Among people who applied for credit and who put their score below 680, 46.6% said they were turned down by at least one lender in the June 2026 survey. That group is 151 people. In the same survey, 11.1% of applicants scoring 680 to 760 were turned down (198 people), and 3.3% of applicants scoring over 760 were turned down (508 people).
The below-680 figure moves a lot from survey to survey. It was 63.0% in October 2025 (153 people), 35.3% in February 2026 (144 people), and 46.6% in June 2026 (151 people). A swing that large, on about 150 people, is a small sample. Do not read one survey as a new trend.
It also has not climbed in a straight line since 2014. The three 2014 surveys averaged 47.9% for applicants under 680. The two surveys so far in 2026 averaged 41.0%. This page does not say denials are higher than in 2014.
The rejection rate is the share of people who applied and said they were rejected by one or more lenders. It is not the share of all adults. A separate column asks about people who did not apply because they thought they would be turned down. In June 2026 that discouraged share was 20.7% below 680, 0.8% for 680 to 760, and 0.6% over 760. There is no state split in this file.
June 2026
| Score band | People in the survey | Rejected, of those who applied | Did not apply, expected a no |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below 680 | 151 | 46.6% | 20.7% |
| 680 to 760 | 198 | 11.1% | 0.8% |
| Over 760 | 508 | 3.3% | 0.6% |
Below 680, last three surveys
| Survey | People | Rejected, of those who applied |
|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | 153 | 63.0% |
| February 2026 | 144 | 35.3% |
| June 2026 | 151 | 46.6% |
Source
Source: Survey of Consumer Expectations, © 2013-26 Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY). The SCE data are available without charge at www.newyorkfed.org and may be used subject to license terms posted there. FRBNY disclaims any responsibility or legal liability for this analysis and interpretation of Survey of Consumer Expectations data.
This page is not a New York Fed product, and the New York Fed does not endorse it. Our table is available under CC BY 4.0. That license covers our arrangement, not the New York Fed’s series. Credit “My Credit Guide (mycreditguide.org)”.
Steven Reynolds, “Credit Application Rejection Rates by Score Band,” My Credit Guide, October 8, 2026, https://mycreditguide.org/data/credit-denial-rates/.
A rejection is not the same thing as a late payment. See card balances 90 or more days late by state. For cards aimed at lower scores, start with the card reviews.