Credit Trends

Trends by Age

Based on our data, there is clearly a relationship between age and average credit scores. Generally speaking, younger individuals will have lower credits scores on average.

There is a very good technical reason for this phenomenon. The length of your credit history is a factor that goes into the credit score calculation. Since younger individuals will have shorter credit history, they will tend to have a lower credit score all else equal.

The depth of your credit is probably lower with younger individuals as well. The combination of the two effects lead to the lower averages for younger people.

Keep in mind the chart does not mean you can't have high credit if you are young. It just points out the correlations and averages. There are dozens of factors that affect credit scores. Being aware of all the factors is important to being a well informed consumer.

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ugh i h8 being young...i only have a 545 even tho i just completely paid off my only credit card!

ladykaede 1 year ago

It's not about being young more about having a young credit history. Just keep paying your bills and you will see the difference.

I suggest using the credit simulator and looking at how your account improves with on-time monthly payments

CK Moderator

i need help to fix my credit to purchase home

getenesh 1 year ago

Dont just do a one time pay off of your balance. Its good to show that you are able to carry the balance over a few months and pay more than the minimu. It gives you good credit history.

I am 22 and I have 810.

My debt at 20 was ~20k from college. I have $2000 left now.

Milesrm 1 year ago

I'm 59, have 2 sons in college and my score is 641. I pay everything on time, bought most of my major items with cash, but have high student loans, a house, and a car. Paying with cash probably hurt my score more.

clbrz 1 year ago

I like this site, it is nice to to not have to pay for a score for once, but I still think the credit industry is a leech designed to take every penny it can. You don't have to be young to have a bad score, divorce works well too.

dome25x 1 year ago

never max out your credit cards. never buy a car with ur cards and never miss a payment. my credit dropped severely low to 468 ... my credit now is 625 i am working on it but i never miss payments anymore and i use my cards to the minimum and make sure i cover the finance charges

bbarrett89 1 year ago

Good site without having to go thru the hassle of signing up for something then remembering to cancel it within 30 days. Oh and it's so hard to cancel when you call in, they try to keep you.

rcweich 1 year ago

just love this site, i hope all of us that are using this site do take our time and utilize the suggested offer for services based on our credit. that way they can keep the business going.

sahmed13 1 year ago

Once upon a time, I had an 820 FICO score. It was mostly due to having just one credit card for 30 years (Sears.) Now, I have 8 cards and a 750. I'm also getting cash rewards every time I buy. My point is that a higher FICO isn't everything.

p5a7t4 1 year ago

Once your score reaches 750 or above, the only value of a higher score is to stroke your ego.

frugal1 9 months ago

My score is 777. I have never had a late fee or ever missed a payment in any loan or mortgage. I have had credit cards for 30 years w/o a late fee. And I have never payed late for any item. So if my score isn't perfect, I don't know what it would take to get one. Maybe you have to have more debt. The banks like that

hijo89 1 year ago