In this article:
- Upper West Side and Upper East Side Tie for Highest Credit Score
- Average Credit Score in Manhattan Is 714
- Average Credit Score in Queens Is 710
- Average Credit Score in Staten Island Is 709
- Average Credit Score in Brooklyn Is 700
- The Average Credit Score in the Bronx Is 665
- Neighborhoods With High Average Income Typically Had Higher Credit Scores
In New York City, no two neighborhoods are alike. This is also true when it comes to how people in different areas handle their debt and credit. Though the cost of living in New York City is among the highest in the world, New Yorkers' credit scores, income and debt range from significantly below average to some of the highest in the country.
Taken as a whole, New York City's collective average FICO® Score☉ , the credit scoring model used for this study, was 701 in the second quarter (Q2) of 2019, according to Experian data. And while that's just under the national average of 703, the city's substantial economic diversity creates large variances in average credit scores from one neighborhood to the next.
As part of our ongoing look at credit scores in the U.S., Experian analyzed consumer credit data from Q2 2019 to break down New York City neighborhoods by ZIP code and see which ones had the best credit. Read on for our insights and analysis.
Upper West Side and Upper East Side Tie for Highest Credit Score
The two well-known neighborhoods that flank New York City's Central Park tied for the top spot of highest average credit score in New York City. Both neighborhoods had an average FICO® Score of 746—43 points higher than the national average and 34 points higher than New York State's average of 712, according to Experian data.
Of the neighborhoods with the top 10 average credit scores in New York City, six were in Manhattan. Neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn and Staten Island also made the list.
1. Upper East Side, Manhattan
This neighborhood is located on the east side of Manhattan.
Average credit score: 746
Average estimated income: $128,389
Total average debt: $152,541
2. Upper West Side, Manhattan
This neighborhood is located on the west side of Manhattan.
Average credit score: 746
Average estimated income: $121,072
Total average debt: $149,533
3. Gramercy Park and Murray Hill, Manhattan
These neighborhoods are on the east side of Manhattan, south of 34th Street.
Average credit score: 745
Average estimated income: $127,780
Total average debt: $122,839
4. Northeast Queens
This area includes Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck and Oakland Gardens.
Average credit score: 743
Average estimated income: $95,396
Total average debt: $87,486
5. Greenwich Village and SoHo, Manhattan
These neighborhoods are in Lower Manhattan.
Average credit score: 742
Average estimated income: $127,780
Total average debt: $122,839
6. Northwest Brooklyn
This area includes Brooklyn Heights, Carroll Gardens, Clinton Hill, Downtown, Fort Greene, Park Slope and Red Hook.
Average credit score: 730
Average estimated income: $100,479
Total average debt: $140,563
7. Chelsea, Manhattan
This neighborhood is on the west side of Manhattan.
Average credit score: 729
Average estimated income: $113,476
Total average debt: $111,913
8. North Queens
This area includes Auburndale, Bay Terrace, Clearview, College Point, Flushing and Whitestone.
Average credit score: 729
Average estimated income: $95,396
Total average debt: $87,486
9. Lower East Side, Manhattan
This neighborhood is in Lower Manhattan on the east side of the island.
Average credit score: 728
Average estimated income: $87,214
Total average debt: $70,468
10. South Shore, Staten Island
This neighborhood is in Staten Island.
Average credit score: 728
Average estimated income: $101,618
Total average debt: $129,013
Average Credit Score in Manhattan Is 714
Despite the Upper East Side and Upper West Side leading New York City's average credit scores, Manhattan has significant economic diversity. In fact, there's a 79-point difference in its neighborhoods' average FICO Scores, the largest disparity among all of New York City's five boroughs.
| Average Credit Scores by Neighborhood in Manhattan | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood | FICO® Score | Estimated Income | Total Debt |
| Upper East Side | 746 | $128,389 | $152,541 |
| Upper West Side | 746 | $121,072 | $149,533 |
| Gramercy Park and Murray Hill | 745 | $127,780 | $122,839 |
| Greenwich Village and SoHo | 742 | $122,667 | $165,012 |
| Chelsea and Clinton | 729 | $113,476 | $111,913 |
| Lower East Side | 728 | $87,214 | $70,468 |
| Lower Manhattan | 684 | $131,029 | $104,951 |
| Inwood and Washington Heights | 683 | $59,918 | $35,404 |
| Central Harlem | 668 | $59,496 | $49,743 |
| East Harlem | 667 | $52,820 | $41,726 |
*Source: Experian Q2 2019 data
Average Credit Score in Queens Is 710
Consumers in Northeast Queens had the highest average credit score among neighborhoods in Queens at 743. Jamaica was the neighborhood with the lowest average score in Queens at 675.
| Average Credit Scores by Neighborhood in Queens | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood | FICO® Score | Estimated Income | Total Debt |
| Northeast Queens | 743 | $95,396 | $87,486 |
| North Queens | 729 | $81,296 | $69,009 |
| Central Queens | 728 | $87,604 | $73,423 |
| West Central Queens | 728 | $82,173 | $72,095 |
| Northwest Queens | 717 | $74,863 | $53,245 |
| West Queens | 704 | $67,629 | $55,046 |
| Southwest Queens | 701 | $76,863 | $75,382 |
| Southeast Queens | 695 | $88,771 | $95,065 |
| The Rockaways | 681 | $70,687 | $75,923 |
| Jamaica | 675 | $73,334 | $81,748 |
*Source: Experian Q2 2019 data
Average Credit Score in Staten Island Is 709
The South Shore neighborhood had the highest average credit score of all of Staten Island at 728. Consumers in Port Richmond had the lowest average score at 681.
| Average Credit Scores by Neighborhood in Staten Island | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood | FICO® Score | Estimated Income | Total Debt |
| South Shore | 728 | $101,618 | $129,013 |
| Mid-Island | 725 | $77,609 | $60,075 |
| Stapleton and St. George | 703 | $79,490 | $91,090 |
| Port Richmond | 681 | $75,058 | $92,485 |
*Source: Experian Q2 2019 data
Average Credit Score in Brooklyn Is 700
Northwest Brooklyn had the highest average credit score among neighborhoods in Brooklyn: Consumers there had an average FICO® Score of 730. In addition to having the best scores in the borough, consumers in Northwest Brooklyn also carried over $65,000 more in average total debt than Southwest Brooklyn, which had the next best average scores in Brooklyn.
East New York and New Lots had the lowest average score in the borough at 664.
| Average Credit Scores by Neighborhood in Brooklyn | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood | FICO® Score | Estimated Income | Total Debt |
| Northwest Brooklyn | 730 | $100,479 | $140,563 |
| Southwest Brooklyn | 727 | $77,725 | $72,395 |
| Greenpoint | 722 | $82,190 | $82,637 |
| Borough Park | 721 | $68,101 | $71,828 |
| Southern Brooklyn | 714 | $67,132 | $61,883 |
| Sunset Park | 712 | $61,341 | $54,380 |
| Bushwick and Williamsburg | 680 | $57,430 | $48,354 |
| Flatbush | 679 | $67,517 | $65,870 |
| Canarsie and Flatlands | 678 | $71,486 | $79,051 |
| Central Brooklyn | 674 | $61,720 | $70,752 |
| East New York and New Lots | 664 | $58,382 | $56,496 |
*Source: Experian Q2 2019 data
The Average Credit Score in the Bronx Is 665
Consumers in Kingsbridge and Riverdale in the Bronx had the highest credit scores, with an average of 717. Consumers living in the Central Bronx had the lowest scores in the Bronx and in all of New York City, with an average of 641.
| Average Credit Scores by Neighborhood in the Bronx | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighborhood | FICO® Score | Estimated Income | Total Debt |
| Kingsbridge and Riverdale | 717 | $84,705 | $75,543 |
| Southeast Bronx | 676 | $60,346 | $57,690 |
| Northeast Bronx | 675 | $65,218 | $61,839 |
| Bronx Park and Fordham | 656 | $47,787 | $25,647 |
| High Bridge and Morrisania | 646 | $39,584 | $21,887 |
| Hunts Point and Mott Haven | 644 | $39,038 | $25,901 |
| Central Bronx | 641 | $40,713 | $24,969 |
*Source: Experian Q2 2019 data
Neighborhoods With High Average Income Typically Had Higher Credit Scores
As is expected, areas in New York City with the highest credit scores also had some of the highest incomes. That's not to say, however, that high income is needed for top credit scores. In Northeast Queens—the neighborhood with the fourth-highest average credit score in New York City—the average estimated income was lower than other neighborhoods that had lower credit scores.
*Methodology:
Neighborhoods were selected and established using ZIP code parameters made available by the City of New York.
Methodology: The analysis results provided are based on an Experian-created statistically relevant aggregate sampling of our consumer credit database that may include use of the FICO® Score 8 version. Different sampling parameters may generate different findings compared with other similar analysis. Analyzed credit data did not contain personal identification information. Metro areas group counties and cities into specific geographic areas for population censuses and compilations of related statistical data.
FICO® is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the U.S. and other countries.