A person’s credit score is one of the biggest factors that determines the course of their financial life, from getting credit cards to qualifying for home loans to even renting apartments. The average credit score in the U.S. is 695 using the VantageScore model. That puts the average American just below the bottom of the good credit range (700). The score to ultimately strive for is at least 750, which marks the beginning of the excellent credit range. Residents of some states have built their credit better than others, though.
In order to determine the states with the highest and lowest credit scores, WalletHub compared the average credit scores of residents in each of the 50 states as of October 2022, based on TransUnion data. Read on for the results, additional commentary from a panel of experts and a full description of our methodology.
Main Findings
| State | Rank |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 1 |
| New Hampshire | 2 |
| Vermont | 3 |
| Massachusetts | 4 |
| South Dakota | 5 |
| North Dakota | 6 |
| Hawaii | 7 |
| Washington | 8 |
| Oregon | 9 |
| Nebraska | 10 |
| Wisconsin | 11 |
| Colorado | 12 |
| Iowa | 13 |
| Idaho | 14 |
| Montana | 15 |
| Maine | 16 |
| Utah | 17 |
| Connecticut | 18 |
| Rhode Island | 19 |
| New Jersey | 20 |
| Pennsylvania | 21 |
| New York | 22 |
| Alaska | 23 |
| California | 24 |
| Wyoming | 25 |
| Virginia | 26 |
| Michigan | 27 |
| Illinois | 28 |
| Maryland | 29 |
| Kansas | 30 |
| Arizona | 31 |
| Ohio | 32 |
| Delaware | 33 |
| Indiana | 34 |
| Missouri | 35 |
| Florida | 36 |
| North Carolina | 37 |
| Tennessee | 38 |
| New Mexico | 39 |
| Nevada | 40 |
| South Carolina | 41 |
| Kentucky | 42 |
| West Virginia | 43 |
| Georgia | 44 |
| Texas | 45 |
| Oklahoma | 46 |
| Arkansas | 47 |
| Alabama | 48 |
| Louisiana | 49 |
| Mississippi | 50 |
States with the Highest & Lowest Credit Scores
| Rank (1=Highest) | State | Average Credit Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota | 724 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | 719 |
| 3 | Vermont | 718 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 716 |
| 5 | South Dakota | 715 |
| 6 | North Dakota | 715 |
| 7 | Hawaii | 715 |
| 8 | Washington | 714 |
| 9 | Oregon | 712 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 712 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 711 |
| 12 | Colorado | 711 |
| 13 | Iowa | 710 |
| 14 | Idaho | 709 |
| 15 | Montana | 708 |
| 16 | Maine | 708 |
| 17 | Utah | 707 |
| 18 | Connecticut | 706 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 706 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 705 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | 704 |
| 22 | New York | 704 |
| 23 | Alaska | 703 |
| 24 | California | 703 |
| 25 | Wyoming | 700 |
| 26 | Virginia | 699 |
| 27 | Michigan | 699 |
| 28 | Illinois | 698 |
| 29 | Maryland | 696 |
| 30 | Kansas | 695 |
| 31 | Arizona | 694 |
| 32 | Ohio | 693 |
| 33 | Delaware | 693 |
| 34 | Indiana | 691 |
| 35 | Missouri | 690 |
| 36 | Florida | 689 |
| 37 | North Carolina | 686 |
| 38 | Tennessee | 682 |
| 39 | New Mexico | 682 |
| 40 | Nevada | 679 |
| 41 | South Carolina | 678 |
| 42 | Kentucky | 678 |
| 43 | West Virginia | 676 |
| 44 | Georgia | 675 |
| 45 | Texas | 674 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | 673 |
| 47 | Arkansas | 673 |
| 48 | Alabama | 672 |
| 49 | Louisiana | 668 |
| 50 | Mississippi | 662 |
Building and maintaining a solid credit score is essential. In order to provide more insight on the credit-building process, WalletHub turned to a panel of experts. Click on the pictures of the experts below to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:
