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What Is the Average Credit Score in America?

5 min read

Last Updated: June 19, 2025

Table of contents

Key Takeaways

As of April 2025, the average FICO® Credit Score is 715.
Your payment history, credit usage, and other factors make up your credit score.
You can improve your credit score by paying down your credit card debt and making payments on time.

Do you know how your credit score compares to the national average? As of April 2025, the Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO^®) reports that the average FICO^® Score is 715.¹ That’s one point lower than it was in January 2025.

How does your score compare to the average FICO^® Score? If you’re not where you want to be, the Discover it^® Secured Credit Card can help you rebuild your credit history.²

Learn More

What is a good credit score?

The FICO^® credit scoring model divides credit scores into five groups¹:

FICO® Score Ranges

Poor: 300 to 579
Fair: 580 to 669
Good: 670 to 739
Very good: 740 to 799
Exceptional: 800 to 850

Based on the FICO^® Score ranges above, the national average score of 715 is considered good credit. If your score is 800 or above, creditors view you as having excellent credit.

Making your monthly payments on time and not maxing out your cards help improve your credit score. A high score indicates that you’ve used credit responsibly in the past. That’s why lenders are more likely to approve you for a credit card or a loan if you have a higher score.

There are other factors besides your credit score that go into the credit approval process. For example, you may be asked to provide your monthly income or housing payment on a credit card application.

What makes up a credit score?

Credit bureaus calculate your credit score using the information in your credit report. If you’ve had a credit card or loan in the United States, you have a credit report at each of the three main credit bureaus. Some lenders may only report your payments to one or two bureaus, so you may have a slightly different credit report and different credit scores at each bureau. The bureaus may also calculate scores differently. The FICO^® scoring model is one of the most commonly used.

Here are the factors that go into a FICO^® Score and how much each one affects your score¹:

Payment history: 35%

Lenders want to know whether you pay your credit accounts on time. This helps a lender figure out how likely you are to pay your debt back.

Amounts owed: 30%

The amount of available credit that you’re using is also called your credit utilization ratio. If you’re using a lot of your available credit, lenders may think you have trouble paying back your debts.

Length of credit history: 15%

Lenders look at how long you’ve been borrowing money or using credit. In general, lenders like to see a longer credit history.

Credit mix: 10%

Your credit mix is the different kinds of credit accounts that you have, like credit cards, personal loans, car loans, and mortgages.

New credit: 10%

The number of recent credit applications you’ve completed affects your FICO^® Credit Score. If you apply for several new accounts in a short amount of time, lenders may think you’re a higher credit risk.

Did you know?

You can easily see if you’re pre-approved for a Discover Card with no impact to your credit score.³

See If You’re Pre-Approved

How can you get a higher credit score?

There are several steps you can take that may help improve your credit score.

Pay down your balances: Since your credit utilization ratio makes up 30% of your FICO^® Score, keeping your credit card balance low is important. Paying off your purchases monthly can keep your credit usage low.

Pay your credit card bill on time: Your payment history is the most important factor in your FICO^® Credit Score, so on-time payments are very important. A missed or late payment can impact your credit score, too. Aim to make consistent, on-time payments to show creditors that you’re reliable with your credit accounts.

Dispute errors on your credit report: Review your credit report for any errors. If you find errors, you can dispute them with the credit bureau or the original creditor. If the credit bureau or creditor finds that they made an error, they must remove the information from your credit file.

Open a secured credit card: If you have a low credit score or are getting your first credit card, getting a secured card may help improve your credit score over time. Secured cards typically require a deposit, but it may be refundable after you show good credit management. For example, with a Discover it^® Secured Credit Card, you can get your deposit back after 6 consecutive on-time payments and maintaining good status on all your credit accounts.⁴

The bottom line

The average FICO^® Score is 715, which falls into the “good credit” category. Having a high credit score shows credit card and loan issuers that you can be trusted with credit.

If you want to improve your credit score, you should dispute any errors on your credit report, keep your credit card balance low, and pay your bills on time. If you have a low credit score, you may want to consider opening a secured credit card, which can help you improve your credit with responsible use.

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