Five-Year Credit Trends: How Have Scores Changed Since 2020?

Average FICO^® Score^Θ at 713 in 2025, up 3 Points From 2020

The average FICO credit score in the U.S. is up three points since the first year of the COVID-10 pandemic, from 710 in September 2020 to 713 as of September 2025.

Average FICO^® Score in the U.S., 2010 to 2025

The average score rise—as well as the pullback in 2025—roughly mirrors the ups and downs U.S. consumers have been enduring over the decade. To briefly recap:

Pandemic Era (2020-2021)

The global pandemic shut down large swaths of the economy, sidelining many workers and throwing household budgets for a loop. Simultaneously, those consumers who were able to keep their jobs and cover expenses may have seen their credit scores and savings account balances rise while debt balances fell.

In addition, many homeowners took the opportunity to refinance their homes at record-low mortgage rates—a trend that's felt to this day as homeowners with low mortgage rates remain unlikely to move or refinance.

Post-Pandemic Life (2022-2024)

Once the pandemic emergency was in the rearview mirror, inflation became the new preoccupation of consumers, manufacturers, employers, lenders, economists … you get the idea. Inflation quickly reached 8% soon after the U.S. economy broadly "reopened" in spring of 2021, and the Federal Reserve began hiking interest rates in summer of 2022.

During this time unemployment fell to record lows, and wages climbed (which helped push average FICO^® Scores even higher, to 715), but so did prices. Spoiler alert: Prices remain elevated to this day. Goods and services are broadly up 25% from 2020 through 2025, according to the latest available consumer price index data.

Recent History (2025)

These days, consumers are feeling a different type of uncertainty from the type of events the past few years brought. An incomplete list includes tariffs; changes and shutdowns impacting a large federal work force; a labor market that's cooling (fewer quits, but fewer new hires as well); and some stress among some consumers. All this on top of the aforementioned persistent inflation.

With the continuing commotion, it's hardly a wonder that new labels are minted regularly to describe economic conditions consumers are facing: vibecessions, K-shaped economy, shrinkflation, greedflation and (as a package deal) polycrisis, to name several.

Average FICO^® Scores up in Most States Since 2020

The changes in credit scores have been broad across the U.S. Since 2020, the average FICO^® Score has increased in 45 states. The exceptions are the Dakotas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, where average scores were unchanged. The average FICO^® Score in Washington, D.C., fell two points.

Change in Average FICO^® Scores, 2020 to 2025

An influx of residents to some states explained the sharpest increases in FICO^® Scores. South Carolina (up 10 points since 2020), Maine (nine points), Idaho and South Carolina (eight points each) were up more than others partly due to the in-migration of retirees who tend to have higher than average credit scores.

More Consumers With Outstanding (and Poor) Credit Scores Than in 2020

Since 2020, the distribution among consumers has polarized slightly, even as average scores have increased overall. While there is a lower percentage of consumers who have a fair or good credit score than in 2020, the percentage of consumers with either poor FICO^® Scores or very good or exceptional FICO^® Scores has increased since 2020.

Percentage of Consumers by Scoreband, 2020 vs. 2025

So while it appears that some consumers are being stretched by higher prices, and have certainly expressed dissatisfaction in recent months, consumers overall aren't yet breaking—but they may be bending a bit.

There's likely to be partial resolution to some of the issues listed above in 2026. But while rate cuts provide relief to some consumers seeking to refinance existing debts, more intractable problems (like the lack of affordable housing) look like they'll stick around for several more years at least.