much of your available credit are you using?
• Length of credit history (~15%): How long have accounts been open?
• New credit (~10%): Are you opening lots of new accounts at once?
• Credit mix (~10%): Do you have a variety of account types (cards, loans, etc.)?

People with scores in the 800s tend to:

• Pay virtually every bill on time
• Keep card utilization in the single digits or teens (far below the often-quoted 30% cutoff)
• Have long-standing accountsoften 10–20+ years of history
• Open new accounts sparingly and strategically

The fact that the average American is now in the “good” range means more people are consistently hitting at least some of those excellent-credit habits.

Why the National Credit Picture Is “Excellent” Anyway

The label on the scale says “good,” but the story behind the numbers is better than that.

1. A huge chunk of Americans are in elite territory

Experian data show that about 23% of consumers have a FICO score of 800 or higherup from just over 21% a couple of years earlier. That’s nearly one in four adults walking around with what lenders consider top-tier, “roll out the red carpet” credit.

Add in the “very good” range (740–799), and more than half of U.S. consumers are in categories that traditionally qualify for strong approval odds and favorable rates.

2. Most people aren’t subprime anymore

Only a minority now fall into the “fair” or “poor” categories (below about 670 on the FICO scale), and many of those borrowers still have tools available to climb upwardsuch as secured cards, credit-builder loans, and alternative-data scoring models.

That’s a big shift from past decades when subprime borrowing was more common, more expensive, and often more predatory.

3. Awareness of credit is higher than ever

Ten or fifteen years ago, a lot of people couldn’t tell you their credit score without digging through paperwork or paying for a pricey monitoring service. Today:

• Credit card apps show your score right on the home screen.
• Banks and fintech apps coach you on what’s helping or hurting your score.
• Personal finance contentand yes, TikToks and Reelsroutinely explains utilization, inquiries, and score categories in plain English.

That collective awareness is a big reason national numbers look so strong. You can’t improve what you never see.

Who’s Aboveand Belowthe Average?

While the national average credit score is solid, it’s not evenly distributed. Some groups are basically “honor students,” and others are stuck retaking Credit 101 through no fault of their own.

By age

In general:

• Older consumers tend to have higher scores, thanks to longer credit histories and more established credit lines.
• Gen Z and younger Millennials are more likely to have thin files or recent delinquenciesespecially tied to student loanspulling their averages below the national mean.

As those younger consumers build more on-time payments and age into their credit histories, their scores often rise rapidlymeaning today’s “average” has built-in potential to keep improving.

By state

State averages also vary. Some states in the Upper Midwest and New England consistently post scores well above the national average, while states with more economic volatility or lower median incomes may trail the national mean. Yet even there, average scores generally fall into the “good” band.

The takeaway: The U.S. doesn’t just have one “average” credit storyit has 50 different versions with different challenges and strengths.

How to Join the Excellent Credit Club (From a “Good” Starting Point)

If your score is near the national averagesay in the low 700syou’re already in a strong position. The difference between “good” and “excellent” from there often comes down to consistency and fine-tuning.

1. Treat on-time payments like rent: non-negotiable

Because payment history is the single biggest factor in most scoring models, one late payment can sting for years. Set up autopay at least for the minimum due, then schedule manual payments for the full statement balance if your budget allows. If you do slip up, call your lenderlong, clean histories sometimes earn a one-time courtesy adjustment.

2. Lower your utilization, even if you don’t pay everything off

You don’t have to live a zero-debt lifestyle to have an excellent credit score. Many high-score consumers simply keep their card utilization lowoften under 10–20% of their total limits. That might mean:

• Paying down card balances before the statement closing date
• Requesting reasonable credit line increases (without going overboard)
• Spreading purchases across cards instead of maxing one out

With the average card utilization around 29%, even a modest reduction can separate you from the pack.

3. Keep your oldest accounts open

That first card with the tacky design you got in college? As long as it doesn’t charge an outrageous annual fee, it might be quietly boosting your score by lengthening your credit history. Think twice before closing your oldest accounts.

4. Avoid “application binges”

A few hard inquiries won’t ruin your life, but opening a bunch of new accounts in a short span can temporarily drag your score down. Space out applications, and be strategicespecially if you’re planning a major loan like a mortgage.

5. Use modern tools to your advantage

Today’s consumers have options previous generations didn’t:

• Credit-builder loans that report on-time payments to bureaus
• Secured cards that turn responsible use into score improvements
• Alternative-data scoring that can factor in rent, utilities, and subscriptions for those with thin files

Combined with free monthly score updates, it’s easier than ever to treat your credit score like a health metric you can steadily improve.

What an “Excellent” Average Credit Score Really Means for Everyday Life

Why should you care that the average score is high if you’re only worried about your own number? Because the national trend shows a few hopeful things:

• More people qualify for mainstream credit instead of high-cost fringe products.
• Borrowing costs fall for people with strong credit, which can free up money for saving, investing, and building wealth.
• Competition among lenders intensifies when there are more high-quality borrowers to fight over.

In the background, there’s also pressure on the credit industry itselflike changes in how scores are priced for lenders, and new models that integrate more datato keep evolving in ways that (ideally) benefit consumers.

The “excellent” part isn’t just the numberit’s the direction, the access, and the options that number unlocks.

Real-Life Credit Score Glow-Ups: How It Actually Feels

Statistics are nice, but they don’t capture what it’s like to live through a credit transformation. To close things out, let’s talk about what improving your credit scorefrom “uh-oh” to “average,” and then from “average” to “excellent”actually feels like in real life.

From “I don’t even want to look” to “Hey, that’s not bad”

For a lot of people, the first step is simply checking their credit report without bracing for disaster. Maybe it’s after being denied for a card, or because a friend casually mentions they’ve hit 800 and you suddenly feel like you should at least know your own score.

The first time you open that score and see something in the high 600s or low 700sespecially if you’ve had money struggles in the pastit can feel like catching your reflection after a long time away and realizing, “Wait… I’m doing better than I thought.”

That’s the power of the new U.S. average. A 715 score used to sound like something only super-organized, spreadsheet-loving people had. Now it’s closer to the norm, and that normalcy takes some of the fear out of the process.

Small habits, big confidence

People who successfully move from “average” to “excellent” credit rarely do it with dramatic, one-time moves. Instead, they talk about:

• Setting up autopay and then not worrying every month whether something slipped through the cracks
• Paying a little extra on cards each paycheck, watching utilization inch down
• Seeing their score bump up a few points every couple of months and feeling quietly proud

It’s less like winning the lottery and more like getting in shape: boring on the outside, deeply satisfying on the inside.

When your score starts saying “yes” before you do

A lot of “average to excellent” stories have a moment where things suddenly feel different. Maybe it’s:

• Getting approved instantly for a card that used to seem out of reach
• Talking to a mortgage lender and realizing you qualify for better terms than you expected
• Paying off a car loan and seeing your score jump, then getting a better rate on the next one

That’s when your credit stops being a barrier and starts quietly working in your favor. You don’t have to fight for every approval or accept the worst terms on the table.

This is the real “excellent” part of America’s average credit story: more people are reaching that point where their credit history is an asset, not a liability. Even if the national score ticked down a couple of points this year, the underlying habits and tools are still thereand millions of people are using them.

You don’t have to be perfect to benefit

One of the most encouraging parts of today’s credit landscape is that you don’t have to hit 800+ to feel a big change in your financial life. Moving from the low 600s to the 700s can lower interest rates, open up card offers with better rewards, and make apartment or job applications smoother.

And because the national average is now in “good” territory, it’s easier than ever to find examples, guides, and real-life stories that show you what works. You’re not alone, and you’re not starting from scratch; you’re joining a national trend toward stronger, smarter credit use.

So yes, technically, the “average credit score in America” is classified as “good.” But the fact that “good” has become the normand that millions have crossed into “very good” and “excellent”is a genuinely excellent development. And with a few smart moves, your personal score can tell the same story.