Minnesota residents have the highest average credit score—here's how other states compare (2024)

The average FICO Score in the U.S. hit a record high of 710 last year, according to Experian’s 2020 Consumer Credit Review. And a majority of states (33) managed to achieve or surpass this record high.

Minnesota residents topped the list for the ninth straight year with an average 739 credit score. Meanwhile, Mississippi residents continued to have the lowest credit score of any state (675) — though that’s an eight-point increase from last year (667).

All states experienced a credit score increase ranging from three to 10 points in 2020. That could be due to more on-time payments and lowered spending during a year of economic uncertainty.

Ahead, we give you a quick overview of what a FICO® Score is and reveal the states with the highest and lowest credit scores (jump to credit score by state if you don't need a refresher).

What is a FICO Score?

A high credit score qualifies you for the best interest rates and terms on everything from credit cards to mortgages. FICO Scores are used in over 90% of U.S. lending decisions, making it a must-know number before applying for any financial product.

FICO Scores are broken up into five categories that help lenders gauge your ability to repay loans.

Here are the credit score ranges for each category:

  • Very poor: 300 to 579
  • Fair: 580 to 669
  • Good: 670 to 739
  • Very good: 740 to 799
  • Excellent: 800 to 850

Take action: Check your FICO Score for free

What factors matter for a credit score?

The FICO credit scoring model looks at these five key factors and weighs each differently:

  1. Payment history (35%): Whether you’ve paid past credit accounts on time.
  2. Amounts owed (30%): The total amount of credit and loans you’re using compared to your total credit limit, also known as your utilization rate.
  3. Length of credit history (15%): The length of time you’ve had credit.
  4. New credit (10%): How often you apply for and open new accounts.
  5. Credit mix (10%): The variety of credit products you have, including credit cards, installment loans, finance company accounts, mortgage loans and so on.

Top 10 states with the highest credit scores

Midwestern states maintained the highest average credit scores for another year, ranging from 17 to 29 points higher than the overall average credit score (710). Here are the top 10 states with the highest credit scores in 2020:

  1. Minnesota: 739
  2. Wisconsin: 732
  3. South Dakota: 731
  4. Vermont: 731
  5. North Dakota: 730
  6. Washington: 730
  7. Massachusetts: 729
  8. New Hampshire: 729
  9. Nebraska: 728
  10. Hawaii: 727 / Oregon: 729

Top 10 states with the lowest credit scores

Southern states had lower average credit scores than the rest of the country, despite all states experiencing a boost (between 3 and ten points) in credit scores compared to 2019. Here are the top 10 states with the lowest credit scores in 2020:

  1. Mississippi: 675
  2. Louisiana: 684
  3. Alabama: 686
  4. Texas: 688
  5. Georgia: 689
  6. South Carolina: 689
  7. Arkansas: 690
  8. Oklahoma: 690
  9. New Mexico: 694
  10. Nevada: 695

Average FICO Scores by state in 2020

State 2019 2020 Change
Alabama6806866
Alaska7077147
Arizona69670610
Arkansas6836907
California7087168
Colorado7187257
Connecticut7177236
Delaware7017109
District of Columbia70371310
Florida6947017
Georgia6826897
Hawaii7237274
Idaho7117209
Illinois7097167
Indiana6997078
Iowa7207266
Kansas7117176
Kentucky6926986
Louisiana6776847
Maine7157216
Maryland7047128
Massachusetts7237296
Michigan7067148
Minnesota7337396
Mississippi6676758
Missouri7017076
Montana7207266
Nebraska7237285
Nevada6866959
New Hampshire7247295
New Jersey7147217
New Mexico6866948
New York7127186
North Carolina6947039
North Dakota7277303
Ohio7057116
Oklahoma6826908
Oregon7187279
Pennsylvania7137207
Rhode Island7137196
South Dakota7277314
Tennessee6906977
Texas6806888
Utah7167237
Vermont7267315
Virginia7097178
Washington7237307
West Virginia6876958
Wisconsin7257327
Wyoming7127197

Improve your credit with this free feature

Raising your credit score can be done in a number of ways, from reducing spending to paying on time, but there's also an alternative that doesn't require much work on your part:*Experian Boost™. This is a free feature that lets you get credit for positive, on-time utility, telecom and streaming subscription payments. Late payments aren't reported with Experian Boost, though your creditors typically notify the credit bureaus when a payment is late for 30 or more days.

All you need to do is connect your bills, then you'll instantly receive a new FICO® Score provided by Experian. This may reflect an increase, which can help boost your credit score into a higher tier. Take note that this feature only influences your Experian credit report.

Experian Boost™

  • Cost

    Free

  • Average credit score increase

    13 points, though results vary

  • Credit report affected

    Experian®

  • Credit scoring model used

    FICO® Score

Results will vary. See website for details.

How to sign up for Experian Boost:

  1. Connect the bank account(s) you use to pay your bills
  2. Choose and verify the positive payment data you want added to your Experian credit file
  3. Receive an updatedFICO® Score

Learn more about eligible payments and how Experian Boost works.

Read more

Here's how Experian Boost can help raise your credit score for free

6 reasons why your credit scores are different and which one matters most

12 things you may not know affect your credit score

*Results may vary. Some may not see improved scores or approval odds. Not all lenders use Experian credit files, and not all lenders use scores impacted by Experian Boost.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.

Minnesota residents have the highest average credit score—here's how other states compare (2024)

FAQs

Minnesota residents have the highest average credit score—here's how other states compare? ›

However, Minnesota residents, on average, tend to have the highest ones. The average credit score in the midwestern state is 726 as of the first quarter of 2023, according to WalletHub's November report. That's the highest score out of all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Which state has the highest credit score average? ›

Average credit scores by state in 2021

Minnesota had the highest credit score in the country as of 2021, the latest state data available from Experian, with an average score of 742. Minnesota is the only state in the country with an average credit score above 740.

What 3 states have the highest percent of their credit economy with prime credit scores? ›

Here are the top 10 states with the highest credit scores in 2020: Minnesota: 739. Wisconsin: 732. South Dakota: 731.

What is the average debt in Minnesota? ›

Household debt in Minnesota is consistently above the national average. As of 2019, Minnesota ranked 14th in average total household debt at $55,380 per household. Minnesota's debt-to-income ratio is also around the middle of the pack at 1.41.

Where is the highest credit score? ›

In most cases, the highest credit score possible is 850. You can achieve the highest credit score by taking a variety of important steps, but, for many people, it's a difficult task considering the range of factors that dictate the highest credit score possible.

What is the credit score in Minnesota? ›

A study by CardRates.com asked 3,000 people in Minnesota to estimate their credit scores, with the average coming to 681. The current state average score sits at 724. This ranks Minnesota as the No. 2 state in the country where people underestimated their scores the most, with North Dakota claiming the No.

What US state has the lowest credit rating? ›

What state has the lowest credit score? It indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options. Mississippi had the lowest average FICO credit score of all states in 2024, at 680 is 35 points below the national average. Mississippi also had the lowest average VantageScore at 668.

What is the average credit score in Oregon? ›

State Averages

The rest of the top 10 states with the highest average credit score are: Vermont (736), Wisconsin (735), New Hampshire (734), Washington (734), North Dakota (733), South Dakota (733), Massachusetts (732), Nebraska (731), and Oregon (731).

What FICO Score is prime? ›

Subprime (credit scores of 580-619) Near-prime (credit scores of 620-659) Prime (credit scores of 660-719) Super-prime (credit scores of 720 or above)

What is MN state debt? ›

In the fiscal year of 2022, Minnesota's state debt stood at about 17.75 billion U.S. dollars. Comparatively, the state's debt was approximately 5.6 billion U.S. dollars in 2000.

What state is deepest in debt? ›

The ten states with the most debt in the US are California, New York, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, New Jersey, and Washington. California ranks first for states with the most debt, with a debt of $520 billion, followed by New York in second place with $368 billion.

What is the debt per capita in Minnesota? ›

In Minnesota, the total debt balance per capita in the fourth quarter was $62,680, up from $62,240 at the same time in 2022, the Fed data shows. Though that number has risen steadily in Minnesota since 2014, the data shows student loan and credit card balances declined between the fourth quarters of 2019 and 2020.

How rare is a 900 credit score? ›

It's exceedingly rare for anyone to have a credit score over 900, as most credit scoring models have a maximum limit of 850, and even achieving that score is uncommon.

How many people have a credit score over 800? ›

22% of U.S. Consumers Have Exceptional Credit
Percentage of Consumers by FICO® Score 8 Range
RangePercentage of Consumers
Good (670-739)21.6%
Very good (740-799)28.1%
Exceptional (800-850)21.9%
2 more rows
Apr 17, 2024

Has anyone gotten an 850 credit score? ›

Although a lot of people might like the idea of a perfect credit score, they'd likely have a hard time actually achieving it. In the U.S., only about 1.7 percent of the scorable population had a perfect 850 FICO credit score in April 2023, according to FICO data.

Which state has the highest average credit card debt? ›

Alaska is fourth on this list; this is due to Alaska having the highest average credit card debt in America ($7,338). In America, the total credit card debt is over $1 trillion.

How rare is an 800 credit score? ›

22% of U.S. Consumers Have Exceptional Credit
Percentage of Consumers by FICO® Score 8 Range
RangePercentage of Consumers
Good (670-739)21.6%
Very good (740-799)28.1%
Exceptional (800-850)21.9%
2 more rows
Apr 17, 2024

Is a 900 credit score possible? ›

Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.

How many people in us have 850 credit score? ›

In the U.S., only about 1.7 percent of the scorable population had a perfect 850 FICO credit score in April 2023, according to FICO data. This suggests that for most people, a perfect score is simply too hard to reach — but it also suggests that it's not really necessary, either.

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