The Real Cost of
Bad Credit: By State

We calculated the lifetime difference in mortgage, auto loan, and credit card interest between a 580 and 750 FICO score in every U.S. state.

See How Much You Can Save

How Much Is Bad Credit Costing You?

Select your state to see your personalized lifetime overpay estimate.

Rank	State	Total Overpay	Mortgage	Auto Loan	Credit Cards	Median Home
1	Hawaii	$208,776	$195,025	$9,279	$4,472	$899,400
2	California	$186,620	$171,975	$9,522	$5,123	$793,100
3	Washington	$143,835	$129,821	$9,328	$4,686	$598,700
4	Massachusetts	$143,299	$129,323	$9,133	$4,843	$596,400
5	Colorado	$132,852	$118,567	$9,376	$4,909	$546,800
6	Utah	$123,700	$110,414	$8,988	$4,298	$509,200
7	New Jersey	$123,660	$109,157	$9,182	$5,321	$503,400
8	Oregon	$121,273	$108,029	$9,036	$4,208	$498,200
9	New Hampshire	$114,869	$101,524	$8,939	$4,406	$468,200
10	New York	$111,375	$97,274	$9,085	$5,016	$448,600
11	Montana	$110,689	$98,185	$8,890	$3,614	$452,800
12	Nevada	$106,933	$92,287	$9,085	$5,561	$425,600
13	Rhode Island	$105,578	$92,330	$8,842	$4,406	$425,800
14	Idaho	$105,342	$92,655	$8,793	$3,894	$427,300
15	Connecticut	$103,677	$89,446	$9,182	$5,049	$412,500
16	Maryland	$102,526	$88,210	$9,085	$5,231	$406,800
17	Florida	$101,818	$87,733	$9,036	$5,049	$404,600
18	Arizona	$100,127	$86,345	$8,939	$4,843	$398,200
19	Virginia	$98,250	$84,437	$9,036	$4,777	$389,400
20	Vermont	$94,321	$81,705	$8,648	$3,968	$376,800
21	Maine	$93,915	$81,358	$8,696	$3,861	$375,200
22	Georgia	$89,644	$75,655	$8,890	$5,099	$348,900
23	Alaska	$89,571	$75,590	$9,328	$4,653	$348,600
24	Delaware	$88,282	$74,853	$8,842	$4,587	$345,200
25	Minnesota	$86,538	$73,422	$8,842	$4,274	$338,600
26	North Carolina	$85,391	$72,077	$8,793	$4,521	$332,400
27	Tennessee	$82,192	$69,041	$8,745	$4,406	$318,400
28	Texas	$80,596	$65,876	$9,036	$5,684	$303,800
29	Wyoming	$80,458	$67,740	$8,939	$3,779	$312,400
30	South Carolina	$78,081	$64,748	$8,696	$4,637	$298,600
31	New Mexico	$77,304	$64,358	$8,648	$4,298	$296,800
32	South Dakota	$76,013	$63,404	$8,550	$4,059	$292,400
33	Illinois	$73,080	$59,544	$8,842	$4,694	$274,600
34	Pennsylvania	$72,688	$59,587	$8,745	$4,356	$274,800
35	Wisconsin	$71,287	$58,720	$8,648	$3,919	$270,800
36	North Dakota	$66,415	$53,906	$8,648	$3,861	$248,600
37	Nebraska	$66,172	$53,819	$8,550	$3,803	$248,200
38	Missouri	$64,002	$51,261	$8,599	$4,142	$236,400
39	Michigan	$63,775	$50,849	$8,793	$4,133	$234,500
40	Indiana	$62,937	$50,328	$8,599	$4,010	$232,100
41	Kansas	$61,763	$49,179	$8,550	$4,034	$226,800
42	Ohio	$60,174	$47,466	$8,599	$4,109	$218,900
43	Alabama	$59,690	$46,924	$8,550	$4,216	$216,400
44	Louisiana	$58,720	$45,666	$8,648	$4,406	$210,600
45	Iowa	$57,176	$44,994	$8,453	$3,729	$207,500
46	Oklahoma	$57,165	$44,127	$8,599	$4,439	$203,500
47	Kentucky	$57,073	$44,734	$8,453	$3,886	$206,300
48	Arkansas	$55,405	$42,891	$8,405	$4,109	$197,800
49	Mississippi	$49,507	$37,166	$8,307	$4,034	$171,400
50	West Virginia	$42,646	$30,921	$8,210	$3,515	$142,600

This study calculates the lifetime cost difference between a consumer with a 580 FICO score ("Fair") and a 750 FICO score ("Very Good") across three major credit products:

1. Mortgage (30-year fixed) — Rates from Bankrate and Freddie Mac: 7.59% APR for 580 FICO vs 6.47% for 750 FICO. Assumes 20% down payment on state median home price.
2. Auto Loan (60-month new car) — LendingTree and Experian rate data: 14.76% APR for 580 FICO vs 5.64% for 750 FICO. Assumes 10% down payment.
3. Credit Cards (10-year period) — Federal Reserve and CreditCards.com: 28.99% APR for 580 FICO vs 20.74% for 750 FICO, applied to state average revolving balance.

Home prices from Zillow Home Value Index and NAR Q1 2026. Credit card balances from Experian State of Credit (Q4 2025).

Limitations: Individual rates vary by lender, DTI ratio, and other factors. This study uses median values to illustrate the credit score gap magnitude.