Americans in their 30s love tracking credit scores

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Checking emails, Facebook messages and yes even credit scores are just some of the things millennials are doing on a more regular basis.

"They're obsessive about everything—their iPhones, their iPads, their computers, their clothes, where they go on vacation, where they want to work," said Martin Cantor, an economist. He added that some millennials are also obsessed with tracking their credit scores.

Almost nine out of 10 older millennials (ages 30–38) have checked their score at least once, according to CreditCards.com, which is a better showing than any other age group. 

"They marry later, they buy homes later and those big-ticket items require better credit scores," Cantor said. "And so now they're coming around to see that credit scores do matter, and once they find they matter, there's a competition to see who's better." 

Consumer credit scores typically range from 300–850. They were created to offer lenders insight of a borrower's payment history. What gets you a higher score? How you pay your bills and meet your debt obligations. 

Years ago, consumers used to have to pay a fee to review their scores. Then websites starting offering users a free look and banks soon after followed suit.

Creditworthiness has become a status symbol—the higher the better.

"When you take out a mortgage certain interest rates are based on how high your credit score is," Cantor said. "When you want to buy a car, they check your credit rating, both for lease and for purchase."

About a fifth of American adults has a score of 800 or above, according to Fair Isaac Corporation, which developed the FICO credit score.