With research showing that last year the average credit score didn’t go up for the second time in over a decade, the personal-finance website WalletHub analyzed the median credit scores of residents in 182 cities and today released its report on the Cities with the Highest & Lowest Credit Scores in 2025, as well as expert commentary.
| Cities With Highest Credit Scores | Cities With Lowest Credit Scores |
| 1. South Burlington, VT | T-172. Augusta, GA |
| 2. Fremont, CA | T-172. Shreveport, LA |
| 3. Scottsdale, AZ | T-172. Newport News, VA |
| 4. San Francisco, CA | T-172. Montgomery, AL |
| 5. Huntington Beach, CA | T-176. Columbus, GA |
| 6. Seattle, WA | T-176. Jackson, MS |
| 7. Overland Park, KS | 178. Birmingham, AL |
| 8. Boston, MA | 179. San Bernardino, CA |
| T-9. Santa Clarita, CA | 180. Newark, NJ |
| T-9. Port St. Lucie, FL | 181. Memphis, TN |
| 11. Honolulu, HI | 182. Detroit, MI |
For the full report and to see where your city ranks, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
Readers who are curious to know how they compare with the average person in their city can access their free credit score by joining the WalletHub community.
“Having a good or excellent credit score opens up so many doors for you. Not only does it help you get approved for future loans and lines of credit, but it also reduces your interest rate and increases the amount you’re able to borrow. A good credit score can even make you a stronger candidate for employment, help you with renting housing, and make you a more attractive dating partner.”
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“South Burlington, VT residents have the highest average credit score in the country, at 701. That puts them into the good credit range. Since South Burlington residents are financially responsible, it’s not surprising that they also have good incomes. The median income is nearly $73,000, ranking 21st highest out of the 182 cities in our study.”
- Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Expert Commentary
What tips do you have for a person trying to increase their credit score quickly?
“Pay all bills on time – Even a single late payment can significantly drop your score. Set up automatic payments or reminders to ensure timely payments. Reduce your credit utilization ratio – Keep your credit card balance below 30% of your credit limit (for rapid improvement, aim for below 10%). Increase your credit limit – Call your credit card company and ask for a credit limit increase (but do not spend more). This lowers your credit utilization percentage. Pay down revolving debt – Reducing balances on credit cards (as opposed to installment loans) has the most immediate impact. Avoid new hard inquiries – Applying for new credit can cause a temporary dip. If you don’t need new credit, don’t apply. Become an authorized user – If a trusted family member has a credit card in good standing, ask to be added as an authorized user to benefit from their good payment history. Check your credit report for errors – Go to AnnualCreditReport.com and review your credit report for mistakes (e.g., incorrect late payments, accounts that don’t belong to you). Dispute any inaccuracies immediately.”
Ed Derbin – Lecturer, Southwestern Michigan College
“For most people who have managed their credit badly in the past, increasing the credit score is a slow process that requires consistent and careful actions. Get a small amount of credit, pay your full balance on time every month, as your score improves, get more credit and repeat. As your bad history gets older, it will weigh less in your score, and will eventually fall off of your report seven years after default (10 years for bankruptcy filings). Slow and steady wins the race in rebuilding your credit score. If you have managed your credit responsibly and want to bump up your already-good score quickly before applying for a home loan or something, paying off all your balances early will give you a small boost in your score. But if you have a good score already, that most likely will not make a difference in your rate or qualification.”
Gregory Germain – Professor, Syracuse University College of Law
Which are the most common mistakes people make when trying to improve their credit score?
“Applying for too many new credit cards – Every hard inquiry lowers your score temporarily. Paying off and closing old credit cards – Instead of closing old cards, keep them open and use them occasionally to maintain a longer credit history. Not diversifying credit types – Credit bureaus favor a mix of installment loans (car loans, mortgages) and revolving credit (credit cards). Ignoring errors on credit reports – Many people don’t check their credit reports for mistakes that could be dragging down their score. Not negotiating – If you have late payments, call your creditor and ask for a ‘goodwill adjustment’ to remove the negative mark.”
Ed Derbin – Lecturer, Southwestern Michigan College
“Paying worthless and fraudulent credit repair companies to try to improve their score rather than rebuilding their credit through careful management, and taking out and paying for additional credit that you do not need to try to improve your utilization. You do not need a perfect credit score. All you need is a high credit score, which you can get without cost through careful management.”
Gregory Germain – Professor, Syracuse University College of Law
What are some strategies people who are facing financial difficulties can pursue in order to protect their credit scores?
“Contact creditors before missing a payment – Many lenders offer hardship programs to temporarily reduce payments or defer due dates. Make at least the minimum payments – Even partial payments are better than missed payments, which can significantly harm your credit. Avoid payday loans – These come with high-interest rates and can trap you in a cycle of debt. Use credit counseling services – Nonprofits like the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) can help manage debts without hurting your credit. Ask for a forbearance or deferment – If you have student loans, some lenders allow temporary relief without reporting late payments. Prioritize essential bills – If you can’t pay everything, focus on housing, utilities, and minimum credit card payments to protect your credit.”
Ed Derbin – Lecturer, Southwestern Michigan College
“Make at least your minimum payment on all of your credit cards every month. If you don’t make your minimum payments, the fees and costs will quickly destroy your finances. Cut back on your lifestyle and spending to the bare minimum so you can devote as much of your income as possible to paying down your debts. After making the minimum payments, pay down your highest rate debts first… Consider debt consolidation loans if you can qualify for a lower rate than you are paying on your existing credit card debt. But, you have to change your spending habits because if you just run up your credit card debts again on top of your consolidation loan, you’ll make your financial situation much worse. You also need to be careful to consider the fees that you will pay to obtain a consolidation loan, and determine whether the savings in interest will significantly outweigh the costs… You have to accurately face your financial situation and past mistakes. No matter what, you will have to change the behavior that got you into the financial situation that you are facing. If you can pay off your debts by cutting back on spending, you should develop a plan to do so and stick with it until you are out of debt.”
Gregory Germain – Professor, Syracuse University College of Law
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