Californians, on average, have “good” credit scores.

To compare California’s bill-paying habits with those of other states, my trusty spreadsheet analyzed two rankings of credit scores. These are the curious grades, which bankers use to estimate their chances of being repaid by borrowers, score how well a consumer settles their debts.

When we averaged state results from two leading bureaus – FICO and VantageScore – we found the typical Californian had a credit score of 714 last year. If you didn’t know, credit scores run from a high of 850 to a low of 300, and according to credit bureau Experian, a 714 score is within the “good” range.

“Lenders view consumers with scores in the good range as ‘acceptable’ borrowers, and may offer them a variety of credit products, though not necessarily at the lowest-available interest rates,” Experian explained in a guide to credit scores.

California’s score was equal to the national median and ranked 24th best among the states and the District of Columbia.

The highest credit scores were found in Minnesota, at 734, followed by New Hampshire and Vermont, both at 730, Wisconsin at 729, and Washington at 727.

Mississippi has the lowest credit scores, at 676, followed by Louisiana at 684, Alabama at 686, and Texas at 688. By the way, Florida was No. 38 at 701.

Jonathan Lansner is the business columnist for the Southern California News Group. He can be reached at [email protected]

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