What Is the Average Credit Score? Averages and Medians Explained

Last updated October 7, 2026 · 1,281 words · Credit Scores

The average credit score is not a single fixed number. Published averages and medians vary by the population measured, the scoring model used, and the date of the data. Most scores, including FICO and VantageScore, use a 300 to 850 range.

This guide is general educational information for U.S. readers. It is not financial advice and does not describe your individual credit file. Figures such as score ranges and timeline estimates are typical examples, not promises.

Key takeaways

Most credit scores, including FICO and VantageScore, use a 300 to 850 range, so any published average is a position inside that range rather than a standard every consumer is measured against.
An average adds every score in a group and divides by the number of scores, while a median is the middle value once the same scores are placed in order.
FICO publishes approximate weights of 35% for payment history, 30% for amounts owed, 15% for length of credit history, 10% for new credit, and 10% for credit mix; VantageScore uses its own weighting and does not publish fixed percentages.
Two published averages are comparable only when they describe the same scoring model, the same group of consumers, and the same time period.
Scores are calculated from credit files held by Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, and the FCRA gives consumers a free credit report from each agency every 12 months.
An average is a statistic about a group and does not determine any individual credit decision.

The average credit score is not a single fixed national figure. Published averages and medians shift depending on the population being measured, the scoring model being used, and the date of the data. Most credit scores, including FICO and VantageScore, use a 300 to 850 range, so any published average describes a position inside that range rather than a universal standard.

Both terms are summary statistics. An average, or mean, adds every score in a group and divides by the number of scores. A median is the middle value when the same scores are arranged from lowest to highest.

Why there is no single average credit score

A published figure depends on three choices that are rarely identical between studies.

The scoring model. FICO and VantageScore are separate systems with separate formulas, and they can produce different numbers from the same credit report. An average gathered with one model is not interchangeable with an average gathered with the other. FICO vs. VantageScore sets out how the two systems differ.
The population. A general sample of consumers with credit files, a sample of mortgage applicants, and a sample of new cardholders are different groups with different borrowing patterns. The CFPB explains that scores come from scoring models that read the information in a credit report, so the group being scored matters as much as the model.
The date. Scores are calculated from report data that changes as accounts are opened, used, and closed, so a figure published for one period describes that period rather than a permanent benchmark.

How average and median differ on the same data

Credit scores are not spread evenly across the 300 to 850 range. A relatively small group of very low or very high scores can pull the mean away from the center of the group, while the median stays at the point where half the group sits above and half sits below. That is why a single report can cite one figure for the average credit score and a different figure for the median credit score while describing the same consumers. The distance between the two numbers is information about the shape of the distribution, not a contradiction.

Neither statistic describes one person. An average is a property of a group, while an individual score is calculated from the contents of one credit file.

What scoring models consider

FICO publishes approximate weights for the categories in its base score, which Experian and other credit education publishers summarize in their explanations of scoring. The table below lists those categories and weights.

Factor	Approximate weight in FICO scores	What it reflects
Payment history	35%	Whether payments on accounts were recorded as made on time
Amounts owed	30%	Balances relative to credit limits, the relationship known as credit utilization
Length of credit history	15%	Age of accounts and how long they have been open
New credit	10%	Recently opened accounts and hard inquiries
Credit mix	10%	The variety of account types on the report, such as revolving and installment accounts

VantageScore uses its own factor weighting and does not publish fixed percentages, so the two systems cannot be compared factor by factor. Both sit on the 300 to 850 range used by most scores, which is why a number from either model can be read on the same scale even though the calculations differ. The full calculation is described in how credit scores are calculated, and the range itself is covered in credit score ranges explained.

What each factor refers to in practice

Payment history reflects the record of on-time and late payments on the accounts in a file, and payment history and credit scores covers how those records are reported. Amounts owed reflects balances compared with credit limits; credit utilization explained shows how that ratio is figured. Length of credit history reflects the age of accounts, described in length of credit history explained. New credit reflects accounts opened recently and the hard inquiries that accompany applications. Credit mix reflects the variety of account types held.

Because payment history carries the largest approximate weight in FICO scores, late payments are among the records that remain visible the longest. Most negative information, including late payments, stays on a credit report for 7 years. A Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays on a credit report for 10 years, and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy stays for 7 years. Hard inquiries typically remain on a credit report for 2 years.

Where the data behind any average comes from

Every score is calculated from a credit file held by one of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. The Fair Credit Reporting Act, enacted in 1970 and amended by the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act in 2003, gives consumers the right to a free credit report from each nationwide agency every 12 months, and the three agencies currently provide free reports weekly through AnnualCreditReport.com. The same law sets the dispute process: an agency generally must investigate a dispute within 30 days, and that period can extend to 45 days if the consumer provides additional information during the initial 30-day period. Credit reports walks through what each file contains.

The Federal Reserve publishes consumer credit statistics, and its G.19 release reports total outstanding consumer credit. That series measures borrowing across the economy in the aggregate; it is not a credit score average, and the two types of figures answer different questions. Federal Reserve Board

Elements that define a published credit score average

Four details determine what any headline figure actually represents.

The scoring model: FICO, VantageScore, or a model created by a lender or a research organization.
The population: a general sample of consumers, applicants for one product, or account holders at one institution.
The statistic: a mean, a median, or the share of consumers above or below a stated threshold.
The time period and the sample the figure is based on.

Where individual scores and reports are viewed

A score is generated from a credit file when a lender or a consumer requests one, while the file itself is available separately. Credit score covers the score side and credit check covers the report side. Ongoing credit monitoring tracks changes in report data between requests; the credit monitoring overview describes what such a service includes. A consumer's credit profile, summarized in credit profile, is the combination of accounts, balances, and history that any model reads.

Two protective tools operate on the file itself rather than on the score. Under federal law, an initial fraud alert lasts 1 year and an extended fraud alert lasts 7 years, and a security freeze is free to place, temporarily lift, or remove. Those controls are described in credit freeze, while a credit lock is a related control offered through an agency's own product rather than a statutory freeze. FCRA section 605A covers fraud alerts (15 U.S.C. section 1681c-1), and section 605B covers blocking of information resulting from identity theft (15 U.S.C. section 1681c-2). Identity theft can be reported at IdentityTheft.gov and to the IRS using Form 14039; identity theft covers that process.

Comparing an individual score with an average

An average or median credit score is a benchmark for a group, not a cutoff. Lenders set their own criteria, and a score is one input among several that can include income, existing debt payments, and the specific product being applied for. A score above a published average does not establish an approval outcome, and a score below one does not establish a denial. What changes over time is the report data itself, because accounts are opened, used, paid, and closed.

This page is published for education only and is not financial advice.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the average credit score in the United States?

There is no single published figure that applies to everyone. Averages reported by researchers and news organizations depend on the scoring model used, the group of consumers measured, and the date of the data. Most scores, including FICO and VantageScore, use a 300 to 850 range, and any average is a position within that range.

Is the median credit score different from the average credit score?

Yes. The average adds every score in a group and divides by the number of scores, while the median is the middle value once the group is placed in order from lowest to highest. Because score distributions are not symmetrical, a small number of very low or very high scores can move the average further than it moves the median.

What is the average FICO score?

FICO does not publish one national average that covers all consumers, so any average FICO score reported by an organization describes that organization's own sample, model version, and time period. FICO scores use a 300 to 850 range and carry approximate weights of 35% for payment history, 30% for amounts owed, 15% for length of credit history, 10% for new credit, and 10% for credit mix.

Does a score above the average mean a credit application will be approved?

No. Lenders set their own criteria, and a score is one factor among several that can include income and existing debt payments. A published average is a group statistic; it does not determine an individual outcome, and no score establishes approval or denial on its own.

Why do different sources report different average credit scores?

Sources differ in the scoring model they use, the consumers they sample, and the period they measure. Some publish a mean, others a median, and some report the share of consumers above a threshold. Figures built on different populations are not directly comparable even when both use the same 300 to 850 scale.

How does VantageScore weighting compare with FICO weighting?

VantageScore uses its own factor weighting and does not publish fixed percentages, while FICO publishes approximate percentages for its base score. Both appear on a 300 to 850 range in most cases, but the calculations behind them are separate systems built by separate companies.