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452 Credit score: What You Need to Know in 2025
July 1, 2025
TL;DR
A 452 credit score represents a significant opportunity for improvement and provides a solid foundation to build from. This score is categorized as "Poor" within the FICO scoring system, a common starting point for many successful financial journeys.
What Does a 452 Credit Score Mean?
A FICO score of 452 lands squarely in the "poor" credit range, which typically spans from 300 to 579. This score signals to lenders that you have a history of significant financial difficulties, such as late payments, defaulted loans, or even bankruptcy. It suggests a high level of risk, making financial institutions wary of extending new credit.
With a 452 credit score, your financial options are severely limited. You'll likely face rejections for new credit cards and loans, and even securing an apartment or a cell phone plan can be challenging. If you are approved for any form of credit, it will almost certainly come with steep interest rates and unfavorable terms. While the path forward may seem daunting, understanding your standing is the first step toward rebuilding your financial future.
Who Has a 452 Credit Score?
While a 452 credit score is well below average for any demographic, there is a distinct pattern of scores improving with age. This isn't because age is a direct scoring factor, but because older individuals have had more time to build a positive financial history. According to 2023 data on average credit scores, the breakdown by generation is as follows:
- Generation Z (ages 18-26): 680
- Millennials (ages 27-42): 690
- Generation X (ages 43-58): 709
- Baby Boomers (ages 59-77): 745
- Silent Generation (ages 78+): 760
Credit Cards With a 452 Credit Score
A credit score of 452 falls into the "very poor" range, which can significantly hinder your ability to qualify for a traditional credit card. Lenders view this score as an indicator of high risk, meaning most major issuers will likely deny your application for unsecured cards. Your options will probably be limited to products designed for building credit, such as secured credit cards that require a cash deposit.
Kudos offers personalized recommendations through its Explore Tool, which uses a quiz to understand your financial needs and preferences. The platform also provides insights on how different cards may impact your credit score, helping you find a suitable match from its database of nearly 3,000 cards.
Auto Loans and a 452 Credit Score
A 452 credit score places you in the deep subprime category, which can make securing an auto loan difficult, though not impossible. According to 2025 auto loan rate data, borrowers in this range typically face the highest interest rates and the least favorable loan terms available from lenders.
- Super-prime (781-850): 5.25% for new cars, 7.13% for used cars
- Prime (661-780): 6.87% for new cars, 9.36% for used cars
- Non-prime (601-660): 9.83% for new cars, 13.92% for used cars
- Subprime (501-600): 13.18% for new cars, 18.86% for used cars
- Deep subprime (300-500): 15.77% for new cars, 21.55% for used cars
Mortgages at a 452 Credit Score
A 452 credit score is considered very poor and unfortunately falls below the minimum threshold for nearly all mainstream mortgage programs. According to current mortgage requirements, even government-backed FHA loans require a score of at least 500, and that’s only if you can provide a 10% down payment. With a score in the 400s, qualifying for a traditional home loan is highly unlikely.
Even if you could find a specialty lender willing to consider your application, a low credit score has a major impact on loan terms. You would face significantly higher interest rates, which increases your monthly payment and total cost over time. Lenders would also require a larger down payment, charge higher fees, and likely limit the total amount you could borrow, restricting your home-buying options.
What's in a Credit Score?
Figuring out what goes into your credit score can feel like trying to solve a complex puzzle, but it's primarily based on a handful of key financial habits. The most common factors include:
- Your payment history tracks whether you have paid past credit accounts on time.
- Credit utilization is the percentage of your available credit that you are currently using.
- The length of your credit history considers the age of your oldest account and the average age of all your accounts.
- Having a healthy mix of credit types, such as credit cards and installment loans, can positively impact your score.
- Recent credit inquiries and newly opened accounts can temporarily lower your score.
How to Improve Your 452 Credit Score
Don't be discouraged by a 452 credit score; with consistent, positive financial habits, it's entirely possible to improve your standing. Most people can see meaningful changes to their score within three to six months of taking the right steps.
- Monitor your credit reports regularly. Reviewing your free reports from AnnualCreditReport.com helps you spot and dispute inaccuracies that could be unfairly dragging down your already low score.
- Establish automatic bill payments. Since payment history is the most significant factor in your score, ensuring every bill is paid on time is the most critical step toward rebuilding your credit.
- Reduce your credit utilization ratio. Lenders view high balances as a risk, so paying down your credit card debt to below 30% of your limit demonstrates that you can manage credit responsibly.
- Become an authorized user. This allows a trusted person's positive payment history and low credit utilization to be reflected on your credit report, giving your score a potential boost.
To help manage your cards and improve your financial health while building credit, you can use a financial companion like Kudos.
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