FICO scores are built from five factors, each weighted differently. Understanding the actual weight of each one tells you where to focus your effort — two of the five factors make up nearly two-thirds of your score, while the other three matter far less than most people assume.
The 5 Factors and Their Weight
| Factor | Weight | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Payment History | 35% | Whether you have paid your bills on time — the single largest factor by a wide margin |
| Credit Utilization | 30% | How much of your available revolving credit you are using — lower is better |
| Length of Credit History | 15% | The age of your oldest account and the average age of all accounts |
| Credit Mix | 10% | Whether you have a mix of account types — revolving credit cards and installment loans |
| New Credit | 10% | Recent hard inquiries and newly opened accounts |
Payment History (35%)
This is by far the most heavily weighted factor. A single 30-day late payment can drop a strong score significantly, and the impact grows with how late the payment is (30, 60, 90+ days) and how recently it happened. Payment history has no shortcut — the only way to build a strong record here is consistent on-time payment over time.
Credit Utilization (30%)
This measures your total revolving balances against your total revolving limits. The commonly cited target is staying under 30% utilization, though lower is generally better — many people with excellent scores keep utilization under 10%. Unlike payment history, utilization can change quickly: paying down a balance can improve this factor within a single billing cycle once the lower balance is reported.
Length of Credit History (15%)
This factor rewards accounts that have been open a long time. It is one reason closing your oldest credit card is often discouraged even if you rarely use it — doing so can shorten your average account age and reduce the age of your oldest account once it drops off your report.
Credit Mix (10%)
Lenders like to see that you can responsibly manage different types of credit — a mix of revolving accounts (credit cards) and installment loans (auto loans, mortgages, student loans). This is a smaller factor, and it is not worth opening a loan you do not need purely to diversify your mix.
New Credit (10%)
Recent hard inquiries and newly opened accounts fall here. A single new inquiry has a modest, temporary effect — the concern is opening several new accounts in a short window, which can signal higher risk to lenders even though each individual inquiry only costs a few points.
Curious exactly how much a hard inquiry costs? See How Many Points Does a Hard Inquiry Cost You? for the detailed breakdown.
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