38 Illinois Cities With Lowest Average Credit Scores in America

Illinois has some cool cities with delicious pizza and historic stuff, but some of them have a bad rap for their people's credit scores. Having a low credit score can make it hard to get a loan or rent an apartment, and it can even mess up job opportunities. WalletHub's Credit Score by City study ranks 2,568 cities in the united states.

Having a cringy credit score doesn't make someone a bad person. There are tons of reasons why it could be in the gutter, like not making enough cheddar, being buried in debt, or forgetting to pay bills on time. But there are ways to work on turning things around by handling payments on time, cutting down on debt, and double-checking that your credit report is legit.

Let's look at which Illinois cities have the worst average credit scores.

These Illinois cities with low credit scores aren't the lowest but still have nothing to write home about. Dolton (554), Chicago Heights (557), and Calumet City (558). All of these cities are near Chicago, and their populations range from 22,000 to 32,000. They're also dealing with economic problems and high poverty rates, so it's not surprising that their credit scores aren't so good.

See More: Illinois Town Named One Of The ‘Worst Cities To Call Home’ In America

Harvey is close to having the worst average credit score in Illinois and not far off from being the lowest in America. The population is around 25,000 and has a high crime rate and economic issues. The city has lost a lot of people over the years because of the foreclosure crisis. This might explain the average credit score of 552.

According to WalletHub's data, East St. Louis, with a population of about 26,000, has the lowest average credit score of 545. The poverty rate is over 40%, and it's not a safe place to be because of high crime rates. That probably explains why the credit scores are so low.

To sum it up, some Illinois cities have low credit scores, but that doesn't mean the people who live there are bad. East St. Louis, Harvey, Dolton, Chicago Heights, and Calumet City are some cities with the worst credit scores, but things can get better with a little work.