COSTA MESA, Calif.—Residents in the Northeastern U.S. and the Upper Midwest generally own more credit cards and have higher credit scores, a new report reveals.
The region stretching from South Carolina west to Texas and Oklahoma has the lowest average credit scores, ranging from 647 (Mississippi) to 657 (South Carolina and Arkansas), according to Experian.
“These states generally have higher poverty rates than the national average, according to Census data. Additionally, two Southern states—Mississippi and Florida—are the only two in which secured credit cards are the most popular form of plastic,” Insider said in its analysis.