--- title: The Average Credit Score Just Dropped Again. How Do You Stack Up? description: The average credit score is gradually declining as some borrowers continue to struggle with student loan and mortgage payments. authors: - name: Liliana Hall role: Reporter url: https://money.com/author/liliana-hall/ bio: Liliana Hall joined Money in 2025. She is an Austin-based reporter for Money, where she covers a range of topics, including financial news, policy, banking, investing, passive income, financial planning and student loan debt. education: University of Texas at Austin at_money_since: 2025 articles: 132 covers: - Credit - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://x.com/lilihallllllll - https://www.linkedin.com/in/liliana-hall/ editors: - name: Kaitlin Mulhere role: Editor url: https://money.com/author/kaitlin-mulhere/ bio: Kaitlin Mulhere is an editor at Money.com. Since joining in 2015, she’s written and edited about a variety of personal finance topics, including banks, credit, student debt, saving strategies and more. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2015 articles: 217 covers: - Credit - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/KMulhere - https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-mulhere-64503048/ published: '2026-04-13T17:23:24.000Z' modified: '2026-04-13T17:23:24.000Z' section: Credit word_count: 616 canonical: https://money.com/average-credit-score-drops-student-loans-mortgages/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Worried woman holding a credit card and looking at her smartphone at home](https://img.money.com/2026/04/News-Average-Credit-Score-Dropped.jpg) Credit scores are edging lower as delinquencies continue to weigh on borrowers. FICO's latest Credit Insights [report](https://www.fico.com/en/newsroom/fico-score-credit-insights-report-average-fico-score-dips-714) shows the average U.S. [credit score](https://money.com/what-is-a-credit-score/) fell to 714 in March, down one point from a year ago and two points since late 2024. The latest decline in the average U.S. credit score, which has been gradually dropping over the past couple years, is modest, but it underscores a widening divide in Americans’ credit health. While some borrowers are falling behind — particularly younger consumers hit by [student loan delinquencies](https://money.com/student-loan-delinquencies-hurt-average-credit-score/) and homeowners struggling with mortgage payments — others are thriving. Nearly half (48%) of consumers now have credit scores of 750 or higher, according to FICO. That divide comes as overall household debt continues to climb and credit card balances remain near record highs, according to Federal Reserve Bank of New York [data](https://www.newyorkfed.org/microeconomics/hhdc). ## Find a Credit Repair company that works for you ### 🥇 Most Affordable Credit Help Company! ![View Plans](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/28241/medium_ae18ab6b-f004-4597-a78c-b5057ebf3778.png) Our Partner [View Plans](https://money.com/go/149fa01a901b?bidid=4034320704&pmeta=p129-c527-u25367&ptid=662907680&ptoken=b4ea640b34ed84dd22c5b8221bfea270) ### Take Steps Toward Improving Your Credit with a Trusted Legal Team ![View Plans](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/541/medium_AEPRGHMZaPsbrAuaWpZtkFWwSMTooS.png) Our Partner [View Plans](https://money.com/go/ed1698d217c2?bidid=4034320700&pmeta=p129-c527-u25367&ptid=662907680&ptoken=8bd774db1d0a57e4d2ddc55c33c4067e) ### Offers a single, low-cost credit repair package ![View Plans](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/1992/medium_Sky_Blue_Credit_Repair_Logo.png) Our Partner [View Plans](https://money.com/go/afefcd56f906?bidid=4034320702&pmeta=p129-c527-u25367&ptid=662907680&ptoken=14d7a36a9d1963f29aa6d58550596a30) ### All plans include unlimited disputes to all three credit bureaus ![View Plans](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/544/medium_AzCOfmOSdIObukHTtkAFkkVcednFPx.png) Our Partner [View Plans](https://money.com/go/fd8899c2083a?bidid=4034320706&pmeta=p129-c527-u25367&ptid=662907680&ptoken=f77aaa307228f7ab6495681b359412da) ### Even the most basic packages include financial management tools ![View Plans](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/29349/medium_5f909068-0d8c-41f9-91b3-62c42c6b942c.webp) Our Partner [View Plans](https://money.com/go/88eaf5cb64b7?bidid=4034320708&pmeta=p129-c527-u25367&ptid=662907680&ptoken=77fdca250bfb4d3cfdf3950d8f2fb41a) The result is what analysts describe as a “K-shaped” credit landscape: borrowers with strong credit continue to see improvement, while lower-scoring consumers are slipping back toward pre-pandemic levels. “What makes this particularly interesting is that we're simultaneously seeing a record share of consumers demonstrating strong, consistent credit behaviors,” Ethan Dornhelm, head of scores analytics at FICO, said in the report. “The result is a credit market that's both more challenging for some and more rewarding for others.” ## Younger borrowers are taking the biggest hit About 14% of consumers ages 18 to 29 saw their credit scores drop by at least 50 points between October 2024 and October 2025, compared with roughly 10% of the overall population. These declines are largely tied to student loan repayment struggles, as many younger borrowers are navigating payments for the first time [without the safety net](https://money.com/student-loan-on-ramp-ending/) that existed during the pandemic. Some of those pandemic-era protections lasted for more than four-and-a-half years, and so when [missed payments began having negative consequences](https://money.com/student-loan-delinquencies-hurt-average-credit-score/) again in the fall of 2024, the impact was significant. Nearly one-third of borrowers with payments due, or about 7.1 million people, now have a new student loan delinquency on their credit reports, FICO reports. For those borrowers, scores have fallen by an average of 62 points since early 2025. Although the return of student loan payments triggered a sharp rise in delinquencies, there are signs the situation may be starting to stabilize. FICO data shows student loan delinquencies have "leveled off" in recent months after an initial surge [when missed payments began hitting credit reports again in early 2025](https://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2025/05/student-loan-delinquencies-are-back-and-credit-scores-take-a-tumble/). The delinquency rate rose by just 0.1% between April and October 2025. At the same time, most other forms of debt, including credit cards and personal loans, are showing signs of stabilizing after a period of post-pandemic volatility. Mortgage delinquencies, however, continue to rise, suggesting some households are still under pressure from higher borrowing costs and housing expenses. In October 2025, the 30-day-plus delinquency rate rose to 4.8% — close to its pre-pandemic level of 5%, according to FICO. [Mortgage rates](https://money.com/current-mortgage-rates/), which have [hovered well above pandemic-era lows in recent years](https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MORTGAGE30US), have made homeownership and [refinancing](https://money.com/best-mortgage-refinance/) significantly more expensive. “Mortgage markets present a more complex picture at present,” the report said. “With delinquencies continuing an upward trajectory toward pre-pandemic levels, this sector requires ongoing vigilance during this period of continuing market transition.” While the average FICO score of 714 remains elevated by historical standards, the data shows a crack between thriving and struggling borrowers that could continue to grow, shaping how consumers access financial products in the months and years ahead. ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/28241/medium_ae18ab6b-f004-4597-a78c-b5057ebf3778.png) Clean up your credit report with Credit Saint [View Plans](https://money.com/pr/sc3ba8a1c51c?ap_referrer=%2Faverage-credit-score-drops-student-loans-mortgages%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/average-credit-score-drops-student-loans-mortgages/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Credit", "item": "https://money.com/credit/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Credit Score", "item": "https://money.com/credit-score/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Average Credit Score Just Dropped Again. 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