Credit Score Statistics 2026: 18 Facts From the New York Fed and Federal Reserve
The median credit score on new mortgages was 764 in Q2 2026, and 716 on new auto loans. Eighteen credit score statistics from the New York Fed Household Debt and Credit Report and the Federal Reserve SHED.
The typical borrower who got a new mortgage in spring 2026 had a credit score of 764. New auto borrowers had a median of 716, down seven points in a quarter. Those numbers come from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit for 2026:Q2, built from an anonymized sample of Equifax credit reports. Here are 18 statistics on credit scores, who gets approved, and what drags scores down.
Data as of October 14, 2026. Credit-score, origination, inquiry, utilization and delinquency figures come from the New York Fed’s Household Debt and Credit Report for 2026:Q2 (released August 2026) and its published data workbook. Approval and card-use figures come from the Federal Reserve Board’s Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 report (SHED, published May 2026). Beginning in 2026:Q1, the New York Fed reports credit scores as VantageScore 4.0; earlier quarters used the Equifax Risk Score 3.0, so quarter-to-quarter changes across that break are not like-for-like. Where we divide or compare published figures, we say so. This page is general information, not financial advice. Some links on Money 8020 are affiliate or partner links; see our advertiser and affiliate disclosure.
Key takeaways
- Mortgage median: new mortgages had a median credit score of 764 in Q2 2026.
- Auto median: new auto loans had a median score of 716, down 7 points from Q1.
- Top-tier dominance: about 57.5% of new mortgage dollars went to borrowers scoring 760 or higher.
- Denials: about one-third of adults who applied for credit in 2025 were denied or approved for less.
- Utilization: card balances were about 22.7% of total card limits nationally in Q2 2026 (our calculation from New York Fed data).
Credit scores at a glance (Q2 2026)
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median score, new mortgages | 764 | NY Fed HHDC 2026:Q2 |
| 10th percentile score, new mortgages | 659 | NY Fed HHDC 2026:Q2 |
| Median score, new auto loans | 716 | NY Fed HHDC 2026:Q2 |
| 10th percentile score, new auto loans | 580 | NY Fed HHDC 2026:Q2 |
| Share of new mortgage dollars to 760+ scores | 57.5% | NY Fed data (our division) |
| Share of new auto loan dollars to scores under 620 | 16.1% | NY Fed data (our division) |
| Hard inquiries in the past 6 months | 83.0 million | NY Fed HHDC 2026:Q2 |
| Card balances as a share of card limits | 22.7% | NY Fed data (our division) |
| Consumers with a third-party collection | 4.88% | NY Fed HHDC 2026:Q2 |
| Applicants denied or approved for less (2025) | About one-third | Fed SHED 2025 |
Credit scores on new mortgages
1. The median new mortgage borrower scored 764
The median credit score of newly originated mortgages was 764 in Q2 2026, up from 762 in Q1 2026. Mortgages here are first liens only, and the score is VantageScore 4.0.
2. A quarter of new mortgages went to borrowers scoring 715 or lower
The 25th percentile score for new mortgages was 715 and the 10th percentile was 659. In other words, nine in ten new mortgage borrowers scored above 659.
3. Borrowers scoring 760+ took 57.5% of new mortgage dollars
Of $504.6 billion in newly originated mortgage debt in Q2 2026, $290.4 billion went to borrowers with scores of 760 or higher. That is about 57.5% (our division of New York Fed figures).
4. Borrowers below 620 received just 3% of mortgage dollars
Only $15.0 billion, or about 3.0%, of new mortgage dollars went to borrowers with scores under 620.
| Credit score band | New mortgage originations, Q2 2026 | Share (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|
| 760 and above | $290.4 billion | 57.5% |
| 720 to 759 | $98.5 billion | 19.5% |
| 660 to 719 | $72.6 billion | 14.4% |
| 620 to 659 | $28.2 billion | 5.6% |
| Below 620 | $15.0 billion | 3.0% |
| Total | $504.6 billion | 100% |
Source: New York Fed Household Debt and Credit Report data, 2026:Q2 (page 6). Shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Credit scores on new auto loans
5. The median new auto borrower scored 716, down 7 points
The median credit score of newly originated auto loans fell to 716 in Q2 2026 from 723 in Q1 2026. The New York Fed described the credit quality of new auto loans as having “worsened slightly.”
6. One in ten new auto loans went to borrowers scoring 580 or below
The 10th percentile score for new auto loans was 580 and the 25th percentile was 639, far below the mortgage equivalents of 659 and 715.
7. Auto lenders lend far more to lower scores than mortgage lenders do
Of $210.8 billion in new auto loans in Q2 2026, $34.0 billion (about 16.1%) went to borrowers scoring under 620, more than five times the mortgage share. Borrowers at 760 and above took $86.1 billion, about 40.9%.
| Credit score band | New auto loan originations, Q2 2026 | Share (our calculation) |
|---|---|---|
| 760 and above | $86.1 billion | 40.9% |
| 720 to 759 | $23.1 billion | 10.9% |
| 660 to 719 | $40.1 billion | 19.0% |
| 620 to 659 | $27.5 billion | 13.1% |
| Below 620 | $34.0 billion | 16.1% |
| Total | $210.8 billion | 100% |
Source: New York Fed Household Debt and Credit Report data, 2026:Q2 (page 8). Shares may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
Applying for credit
8. Consumers generated 83.0 million hard inquiries in six months
The New York Fed counted about 83.0 million hard credit inquiries reported in the six months to Q2 2026, up from 79.8 million in Q1 2026. Hard inquiries are created when a consumer authorizes a lender to pull a credit report for an application; checking your own score does not count.
9. Only 33% of adults applied for credit in 2025
In the Fed’s 2025 SHED, 33% of adults applied for any type of credit, the lowest share since the survey began asking in 2015.
10. About one-third of applicants were denied or approved for less
Among adults who applied for credit in 2025, about one-third (33%, per the Fed’s figure 30) were denied or approved for less than they requested, up 5 percentage points from 2021 and unchanged from 2024.
11. Black applicants were denied at more than twice the rate of White applicants
The Fed reports that 54% of Black applicants were denied or approved for less in 2025, versus 46% of Hispanic applicants and 25% of White applicants.
12. Confidence in getting approved has slipped
61% of adults in 2025 were very confident a credit card application would be approved, down from 65% in 2021.
What moves scores: utilization, delinquency and collections
13. Card balances were about 22.7% of total card limits
The New York Fed counted $1.263 trillion in credit card balances against $5.559 trillion in total card limits in Q2 2026. That is an aggregate utilization of about 22.7% (our division). Utilization is one of the biggest factors in most scoring models; see how credit scores work.
14. 12.92% of card balances were 90+ days delinquent
12.92% of credit card balances were 90 or more days delinquent in Q2 2026, down from 13.12% in Q1 2026. Serious delinquencies can remain on credit reports for years and weigh heavily on scores.
15. 8.69% of card balances moved into early delinquency
Over the four quarters to Q2 2026, about 8.69% of credit card balances transitioned into early (30+ day) delinquency, versus 7.87% for auto loans and 3.95% for mortgages (four-quarter moving sums).
16. Young borrowers fall behind on cards most often
Over the four quarters to Q2 2026, 10.08% of card balances held by borrowers aged 18 to 29 moved into serious delinquency, versus 4.98% for ages 60 to 69 and 7.00% across all ages.
| Age | Card balances moving into 90+ day delinquency (4-quarter sum, Q2 2026) |
|---|---|
| 18 to 29 | 10.08% |
| 30 to 39 | 8.26% |
| 40 to 49 | 7.62% |
| 50 to 59 | 6.41% |
| 60 to 69 | 4.98% |
| 70 and older | 6.34% |
| All ages | 7.00% |
Source: New York Fed Household Debt and Credit Report data, 2026:Q2 (page 27).
17. 4.88% of consumers have a third-party collection on file
About 4.88% of consumers with a credit report had a third-party collection account in Q2 2026, with an average collection amount of about $1,577 per person with one.
18. 82% of adults have a credit card, and 45% of cardholders carried a balance
In the Fed’s 2025 SHED, 82% of adults had a credit card, and 45% of cardholders carried a balance at least once in the prior 12 months, down from 57% in 2015. Paying in full avoids interest and keeps reported balances, and so utilization, lower.
How to put these numbers to work
- Know the bands lenders use. Most new mortgage dollars go to scores of 760 and up; auto lenders reach much lower.
- Keep utilization low. National card balances are about 22.7% of limits; lower personal utilization generally helps.
- Never miss a payment. Delinquencies and collections do lasting damage. Set up autopay for at least the minimum.
- Limit hard inquiries. Apply for credit you need, and rate-shop for a mortgage or auto loan within a short window.
- Building from scratch? A secured card can establish history; see our credit card statistics 2026 and average credit card debt guides.
Methodology and sources
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, 2026:Q2 (released August 2026), report PDF and data workbook (pages 5 to 10, 12, 13, 18 and 27). Credit score is VantageScore 4.0 from 2026:Q1; Equifax Risk Score 3.0 before.
- Federal Reserve Board, Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 (SHED), Credit chapter, May 2026.
- Shares of origination volume and aggregate utilization are our own divisions of the published New York Fed figures.
- Internal links for navigation only: how credit scores work, credit card statistics 2026, average credit card debt. We do not cite our own pages as sources of facts.
For borrowing costs and delinquency on installment debt, see personal loan statistics 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median credit score for a new mortgage?
The New York Fed reports that the median credit score of newly originated mortgages was 764 in the second quarter of 2026, up from 762 in Q1 2026. The 25th percentile was 715 and the 10th percentile was 659. Since 2026:Q1 the report uses VantageScore 4.0; earlier quarters used the Equifax Risk Score 3.0, so compare older figures with care.
What credit score do most auto borrowers have?
The median credit score of newly originated auto loans was 716 in Q2 2026, down seven points from 723 in Q1 2026, per the New York Fed Household Debt and Credit Report. One in ten new auto loans went to borrowers with a score of 580 or lower.
What share of mortgage dollars go to borrowers with scores of 760 or higher?
Of the $504.6 billion in mortgages newly originated in Q2 2026, $290.4 billion, or about 57.5%, went to borrowers with credit scores of 760 or higher, per New York Fed data. Borrowers below 620 received about $15.0 billion, or 3.0%.
How many people are denied credit?
In the Federal Reserve's 2025 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED), 33% of adults applied for some type of credit, and about one-third of those applicants were denied or approved for less than they requested.
What is a good credit utilization rate?
Lenders generally favor lower utilization. As a national reference point, the New York Fed counted $1.263 trillion of credit card balances against $5.559 trillion of credit card limits in Q2 2026, an aggregate utilization of about 22.7% (our calculation). Individual scoring models weigh utilization differently. If you are starting from a thin file, compare [best secured credit cards](/best/best-secured-credit-cards/) or [best student credit cards](/best/best-student-credit-cards/) we verified on issuer pages. For federal and credit-report student borrowing totals, see [student loan debt statistics 2026](/learn/student-loan-debt-statistics-2026/). This is not financial advice.
How often do people check or apply for credit?
The New York Fed counted about 83.0 million hard credit inquiries reported in the six months to Q2 2026, up from 79.8 million in Q1 2026. Hard inquiries are generated when a consumer authorizes a lender to pull a credit report for a credit application.