A new study from LendingTree shows Millennial women are better than men at improving their credit score.
Millennial women held an average credit score of 666, higher than men’s credit scores of 661, but they don’t know it. The study shows among Millennials, fewer women than men know their credit score, at 76% versus 82% respectively.
But it comes as little surprise that women have higher credit scores, as a study last year from ATTOM Data Solutions showed women are better than men at paying their mortgage.
Women also have higher levels of debt than men. The average amount of total debt for women came in at $68,834, up from the amount of men’s debt at $53,017, the study on Millennials showed. Here is a breakdown on the levels of different categories of debt:
Credit card debt
Men: $2,700
Women: $3,528
Student debt
Men: $8,500
Women: $14,758
Perhaps Millennial men have less debt due to their higher incomes, giving them more ability to repay their loans, or less necessity to take out loans. The study showed 57.29% of men have an annual income of more than $50,000 compared to 42.11% of women.
So while women have higher credit scores than men, perhaps a combination of men’s lower debt levels and their higher incomes, or even personal preferences, led to higher homeownership rates among Millennial men. According to the study, 56% of men own a home, compared to 44% of women.
The study didn’t cover how many women versus men applied for mortgages.
