On this big shopping day, Iowa’s three largest cities rank toward the very top of a new survey that lists metro areas based on their average credit score.
Out of 143 communties nationwide, Cedar Rapids placed fourth in the country, while Des Moines ranked 16th and Davenport came in at #24.
Rod Griffin is a spokesman for Experion, a consumer and business credit reporting company. Griffin says the state’s showing is very good and Cedar Rapids’ placement is outstanding.
“What it tell us is, the people of Cedar Rapids, despite all of the economic challenges we’re seeing around the country, are still doing relatively well in managing their debts and managing their credit,” Griffin says. “They’re staying on top of things they need to stay on top of to ensure they can get the credit they need.”
The higher the number, the better. Cedar Rapids’ average credit score was 781. Des Moines’ score was 773, while Davenport was 769. The national average is 749. The top-ranking city was Wausau, Wisconsin, with an average score of 789.
“The credit score represents the information in your credit report and it’s a measure of general credit risk,” Griffin says. “Good credit scores mean that a person is a good credit risk and tells us that you are managing your debts well, which is also a sign of financial health.”
Griffin says the report offers consumers some vital financial benchmarks.
Griffin says, “Credit scores are important because they can be a tool people can use to get a good idea of where they stand in terms of their credit-worthiness and their ability to get credit if they need it.”
To see the full state-by-state report, visit: www.livecreditsmart.com, or to get your own free credit report once a year, go to: www.annualcreditreport.com.