POWELL BUTTE, OR -- Two Central Oregon towns bookend a new list of the best and worst credit scores in the state. The survey was conducted by LendEDU, a financial tech company specializing in student loan refinancing.
Mike Brown, a research analyst with LendEDU, says Powell Butte ranked first in Oregon, with an average credit score of 753. "I think it just has
to do with the population – the age demographics that are living there." He says older residents have had more time to improve their credit. "Usually cities that have high average credit scores have been experiencing high incomes, low unemployment and a decreasing number of defaults on mortgages and loans," Brown tells KBND News. "And, those are three things that, when you’re trying to evaluate the economic stability of a place, or city or town, those are things that you really want to look at."
On the other end of the spectrum, Warm Springs came in dead last, with an average credit score of 581. LendEDU considered the 212 Oregon cities and towns with populations over 1,000 and Brown says, "It’s a pretty low population number. So, all it takes is one or two or three really good credit scores to bring the average way up; and contrarily, a couple bad credit scores to bring the average way down." Sisters came in fifth; it was the only other local city in the top 10. Most Oregon cities boast credit scores above the national average of 673. Click HERE for the complete list.
Rankings for Central Oregon cities:
1. Powell Butte, with an average 753 score
5. Sisters, with an average 741 score
65. Bend, with an average 707 credit score
123. Redmond, with an average 686 score
138. Prineville, with an average 684 score
189. La Pine, with an average 674 score
200. Madras, with an average 672 score
212. Warm Springs, with an average 581 score
