The Mark of Incarceration History

Abstract

This article evaluates the first evidence of the relationship between officially provided FICO credit scores, household wealth accumulation, race, and familial incarceration history in the U.S. Using the National Asset Scorecard for Communities of Color (NASCC), the authors connect an ‘observable’ market measure of creditworthiness (FICO) to detailed wealth indicators between white and Black households. The study shows that having a familial incarceration history is not only associated with lower FICO scores but also with lower wealth accumulation. Low credit scores are connected to individuals with familial incarceration history, with Black individuals having the most considerable adverse association compared against white individuals with no familial incarceration history (more than 200 points difference on average). FICO scores seem to be segmented by groups, with white individuals without a familial incarceration history concentrated at the top of the distribution and Black individuals with a familial incarceration history concentrated at the bottom of the distribution. Black individuals without familial incarceration history were spread across the distribution but with a lower representation at the top FICO scores, and surprisingly closer to those of white individuals with familial incarceration history. This study provides novel, locally grounded evidence linking official FICO scores, familial incarceration exposure, and detailed household wealth measures. The patterns confirm existing evidence that FICO is not race neutral once structural context and wealth constraints are considered, reflecting historically racialized economic conditions and potentially compounding disadvantage through score-based access and pricing.

Citation: García-Pérez, Mónica; Gaither, Sarah; Darity Jr, William, ‘The mark of incarceration history: Wealth accumulation and credit scores under the shadow of incarceration and race’ (July, 2026), in Delores Jones-Brown (ed.), Police and Criminal Justice, in Meena Dhanda (ed.), Oxford Intersections: Racism by Context (Oxford, online edn., Oxford Academic, 20 Mar. 2025 -), DOI, accessed date.