Credit score ranges, 300 to 850
The FICO Scores and VantageScores most lenders use run from 300 to 850. FICO splits that scale into five bands. Pick your number below to see what it means for an FHA loan, a conventional mortgage and a car loan, computed from the published rules.
FICO bands on the 300 to 850 scale
- Poor300 to 579
- Fair580 to 669
- Good670 to 739
- Very good740 to 799
- Exceptional800 to 850
FICO's own band labels. The average U.S. FICO Score was 714 and the median 744 in FICO's fall 2026 report (April 2026 data, FICO Score 8).
One scale, a few exceptions
Nearly every score a lender pulls today uses 300 to 850. No current FICO or VantageScore model starts at 350, so treat a 350 to 850 range quoted anywhere as a mistake. The exceptions:
| Score | Range | Where you'll see it |
|---|---|---|
| FICO Score 8, 9, 10 and 10T | 300 to 850 | Most lending decisions. myFICO calls FICO 8 the most widely used version. |
| FICO Score 2, 4 and 5 | 300 to 850 | The classic FICO versions mortgage lenders pull from Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. |
| VantageScore 3.0 and 4.0 | 300 to 850 | Many free score sites, and conventional mortgages when the lender chooses VantageScore 4.0. |
| FICO Auto Score and FICO Bankcard Score | 250 to 900 | Car loans and credit cards. Industry-specific versions built on the base FICO model. |
| Equifax Credit Score | 280 to 850 | Educational only, not used by lenders. |
| VantageScore 1.0 and 2.0 | 501 to 990 | Retired. |
The five band names are FICO's. VantageScore's tier labels vary by publisher, so a "good" VantageScore on one site may be "fair" on another. Credit score ranges, explained in full.
Every score page, by FICO band
Each page works out the band position, the cutoffs above it, FHA's score rules, Fannie Mae's fee on a $300,000 loan, and Experian's average car loan rates for that number.
Poor 300 to 579
FICO's lowest band. FHA can insure a loan from 500 to 579 with at least 10% down, and won't insure one below 500. Many lenders won't make a conventional loan below 620, and those that do charge Fannie Mae's highest fee band.
- FHA
- 500 to 579 with 10% down
- Fannie Mae fee, 80% loan-to-value
- 2.75% ($8,250)
- Experian auto tiers
- deep subprime, subprime
- 500 credit scoreFHA with 10% down. Fannie Mae fee $8,250 on a $300,000 loan.80 points to Fair
- 520 credit scoreFHA with 10% down. Fannie Mae fee $8,250 on a $300,000 loan.60 points to Fair
- 540 credit scoreFHA with 10% down. Fannie Mae fee $8,250 on a $300,000 loan.40 points to Fair
- 550 credit scoreFHA with 10% down. Fannie Mae fee $8,250 on a $300,000 loan.30 points to Fair
- 560 credit scoreFHA with 10% down. Fannie Mae fee $8,250 on a $300,000 loan.20 points to Fair
Fair 580 to 669
580 is where FHA's 3.5% down payment opens up, and 620 is the minimum many conventional lenders still use. Inside this band, Fannie Mae's pricing steps at 640 and 660.
- FHA
- 3.5% down
- Fannie Mae fee, 80% loan-to-value
- 2.75% to 1.875% ($8,250 to $5,625)
- Experian auto tiers
- subprime, near prime, prime
- 580 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $8,250 on a $300,000 loan.90 points to Good
- 600 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $8,250 on a $300,000 loan.70 points to Good
- 620 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $8,250 on a $300,000 loan.50 points to Good
- 640 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $6,750 on a $300,000 loan.30 points to Good
- 650 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $6,750 on a $300,000 loan.20 points to Good
- 660 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $5,625 on a $300,000 loan.10 points to Good
Good 670 to 739
FICO calls this Good, and it brackets the U.S. average of 714. Fannie Mae's fee keeps stepping down every 20 points, so the gap between 670 and 739 is real money on a mortgage.
- FHA
- 3.5% down
- Fannie Mae fee, 80% loan-to-value
- 1.875% to 1.25% ($5,625 to $3,750)
- Experian auto tiers
- prime
- 670 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $5,625 on a $300,000 loan.70 points to Very good
- 680 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $5,250 on a $300,000 loan.60 points to Very good
- 700 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $4,125 on a $300,000 loan.40 points to Very good
- 720 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $3,750 on a $300,000 loan.20 points to Very good
Very good 740 to 799
Very good, and home to 780, where Fannie Mae's best pricing band begins. The median U.S. FICO Score, 744, sits in this band.
- FHA
- 3.5% down
- Fannie Mae fee, 80% loan-to-value
- 0.875% to 0.375% ($2,625 to $1,125)
- Experian auto tiers
- prime, super prime
- 740 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $2,625 on a $300,000 loan.60 points to Exceptional
- 760 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $1,875 on a $300,000 loan.40 points to Exceptional
- 780 credit scoreFHA with 3.5% down. Fannie Mae fee $1,125 on a $300,000 loan.20 points to Exceptional
Exceptional 800 to 850
FICO's top band. On Fannie Mae's grid, 800 and 850 pay the same as 780, so points past 800 rarely change a price.
- FHA
- 3.5% down
- Fannie Mae fee, 80% loan-to-value
- 0.375% ($1,125)
- Experian auto tiers
- super prime
Fees are Fannie Mae's loan-level price adjustments for a purchase loan at 75.01% to 80% loan-to-value, from its matrix dated 09.30.2026. Auto tiers are Experian's Q2 2026 VantageScore 4.0 ranges, which don't line up with FICO's bands. FHA rules are HUD's; lenders often set higher minimums.
Where most people land
714
Average U.S. FICO Score
744
Median, the score in the exact middle
48.1%
Scorable consumers at 750 or higher
10.5%
Scorable consumers below 550
From FICO's fall 2026 Credit Insights report, based on April 2026 FICO Score 8 data. The average sits below the median because the scale stops at 850 but runs down to 300, so low scores pull the average down. What the average hides.
Free tool
Have a score that isn't on the list?
Type any number from 300 to 850 into the score decoder to see its band, the next cutoff and what it means for loans.
Sources
- What is a credit score? (FICO score ranges), myFICO
- FICO Score versions, myFICO
- Equifax credit score ranges, Equifax
- FICO Score Credit Insights, fall 2026 edition, FICO
- Credit scores, FHFA
- Mortgagee Letter 2026-11, HUD
- Loan-Level Price Adjustment Matrix (09.30.2026), Fannie Mae
- Average car loan interest rates by credit score (Sep 10, 2026), Experian
Checked October 11, 2026. This is education, not lending advice.