FICO (2024)

FAQs

Does anyone have an 850 FICO Score? ›

The percent of the population with the highest credit score of 850 is relatively small but has been increasing. As of April 2023, about 1.7% of the U.S. scorable population had a perfect 850 FICO® Score.

Highlights: While older models of credit scores used to go as high as 900, you can no longer achieve a 900 credit score. The highest score you can receive today is 850. Anything above 800 is considered an excellent credit score.

Your score falls in the range of scores, from 800 to 850, that is considered Exceptional. Your FICO^® Score and is well above the average credit score. Consumers with scores in this range may expect easy approvals when applying for new credit. 21% of all consumers have FICO^® Scores in the Exceptional range.

The primary credit scoring models are FICO® and VantageScore®, and both are equally accurate. Although both are accurate, most lenders are looking at your FICO score when you apply for a loan.

For a score with a range between 300 and 850, a credit score of 700 or above is generally considered good. A score of 800 or above on the same range is considered to be excellent. Most consumers have credit scores that fall between 600 and 750. In 2023, the average FICO^® Score^☉ in the U.S. reached 715.

Membership in the 800+ credit score club is quite exclusive, with fewer than 1 in 6 people boasting a score that high, according to WalletHub data.

FICO 8 scores range between 300 and 850. A FICO score of at least 700 is considered a good score. There are also industry-specific versions of credit scores that businesses use. For example, the FICO Bankcard Score 8 is the most widely used score when you apply for a new credit card or a credit-limit increase.

Different companies will be looking for different things in potential customers, so while you may be one lender's cup of tea, you may not tick all the boxes for another. We provide a score from between 0-999 and consider a 'good' score to be anywhere between 881 and 960, with 'fair' or average between 721 and 880.

Mississippi has the lowest average FICO credit score, with an average FICO score of 680.

Even the most restrictive mortgage products have credit score requirements in the mid-700s. A credit score of 830 will generally qualify you for a lender's best interest rates. As a real-world example, the average 30-year fixed mortgage interest rate was just over 7% as of late October 2022.

What is a perfect credit score to buy a house? ›

Some types of mortgages have specific minimum credit score requirements. A conventional loan requires a credit score of at least 620, but it's ideal to have a score of 740 or above, which could allow you to make a lower down payment, get a more attractive interest rate and save on private mortgage insurance.

Conventional loans: A credit score of 800 is well above the minimum needed to qualify for a conforming conventional loan, which is typically 620. In fact, with an 800, you ought to qualify for some of the best interest rates and terms available.

Mortgage lenders typically use FICO^® Scores^☉ from each credit bureau to help determine your loan eligibility and terms.

They may differ by 20 to 25 points, and in some cases even more. When Credit Karma users see their credit score details, they are viewing a VantageScore, not the FICO score that the majority of lenders use. A VantageScore has the same credit score range as FICO, and uses some of the same information as a FICO score.

Simply put, there is no “more accurate” score when it comes down to receiving your score from the major credit bureaus.

While achieving a perfect 850 credit score is rare, it's not impossible. About 1.3% of consumers have one, according to Experian's latest data. FICO scores can range anywhere from 300 to 850.

If you've ever wondered what the highest credit score you can have is, it's 850. That's at the top end of the most common FICO® and VantageScore® credit scores. And these two companies provide some of the most popular credit-scoring models in America. But do you need a perfect credit score?

For both the VantageScore and base FICO® score models, the lowest score is 300 and the highest credit score is 850. But even if you have pretty good credit habits, don't be surprised if you check your scores and find that you're below 850.

According to FICO, about 98% of "FICO High Achievers" have zero missed payments. And for the small 2% who do, the missed payment happened, on average, approximately four years ago. So while missing a credit card payment can be easy to do, staying on top of your payments is the only way you will one day reach 850.