Provides great opportunity to discuss credit scores and why they are important.  The answer is 692 (and this figure should go up as medical debts are reclassified by the FICO algo).  Here is the news from credit.com:

“The average FICO score among American consumers hit an all-time high in April at 692, up one point from the same time last year and six points higher than the low point of 686 in October 2009. The credit scoring company has been tracking the average consumer FICO score since October 2005, releasing updated averages every 6 months.”

Of course, what is also worth noting is how the FICO scores vary by age.  Since one factor impacting credit scores is length of credit history and young people have limited credit history it shouldn’t surprise to see their average is quite a bit lower than the overall.  CreditKarma has a chart showing 18-25 year olds with average FICO of 630.  As we have posted about recently, millenials seem to have an aversion to credit cards (or at least 63% of them do), which may be playing a role in their low FICO scores.  

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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