Report: Grand Junction, Denver among areas with most improved credit scores

DENVER – Two Colorado metro areas have been named among those that have seen the biggest gains in average credit scores over the past few years.

Financial website ValuePenguin ranked Grand Junction/Montrose and Denver in the top 15 most-improved cities.

The company compared average credit scores in 2010 and 2016 to determine which cities have seen the biggest changes. The increases can be seen as a sign of economic improvement, as some of the top cities were hit the hardest by the great recession and housing crisis.

The Grand Junction/Montrose area had an average credit score of 671 in 2010, according to ValuePenguin. In 2016, the average was 683, representing a 1.74-percent increase. Denver increased from 675 to 687.

The title of most-improved goes to Las Vegas, which increased from an average credit score of 626 in 2010 to 645 in 2016.

Here are the top 15 cities, according to ValuePenguin:

1. Las Vegas, NV
2. Fort Myers, FL
3. Palm Springs, CA
4. Los Angeles, CA
5. Phoenix, AZ
6. Austin, TX
7. San Diego, CA
8. Riverside-San Bernardino, CA
9. Salisbury, MD
10. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL
11. San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA
12. Grand Junction-Montrose, CO
13. Laredo, TX
14. Denver, CO
15. Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX

ValuePenguin said credit scores are one way to determine the economic health of consumers since they are a reflection of how well people are able to make payments on their credit cards, mortgages, car loans and other debt.

Log on to valuepenguin.com for the full list.