In this article:
- Does Experian Boost Work?
- Experian Boost Has Helped Thousands of Consumers Become Scoreable
- Experian Boost Helped 85% of Thin-File Consumers Raise Their Credit Scores
- State With the Largest Average Score Increase
- States With the Highest Percentage of Experian Boost Increases
- Metro Area With the Largest Average Score Increase
- Metro Area With the Highest Percentage of Experian Boost Increases
- Experian Boost Continues to Improve Credit Access
It's been nearly two years since the launch of Experian Boost®ø, and a lot has happened since the tool was released. Across the country, Experian Boost has helped more than 3.9 million consumers collectively grow their FICO Scores by nearly 50 million points.
Experian Boost is a one-of-a-kind tool that allows users to increase their credit scores instantly, and for free, by allowing Experian to include their on-time payment history from utility and telecom bills, as well as payments for streaming services including Netflix®, Disney Plus™ and Hulu, in their credit report.
The innovative solution is helping consumers across the country improve their scores, with some even moving up into the next-highest credit score range—something that's giving more Americans access to new credit opportunities.
Does Experian Boost Work?
Since its launch, 60% of people who have completed the Experian Boost process have seen their FICO® Score☉ go up, with consumers experiencing a 12-point increase on average. For Experian Boost users who started the process with a FICO® Score of 579 or below (considered "poor"), the average increase was even more significant: 87% of that group grew their scores, and had an average increase of 22 points.
Among those who saw an increase with Experian Boost, many improved from one scoring range to the next—which could ultimately help them get approved for credit or a loan on better terms.
Of the consumers who saw a score range improvement, 21% moved from the poor FICO® Score range to the fair FICO® Score range (580-669). Here is a look at users who moved up to a new FICO® Score range:
- 21% improved from a poor to fair FICO® Score
- 4% improved from a fair to good FICO® Score (670-739)
- 3% improved from a good to very good FICO® Score (740-799)
- 3% improved from a very good to exceptional FICO® Score (800 and above)
Lenders use FICO Scores to assess borrowers' potential risk in paying back a loan or credit card bill on time. Improved FICO Scores can mean a better chance of approval or more attractive interest rates and terms. In this way, Experian Boost is helping lenders get a clearer picture of creditworthiness among potential borrowers.
Experian Boost Has Helped Thousands of Consumers Become Scoreable
Experian Boost not only helps people raise their existing FICO Scores, but for consumers who have no score, the tool can actually help them become "scoreable." A consumer who isn't scoreable doesn't have enough data in their credit history for credit scoring algorithms to assign them a score.
Of the "unscoreable" users who completed the Experian Boost process, almost half—47%—of them built their credit file enough to become scoreable. Many of these consumers entered the poor or fair credit score range, but 15% of newly scoreable users ended up in the good score range or better.
Experian Boost Helped 85% of Thin-File Consumers Raise Their Credit Scores
Experian Boost has helped many users with "thin files" (less than five accounts in their credit file) increase their FICO® Score.
Many of the more than 100 million consumers who have a thin credit file can see a transformational change when they add new data to their credit report, as lenders often adopt tighter criteria when evaluating someone with a thin file.
Overall, 85% of thin-file consumers who used Experian Boost saw their FICO Scores increase. And on average, consumers saw an increase of 19 points. Further, 15% of those users moved to a higher credit score range, and 41% shed their thin-file status.
State With the Largest Average Score Increase
Since Experian Boost launched, the state where consumers added the most points to their FICO Scores using the tool is West Virginia. Consumers in the state who saw a FICO® Score increase using Experian Boost improved their scores by 16.6 points on average. Nevada followed closely, along with Oklahoma, Alabama and Indiana, to make up the top five.
| Top Average FICO® Score Point Increases by State | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | State | Average Experian Boost Increase |
| 1 | West Virginia | 16.6 |
| 2 | Nevada | 16.4 |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 15.9 |
| 4 | Alabama | 15.7 |
| 5 | Indiana | 15.5 |
| 6 | Georgia | 15.4 |
| 7 | Arizona | 15.4 |
| 8 | Arkansas | 15.3 |
| 9 | Michigan | 15.3 |
| 10 | South Carolina | 15.3 |
Source: Experian
State With the Most Points Added Overall
Consumers in California have used Experian Boost to add more than 4.9 million points to their collective FICO Scores since the feature's launch—more points than any other state.
California was followed by Texas, Florida, Georgia and New York as the top five states where consumers added the most points to their FICO Scores using Experian Boost.
| Most Points Added With Experian Boost by State | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | State | Number of Points Added |
| 1 | California | 4,997,255 |
| 2 | Texas | 4,902,168 |
| 3 | Florida | 4,047,815 |
| 4 | Georgia | 2,221,606 |
| 5 | New York | 1,686,613 |
| 6 | North Carolina | 1,557,898 |
| 7 | Arizona | 1,347,149 |
| 8 | Ohio | 1,289,030 |
| 9 | Illinois | 1,272,207 |
| 10 | Pennsylvania | 1,146,111 |
Source: Experian
States With the Highest Percentage of Experian Boost Increases
Nevada was home to the highest percentage of scores boosted using Experian Boost. Of the users in the state who tried Experian Boost, 68% saw their FICO Scores increase.
| Top States Where Experian Boost Users Increased Their FICO Scores | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | State | Percentage of Scores Boosted |
| 1 | Nevada | 68.4% |
| 2 | Alabama | 68.2% |
| 3 | Louisiana | 68.2% |
| 4 | New Mexico | 68.1% |
| 5 | Arizona | 68.0% |
| 6 | North Carolina | 67.7% |
| 7 | Mississippi | 67.7% |
| 8 | South Carolina | 67.6% |
| 9 | Oklahoma | 67.6% |
| 10 | Arkansas | 67.3% |
Source: Experian
Metro Area With the Largest Average Score Increase
Rome, Georgia was the metropolitan statistical area (MSA) where consumers saw the largest average point increase among those whose scores improved with Experian Boost: 19 points. The other top five MSAs with the highest average per-consumer increases were spread across the country, including Gadsen, Alabama; San Angelo, Texas; Lima, Ohioa; and Parkersburg-Marrietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio.
| Top Average FICO® Score Point Increases by Metro Area | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Metro Area | Average Experian Boost Increase |
| 1 | Rome, Georgia | 19.2 |
| 2 | Gadsden, Alabama | 18.9 |
| 3 | San Angelo, Texas | 18.3 |
| 4 | Lima, Ohio | 18.1 |
| 5 | Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio | 17.9 |
| 6 | Muskegon-Norton Shores, Michigan | 17.9 |
| 7 | Battle Creek, Michigan | 17.7 |
| 8 | Danville, Illinois | 17.6 |
| 9 | Terre Haute, Indiana | 17.6 |
| 10 | Charleston, West Virginia | 17.5 |
Source: Experian
Metro Area With the Most Points Added Overall
Looking at total FICO® Score points added, the greater New York City metro area saw the biggest increase. Consumers there added nearly two million points using Experian Boost.
| Most Points Added With Experian Boost by Metro Area | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Metro Area | Number of Points Added |
| 1 | New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA | 1,937,709 |
| 2 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, California | 1,691,472 |
| 3 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas | 1,669,112 |
| 4 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, Georgia | 1,526,081 |
| 5 | Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, Texas | 1,295,071 |
| 6 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, Florida | 1,234,722 |
| 7 | Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, IL-IN-WI | 1,085,523 |
| 8 | Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Arizona | 1,000,644 |
| 9 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, California | 829,576 |
| 10 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 699,090 |
Source: Experian
Metro Area With the Highest Percentage of Experian Boost Increases
The Rome, Georgia, metro area had the highest percentage of Experian Boost users who saw a score increase after connecting their accounts. Of those in the metro area who used Experian Boost, nearly 73% saw an increase in their FICO® Score.
| Top Metro Areas Where Experian Boost Users Increased FICO Scores | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Metro Area | Percentage of Scores Boosted |
| 1 | Rome, Georgia | 73% |
| 2 | Gadsden, Alabama | 72% |
| 3 | Decatur, Alabama | 72% |
| 4 | Victoria, Texas | 72% |
| 5 | Odessa, Texas | 71% |
| 6 | Farmington, New Mexico | 71% |
| 7 | Florence-Muscle Shoals, Alabama | 71% |
| 8 | Laredo, Texas | 71% |
| 9 | Danville, Illinois | 71% |
| 10 | Hinesville-Fort Stewart, Georgia | 71% |
Source: Experian
Experian Boost Continues to Improve Credit Access
Since Experian Boost launched, it continues to improve, adding more and more financial institutions to the platform. Experian Boost can add phone, utility, telecom and streaming service payments made with a credit card, expanding opportunities to thicken credit files. These improvements, among others, make it easier for more people to connect their accounts and ultimately get credit for the payments they are already making.
If you've been working to improve your credit scores and want to get credit for the utility and telecom payments you're already making, check out Experian Boost to see if you can increase your FICO® Score.