State of Credit report sees uptick in VantageScore scores nationwide
Experian recently released its sixth annual State of Credit report, an analysis of consumer data nationwide to examine the country’s credit behavior. The study found that the nation’s collective credit scores are rising, and that the lending market is growing.
Highlights of the study’s findings include:
- Average consumer’s VantageScore® 3.0 credit score is 669, up from 666 in 2014.
- Average amount of debt per consumer: $29,093, an increase of two percent from $28,496 in 2014.
- The average number of Bankcards per consumer is 2.24, up from 2.18 in 2014.
- The average outstanding balance on bankcards, $4,404, declined slightly, down from $4,410 in 2014.
- The average credit utilization (percentage of spending limit used) held steady at 30.0 percent, the same level measured in 2014.
The study also looked at the collective credit usage and behaviors of more than 100 metropolitan statistical areas, and determined which of their residents have the highest and lowest average credit scores.
Topping the list once again was Mankato, MN, which maintained an average VantageScore 3.0 credit score of 706, the same figure it logged in 2014. The remaining communities in the Top 10 also appeared on the 2014 list, and all logged average score increases of two to three points:
U.S. communities with the highest average VantageScore 3.0 credit scores in 2015 |
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Rank | Metropolitan statistical area | Average VantageScore 3.0 credit score |
Change in points from 2014 |
1 | Mankato, MN | 706 | 0 |
2 | Rochester, MN | 705 | +2 |
3 | Minneapolis, MN | 704 | +2 |
4 | Fargo, ND | 701 | +2 |
5 | Wausau, WI | 701 | +2 |
6 | Duluth, MN | 701 | +2 |
7 | Sioux Falls, SD | 700 | +3 |
8 | Green Bay, WI | 700 | +2 |
9 | La Crosse, WI | 699 | +3 |
10 | Cedar Rapids, IA | 699 | +2 |
Entrants on the list of metropolitan statistical areas with the lowest credit scores also saw general increases in average scores. Average scores for two communities on the 2014 list, Bakersfield, California and Columbus, Mississippi, rose enough that they are no longer in the lowest-average-score ranks, and the eight communities that remain on the list saw increases in average scores of one to four points. Two new additions to the lowest-score list are Monroe, Louisiana and Shreveport, Louisiana.
U.S. communities with the lowest average VantageScore 3.0 credit scores in 2015 |
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Rank | Metropolitan statistical area | Average VantageScore 3.0 credit score |
Change in points from 2014 |
1 | Greenwood, MS | 612 | +3 |
2 | Albany, GA | 622 | +1 |
3 | Riverside, CA | 624 | +4 |
4 | Harlingen, TX | 628 | +3 |
5 | Laredo, TX | 633 | +3 |
6 | Monroe, LA* | 635 | * |
7 | Jackson, MS | 635 | +3 |
8 | Alexandria, LA | 636 | +2 |
9 | Las Vegas, NV | 636 | +4 |
10 | Shreveport, LA* | 637 | * |
*New entry in the lowest-scores ranks, not included on the list in 2014.
For more information on the Experian State of Credit, including full rankings for communities nationwide, click here.