Credit Score Range Explained — 300 to 850, Tier by Tier
FICO and VantageScore both run 300 to 850. The bands matter less than what lenders actually decide at each cutoff. Here's the complete map: every tier, every common product, every approval rule.
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The 5 credit score tiers (FICO and VantageScore)
Per the FICO Score Distribution, both major U.S. scoring models use a 300–850 range divided into five tiers. The cutoffs are slightly different between FICO and VantageScore, but lenders treat them nearly identically.
300–579 — Poor (≈16% of U.S. files)
Almost no unsecured credit available. Auto financing only at 18%+ APR through subprime lots. No mortgage approval. Path forward: open one secured card + one credit-builder loan from a credit union, then 18 months of clean reporting.
580–669 — Fair (≈17% of files)
Subprime credit cards approve (high APRs, low limits). FHA mortgage possible at 580+ with 3.5% down. Auto rates 12–18%. Apartments approve with extra deposit. Below 600, expect a co-signer requirement on most leases.
670–739 — Good (≈21% of files, the U.S. median lives here)
Where the median U.S. consumer (717) sits. Prime credit cards approve. Both FHA and conventional mortgages available. Auto rates 6–9%. Apartments approve without extra deposits. Most rewards cards target this band.
740–799 — Very Good (≈28% of files)
The first tier where you get the best rate available — not just an approval. Premium rewards cards (Sapphire Preferred, Amex Gold) target this band. Conventional mortgage at the lowest published rate. Auto financing at 4–6%.
800–850 — Exceptional (≈21% of files)
Diminishing returns. A 760 and an 820 are charged the same rate by most underwriters. Where 800+ unlocks something extra: jumbo mortgages, private banking, and white-glove card tiers (Amex Platinum, Chase Sapphire Reserve).
What each credit score range unlocks — by product
| Score | Credit card | Auto APR | Mortgage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 300–579 | Secured only | 18–25% | Not approved |
| 580–669 | Subprime unsecured | 12–18% | FHA only |
| 670–739 | Prime rewards | 6–9% | FHA + Conventional |
| 740–799 | Premium rewards | 4–6% | Best published rate |
| 800–850 | White-glove | 3–5% | Jumbo tier |
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- Daily monitoring & alerts
- Identity theft protection
- Score simulator & insights
- $1 for 15 days trial
- Cancel online anytime
- 3-Bureau credit reports & scores
- Daily monitoring & alerts
- Identity theft protection
- Score simulator & insights
- $1 for 15 days trial
- Cancel online anytime
FICO vs VantageScore — same range, different math
Both use 300–850 but weight the inputs differently. FICO 8 is a single-day snapshot. VantageScore 4.0 uses 24-month trended balance data and is more forgiving on isolated late payments. Expect VantageScore to read 10–30 points higher than FICO on the same file about 70% of the time. The lender's score is the one that matters; VantageScore is your early-warning system.
We wrote an SSN-specific version of this guide with the key nuances and differences.
Read guideHow to move up one tier — fastest moves by starting point
- Poor (300–579) → Fair: open one secured card + one credit-builder loan; 6 months of on-time payments.
- Fair (580–669) → Good: drop utilization under 30%, add one more account, no new late payments for 6 months.
- Good (670–739) → Very Good: utilization under 10%, no hard inquiries for 6 months, age your file.
- Very Good (740–799) → Exceptional: 7+ years of perfect payment history; utilization under 7%; never close oldest account.
Related guides
- ITIN credit score — same range, ITIN file →
- SSN credit score range — full breakdown →
- FICO score explained →
- VantageScore vs FICO compared →
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