2 Georgia cities rank among worst in US for credit scores

Two Georgia cities landed near the bottom of a national credit score ranking released Thursday by WalletHub, a personal finance company.

What’s Happening: Augusta and Columbus both tied for 173rd place out of 182 cities in WalletHub’s 2026 Cities with the Highest and Lowest Credit Scores report. WalletHub based the rankings on its own data tracking residents’ credit scores across the country.

What’s Important: The two Georgia cities tied with Montgomery, Alabama and Newark, New Jersey.

How This Affects Real People: Credit scores determine whether someone can get approved for a loan or line of credit. They also affect the interest rate a lender charges and how much credit a person is offered.