 TITLE: Credit Scores Lower in States With High Ratios of Delinquent Accounts CONTENT: States With More Late Payments Have Lowest Credit Scores\n--------------------------------------------------------\nPayment history is the most important factor when it comes to calculating your credit score. That's why it's no surprise consumers had lower average credit scores in states with a higher ratio of delinquent credit accounts to total credit accounts.\nLouisiana had the highest ratio of delinquent to total average credit accounts in Q2 2019. The state's average FICO® Score—677—was also the second-lowest in the nation, surpassing only Mississippi, which had an average score of 667.\n\\*Source: Experian Q2 2019 data\nOn the other end of the spectrum, Minnesota had the highest average FICO® Score of 733 in Q2 2019, according to Experian data. The state also had the lowest ratio of delinquent credit accounts to total accounts of any state. While it is impossible to say for sure that the ratio of late payments is responsible for Minnesota's top average credit score, other states with low delinquency ratios typically have top-tier credit scores.\nIn South Dakota and Vermont—the states with the second- and third-lowest delinquency ratios, respectively—consumers' FICO® Scores were significantly above the national average of 703 in Q2 2019. The top three states with the fewest late payments also had average FICO® Scores in the top 10% of all states.\n\\*Source: Experian Q2 2019 data\nLooking across the country, it's clear that in places where delinquency ratios were higher, credit scores were lower. While this does not necessarily mean that the late payments are driving the low scores, it reinforces the importance of payment history and shows how paying late or missing payments—at least in part—can affect a credit score. END