Answer (from Fair Isaac): 695

Nice chart too, showing percentage of consumers within certain credit card bands:

The obvious question is why have credit scores been rising..the answer courtesy of NY Times:

The rise in the average score is partly because of a drop in seriously delinquent accounts, since payment history is a major component of credit scores. The passage of time also helps, said Ethan Dornhelm, a principal scientist in FICO’s analytic development group: Older, well-managed accounts help increase scores, and negative information — like accounts that are sent to collection — typically starts dropping off credit reports after seven years. So the impact of delinquencies that weighed on scores during the recession is most likely starting to recede.

Another factor could be the widespread availability of individual credit scores too:

Numerous credit card companies, lenders and banks, both large and small, now offer free periodic access to credit scores, and more continue to join the pack.

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Check out this NGPF Activity which demonstrates the cost of bad credit

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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