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Top average credit score goes to California residents

Apr 07, 2012 Walt Wojciechowski

California residents as a whole have the highest average consumer credit score among Americans, according to data compiled by Mortgage Marvel, MSNBC reports. People in the Golden State have average credit of 754 - well above the country's average score, which is somewhere between 700 and 710. According to Experian's National Score Index, the average U.S. credit score in January 2010 was 692. The rise points to an overall reduction in credit card debt and an improving economy. The Mortgage Marvel top 1o list is made up almost entirely of states in the Northeast or West, with Wisconsin (No. 3, with an average score of 749) the lone exception. California is the only state on the list to have retained the same spot it held on the 2010 list. Its average score of 754 is actually down one point from last year's numbers, but still trumps the No. 2 state - Oregon - by three points. Rounding out the top 10 were Hawaii (748), Connecticut (745), Rhode Island (745), New Hampshire (744), Washington (744), Massachusetts (740) and Maryland (734).