Four cities in Wisconsin were among the locales with the highest credit scores. Texas, on the other hand, had four of the worst-ranking cities.
In Wausau, Wis., the average credit score is 789. That was the highest score of any city.
Wausau’s standing was based on an analysis of a statistically relevant sampling of consumer credit data by Experian, which announced the report Tuesday.
Other Wisconsin cities to make the top-10 list were Madison, with a score of 785; Green Bay’s 780 score; and La Crosse’s score of 777.
Experian called Wisconsin residents “the nation’s most fiscally responsible.”
Consumers in No. 2 Minneapolis had an average score of 787. Minneapolis had the highest score of any city a year ago.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, secured the fourth position on the list of cities that have the best credit, with a score of 781.
On the other side of the spectrum was Harlingen, Texas, where the score was 686 — lower than any other city. Additional Texas cities to make the 10-worst scores were Corpus Christi, with a 702 score; Tyler, where the score was 710; and El Paso, which had a score of 710.
Jackson, Miss., had a score of 701, the second-worst of any city.
Louisiana sported two cities on the lowest-scoring list. Monroe and Shreveport tied for the No. 4 spot with scores of 706.
No. 8 on the worst list, Las Vegas, was highlighted for ranking among the bottom 10 regional credit scores for the past three years.
“Five out of 10 of the bottom markets have increased their credit scores and decreased debt since 2010,” the report said. “However, average debt nationwide has only decreased by about 1 percent — it is down about $200 to $24,542 — indicating that those working to improve their debt-to-credit ratio are having difficulty making progress. A low debt-to-credit ratio is an important element of a high credit score.”
