Average Credit Score by State: 2026 Data Study (All 50 States Ranked)

Key Findings

Our analysis of Experian's Q4 2025 State of Credit data, the U.S. Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's consumer credit trends reveals that geography and credit scores are deeply linked — not because your ZIP code appears in your FICO formula, but because the economic conditions of each state shape the financial behaviors that do.

The national average FICO score is 718 (Experian State of Credit Report, Q4 2025).

Minnesota ranks #1 at 742 — a position it has held for four consecutive years.

Mississippi ranks #50 at 691 — 51 points below the leader and 27 points below the national average.

The correlation between median household income and average credit score is r = 0.74 (Pearson's r), making income the single strongest predictor of state-level scores.

22 states score above the national average, while 28 fall below — a shift from 2024 when only 20 states were above average.

Top 10 States by Average Credit Score

The highest-scoring states share several common traits: above-average median household income, low unemployment, strong educational attainment, and low consumer debt-to-income ratios.

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Seven of the top 10 states are in the Midwest. Our analysis shows this is driven by lower cost of living (which reduces credit utilization pressure), strong employment, and cultural attitudes toward debt that differ from coastal states.

Key stat: The Southwest region averages the lowest credit scores in the nation at 684 — a full 28 points below the Northeast's regional average of 712 (WalletHub State Credit Rankings, 2026).

Bottom 10 States by Average Credit Score

The lowest-scoring states are concentrated in the Southeast, a region facing compounding economic challenges including lower median incomes, higher poverty rates, and limited access to credit-building financial products.

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Texas stands out as an anomaly — its median household income of $73,035 exceeds several top-10 states. Our analysis attributes this to Texas's high income inequality (Gini coefficient of 0.482 vs. the national 0.469), large unbanked population, and higher-than-average consumer debt driven by medical bills and energy costs.

Complete 50-State Rankings

Below is the full ranking for all 50 states. Data sourced from Experian's Q4 2025 State of Credit Report; median household income from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2025 American Community Survey.

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Regional Patterns and Analysis

The Midwest Advantage

The Midwest region averages a FICO score of 727, nine points above the national average. Three primary drivers:

Lower cost of living — The average Midwest cost-of-living index is 91.4 (vs. 100 nationally), reducing credit utilization pressure that depresses scores in high-cost coastal areas (Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities).

Lower credit card balances — Average Midwest credit card balance: $4,820, compared to $6,340 on the West Coast and $5,890 in the Northeast (Experian, Q4 2025).

Older population demographics — Midwest states have a higher median age (39.2 vs. 38.5 nationally), and credit scores increase with age (FICO).

The Southeast Challenge

Southeastern states average a FICO score of 698, twenty points below the national average. The region faces compounding challenges:

Poverty rates — Six of the 10 highest-poverty states are in the Southeast (Census Bureau, 2025).

Medical debt — Southeastern states have higher uninsured rates and medical debt burdens, which appear as collections accounts on credit reports (CFPB Consumer Credit Trends, 2025).

Banking deserts — The FDIC estimates 7.1% of Southeast households are unbanked, compared to 4.5% nationally, limiting access to credit-building products (FDIC National Survey of Unbanked Households, 2025).

Income Correlation Deep Dive

The Pearson correlation between each state's median household income (Census Bureau, 2025) and its average FICO score is r = 0.74 — a strong positive relationship. However, correlation is not destiny: South Dakota ranks #4 in credit scores despite ranking #28 in median income, showing that cost of living and debt culture moderate the relationship significantly.

Year-Over-Year Changes (2025 vs. 2026)

Biggest improver: Nevada gained 4 points (697 → 701), likely driven by post-pandemic tourism recovery strengthening employment.

Biggest decliner: New York fell 2 points (713 → 711), reflecting rising consumer debt burdens in high-cost metro areas.

Most stable: Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Mississippi each moved less than 1 point — the top and bottom are remarkably sticky.

The same 10 states have occupied the top 10 in every year since 2020, with only minor positional shuffling. Structural economic factors change slowly.

Key stat: The state-by-state credit score range spans 51 points — from 691 (Mississippi) to 742 (Minnesota) — a spread that has remained stable, fluctuating only 2–3 points over the past five years despite significant national economic shifts (Experian State of Credit, Q4 2025).

Population Growth and Credit Scores

States with the fastest population growth — Texas, Florida, and Arizona — tend to rank in the lower half. Two mechanisms:

Young migrant demographics — Relocating workers skew younger. Younger adults carry structurally lower scores, so an influx of 25–35 year-olds drags down a state's average even if existing residents stay stable.

Housing cost pressure — High-growth states face rapid rent and home price inflation. Residents in Austin, Miami, and Phoenix face increased credit utilization as housing consumes a larger share of income.

This helps explain why Texas — despite a median income of $73,035 exceeding several top-10 states — ranks 47th.

FICO Score Ranges: What These Numbers Mean

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Data Sources and Methodology

This study synthesizes data from three primary public sources:

Experian State of Credit Report (Q4 2025) — Anonymized FICO 8 scores aggregated from Experian's consumer credit database covering approximately 220 million U.S. consumers.

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2025) — Median household income and demographic data by state.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Consumer Credit Trends (2025) — Borrower risk profiles, delinquency rates, and credit market data.

Additional data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (Regional Price Parities), FDIC (National Survey of Unbanked Households), and WalletHub (State Credit Rankings).

Limitations: Experian data represents only one of three credit bureaus. Individual consumers may have different scores across bureaus. State averages smooth over significant within-state variation, particularly in large, diverse states like California and Texas.

What You Can Do About Your Score

If your credit score falls below your state's average — or you simply want to reach the next tier — here are three actionable steps:

Get your full credit report scanned — Errors on credit reports are more common than you think. The FTC found that 1 in 5 consumers have errors that affect their score.

Target the highest-impact items first — Collections accounts, late payments over 30 days, and high utilization cards are the biggest score killers.

Build a dispute strategy — Under the FCRA, you have the right to dispute any inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information on your credit report.

Ready to take action? Credit Booster's $1 credit analysis scans all 3 bureaus, identifies every negative item, and builds a personalized removal roadmap. Over 377,000 negative items removed to date.

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