# What Is a Good Credit Score? Ranges by Model, Explained

> A good FICO Score starts at 670, but 'good' depends on the model and on what you're applying for. The real ranges for FICO and VantageScore, plus the thresholds that change the outcome for mortgages, cars and apartments.

Source: https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/what-is-a-good-credit-score  
Author: Jordan Avery, Head of Content  
Published: 2025-12-08  
Topic: Credit Scores  
Publisher: Phone Number Credit Score (https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/)

On the FICO scale most lenders use, a good credit score is 670 to 739. Scores of 740 to 799 are "very good," and 800 or higher is "exceptional." VantageScore, the model behind many free credit apps, uses the same 300 to 850 range but draws its lines differently: 661 to 780 counts as prime.

So when someone asks what is a good credit score, the honest answer has two parts. First, which model? Second, good *for what*? A 680 is a perfectly good score for renting an apartment. It's not a good score if you're trying to get the lowest rate on a $400,000 mortgage.

## The ranges, model by model

The two big scoring families label the same 300 to 850 range differently. FICO uses adjectives:

| FICO Score | Label |
|---|---|
| 800 to 850 | Exceptional |
| 740 to 799 | Very good |
| 670 to 739 | Good |
| 580 to 669 | Fair |
| 300 to 579 | Poor |

And VantageScore, which uses lending tiers rather than adjectives:

| VantageScore | Tier |
|---|---|
| 781 to 850 | Superprime |
| 661 to 780 | Prime |
| 601 to 660 | Near prime |
| 300 to 600 | Subprime |

The FICO labels come straight from [myFICO's own score ranges](https://www.myfico.com/credit-education/credit-scores). The VantageScore tiers come from [VantageScore's consumer guide](https://vantagescore.com/consumers/blog/the-complete-guide-to-your-vantagescore). Notice the boundaries don't line up. A 665 is "near prime" to one and "fair" to the other, and a 790 is "superprime" in VantageScore while FICO calls it "very good."

### The versions nobody tells you about

"FICO Score" isn't one score. There are many versions, and lenders pick which one to use. [FICO says](https://www.myfico.com/credit-education/credit-scores/fico-score-versions) FICO Score 8 is the most widely used for general lending, and it also builds industry-specific scores for auto loans and credit cards that run from 250 to 900 instead of 300 to 850.

Mortgages are their own world. Lenders selling loans to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have long used the "Classic FICO" set: one older version from each bureau. From TransUnion, that's FICO® Score 4. It's the score we return, because it's the one that matters when someone applies for a home loan. We explain the trio in [mortgage credit scores: FICO 2, 4 and 5](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/mortgage-credit-scores-fico-2-4-5) and FICO 4 on its own in [FICO Score 4 explained](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/fico-score-4-explained).

That's starting to shift. In July 2025 the FHFA announced that lenders could use either Classic FICO or VantageScore 4.0 for loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the [FHFA's credit score page](https://www.fhfa.gov/policy/credit-scores) tracks the details). For now, Classic FICO remains the standard most mortgage lenders actually run.

## Where does the average American land?

Solidly in "good," about 25 points short of "very good." In April 2025 FICO reported that the [average U.S. FICO Score had slipped to 715](https://www.fico.com/blogs/student-loan-delinquencies-lower-average-fico-score-715), a dip it tied largely to federal student loan delinquencies showing up on credit reports again after a long pause.

That gives you a useful gut check. If you're at 715, you're average. That's fine. It's also roughly 65 points shy of the score where mortgage pricing stops improving.

## So what is a good credit score for what you're doing?

The labels are FICO's. The thresholds below are what actually change the outcome.

### Buying a home

- **FHA loans:** HUD allows scores down to 580 with 3.5% down, and 500 to 579 with 10% down. ([HUD's overview of FHA loans](https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans/loans) covers the basics.)
- **Conventional loans:** For years, 620 was the floor. Fannie Mae removed that minimum for loans run through its automated underwriting system starting with casefiles created on or after November 16, 2025, replacing it with an overall risk assessment. Individual lenders still set their own minimums, and many will keep something close to 620.
- **Best pricing:** Fannie Mae's loan-level price adjustment grid keeps rewarding higher scores in 20-point steps up to 780. Above that, more points don't lower your price.

So for a mortgage, "good" really means 740 or higher, and "great" means 780.

### Renting an apartment

There's no legal standard. Each landlord sets their own, and many land somewhere in the 600s. A 670 will clear most bars; a thin file with no score is often more of a hurdle than a modest score. We gathered what landlords actually look for in [minimum credit score to rent](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/minimum-credit-score-to-rent).

### Cars and credit cards

Auto lenders often use FICO Auto Scores on the 250 to 900 scale, and they price in tiers. Credit card issuers do something similar. In both cases, the jump from fair to good tends to change *whether* you're approved, and the jump from good to very good changes *what rate* you get.

## Why your app says 742 and your lender says 711

This is the most common question we get. The free score in your app is usually a VantageScore. Credit Karma, for example, shows VantageScore 3.0 from TransUnion and Equifax. It's a legitimate score, built by a different model, on a scale with different cutoffs. A mortgage lender pulls Classic FICO Scores instead.

Same credit history, different math, and the gap can be dozens of points in either direction. Neither number is wrong. They're answering slightly different questions. If you want the full comparison, see [FICO vs. VantageScore](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/fico-vs-vantagescore) and [why your Credit Karma score differs from your lender's](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/why-credit-karma-score-differs-from-lender).

![A hand holds up a single house key on a small house-shaped key ring inside a bright apartment hallway](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/media/blog/01a13670-a0bf-7124-8df1-0b9aa7ac741a-1200.webp)

## What actually moves a score

FICO publishes general weights for what goes into its scores:

- **Payment history, 35%.** On-time payments, and how late the late ones were.
- **Amounts owed, 30%.** Especially how much of your card limits you're using.
- **Length of history, 15%.**
- **New credit, 10%.** Recent applications and new accounts.
- **Credit mix, 10%.**

Two of those can move quickly. Card balances get reported monthly, so paying them down before the statement closes can lift a score within a cycle or two; our guide to [credit utilization](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/credit-utilization-explained) shows how. Late payments work the other way: one 30-day late can knock a good score down hard and sit on the report for seven years. The full list of things that drag a score is in [what hurts your credit score](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/what-hurts-your-credit-score).

A quick, fictional example. Renee has a 698 FICO Score. She's never missed a payment, but she carries $5,400 on cards with $8,000 in total limits, which is 68% usage. She pays the balances down to $1,500 (about 19%) over two statement cycles. Without anything else changing, a move from "good" toward "very good" is a realistic result, because utilization is one of the heaviest factors in the model. No new accounts, no tricks.

## What a credit score ignores

People are often surprised by what *doesn't* count. A FICO Score doesn't look at your income, your job, your savings, or your age. It doesn't consider race, religion, national origin, sex or marital status either; lenders are barred from using those under fair lending law, and the score is built without them.

That's why a surgeon who just finished residency can have a fair score and a retiree on a modest pension can have an exceptional one. The score only knows how you've handled credit: whether you paid on time, how much of your limits you use, how long your accounts have been open, and how often you've applied for new ones.

It also explains why lenders rarely stop at the score. A mortgage underwriter will look at your debt-to-income ratio, your down payment and your cash reserves. A landlord will ask for proof of income and call your last landlord. A "good" score opens the door. The rest of the file decides how far you get through it.

One more thing a score doesn't reflect: whether the report underneath it is accurate. If your number looks off, pull your reports and dispute errors directly with the bureau. That's free, and it's often the fastest score boost there is.

## When there's no score at all

Some people don't have a good or bad score. They have none. If a file is too new, FICO can't score it yet, and some people have no file at all. That isn't the same as bad credit, and the fix is different: open one account, use it lightly, pay it in full. Here's more on [thin credit files](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/blog/thin-credit-file).

## Checking someone else's score

If you're a landlord, a lender, or about to co-sign for someone, "good" isn't abstract. You need the actual number. With the person's OK, a lookup from just their phone number returns their name, current address and FICO Score 4 from TransUnion, plus the top reasons the score isn't higher. It's a soft pull, so their score doesn't change. We explain the model choice on [why FICO 4](https://phonenumbercreditscore.com/why-fico-4).

Don't fixate on a single number from a single app. Know which model you're looking at, know what the lender on the other side uses, and aim for the threshold that changes your price. For most big purchases, that's 740.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is 700 a good credit score?

Yes. On FICO's base 300 to 850 scale, 700 falls in the Good range (670 to 739). It's a little below the national average, so you'll qualify for most mainstream credit, though not always at the very best rates.

### What credit score do you need to buy a house?

FHA loans allow scores down to 580 with 3.5% down, or 500 to 579 with 10% down. Conventional loans have no single cutoff now that Fannie Mae dropped its 620 floor for automated underwriting, but lenders set their own minimums, and the best pricing goes to scores of 780 and up.

### Why is my credit app showing a different score than my lender?

Free apps such as Credit Karma show VantageScore 3.0, while most lenders use a FICO Score, and mortgage lenders use older Classic FICO versions like FICO Score 4 from TransUnion. Same history, different math.

### What's the highest credit score possible?

850 on the base FICO and VantageScore scales. Industry-specific FICO Scores for auto and credit card lending run from 250 to 900.