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Folks in 4 Ohio cities have some of worst credit scores in US on average. See how yours compare?

By Sundi Rose
Juzt credit card
An image of someone making a purchase with a digital credit card.

Your credit score follows you everywhere, from mortgage applications to apartment rentals to job interviews and a new national study from Wallet hub shows where a few Ohio cities stand compared to the rest of the country. The highest a credit score can go is 850, but only 1.7% of consumers have a “perfect” FICO score., according to a recent MyFICO report.

WalletHub pulled anonymized credit data from TransUnion, one of the three major credit bureaus, looking at the median credit scores of residents of 182 cities and, Columbus, Cincinnati, Akron and Cleveland found their way to the bottom half of the rankings.

Ohio credit report card

According to National Foundation for Credit Counseling, the average credit card debt in Ohio was $5,871 with 17% of young cardholders in severe delinquency debt (90+ days overdue).

Ohio city rankings:

  • Columbus average score 637: (tied at 64) Top earners in Columbus made upwards of $148,000 while low earners made just $34,000.
  • Cincinnati average score 632: (ranked 83) About 25.7% of Cincinnati residents live below the poverty line.
  • Akron average score 613: (ranked 136) The median household income was $48,544 in 2023, well below Ohio’s statewide median.
  • Cleveland average score 607: (ranked 149) Cleveland has the second-highest poverty rate among large U.S. cities, with 28.3% of residents living in poverty.

The top and bottom of the rankings

Credit scores have real impact because it can affect borrowing costs, dictate options for families trying to build wealth, and create an even steeper climb out of debt for residents with lower scores.

Highest scores:

  • South Burlington, Vermont: 697
  • Fremont, California: 688
  • Scottsdale, Arizona: 688
  • Port St. Lucie, Florida: 687
  • San Francisco, California: 686

Lowest scores:

  • Detroit, Michigan: 570
  • Shreveport, Louisiana: 590
  • Jackson, Mississippi: 591
  • Fayetteville, North Carolina: 592
  • Memphis, Tennessee: 593

How credit scores are calculated

Credit scores boil down to a simple formula lenders use to predict your risk, but the details behind the numbers can make or break your financial options.

Most scores run on a 300–850 scale, with higher numbers meaning lenders see you as less risky and reward you with better interest rates and loan offers. Higher scores make it easier to qualify for mortgages, car loans and credit cards at lower rates.

FICO looks at five main things:

  • Timely payments
  • Credit usage within limits
  • Account history
  • Kinds of credit carried
  • Frequency of new applications

VantageScore assign values:

  • Fair = 600s
  • Good = mid‑600s to mid‑700s
  • Excellent = high‑700s and up

Raise and protect your credit score

Financial complications can make a credit score seem like a high bar to clear, but steady habits can pay off over time.

Here are a few tips from the Federal Trade Commission that could help you get back on track

  • Pay every bill on time: payment history is the single biggest factor (35% of your FICO score
  • Keep credit card balances low: aim for under 30% of your limit (ideally 10%)
  • Pull your free credit reports from the Annual Credit Report site and dispute errors: fixing wrong information can bump your score fast
  • Limit new credit applications: too many inquiries signal risk and can drop your score
  • Build smart credit mix over time: a blend of cards, loans and payments shows responsibility (10-15% of your score)

Times are hard, and it is so expensive to be alive right now, but small steps can turn things around.

If you have any tips or ideas for what I should cover, email me at srose@ledger-enquirer.com or find me on social media.

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