If you know your own FICO credit score and have been wondering where you stand relative to the rest of American consumers, the Fair Isaac Corporation (creator of FICO scores) publishes a semi-annual distribution of FICO-scoring data. Here’s where American consumers stand as of the most recent (April 2017) data:
| FICO Score Range | Percentage of U.S. Consumers | Percentage With Lower Scores |
|---|---|---|
| 800-850 | 20.7% | 79.3% |
| 750-799 | 19% | 60.3% |
| 700-749 | 17.1% | 43.2% |
| 650-699 | 13.2% | 30% |
| 600-649 | 10% | 20% |
| 550-599 | 8.5% | 11.5% |
| 500-549 | 6.8% | 4.7% |
| 300-499 | 4.7% | N/A |
Data Source: Fair Isaac Corporation. Distribution is representative of the FICO Score 8 version of the FICO scoring model.
Filing for bankruptcy is NOT the Scarlet Letter your parents (and Nathaniel Hawthorne) warned about! Your credit score will rebound significantly within 2 years of filing … 100+ points in many cases. For real.
The other thing to keep in mind is that your stress level and credit score are inversely related. With respect to bankruptcy and debt, while one goes up – the other goes down. Get the monkey off your back TODAY. Trust me on this, bankruptcy can be an extremely positive, responsible way to proceed. I can attest to this 100% … I’ve been there. Let me help you.
