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After more than a decade of steady improvement, the average Americans credit score fell for the second year in a row. Falling credit scores are just the latest sign that all is not well within the U.S. economy. According to a new report from the Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), creator of the gold standard credit score used by most lenders, the average FICO score dropped to 715 between 2024 and 2025a two-point decrease and the biggest drop since 2009. The data also shows that compared with 2021, more Americans are falling into the low and high ends of the credit score range rather than the middle. In 2021, 38% of scores were between 600 and 749; in 2025, that percentage is 33.8%. The highest FICO score is 850. U.S. borrowers continue to grapple with high interest rates, a side effect of the Federal Reserves efforts to wrangle the soaring post-pandemic inflation that’s driving high prices. In spite of those effortsand with rate cuts imminentPresident Trumps tariffs are pushing inflation up yet again, making the cost of gas, groceries, clothes, and other essentials even less affordable. The recent K-shaped economy has led to financial stress for some borrowers impacted by affordability concerns stemming from inflation and higher interest rates, while others have benefited from increases in their stock market portfolios and home price appreciation, the FICO report states. That data reflects Americas wealth gap, wherein the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, hollowing out the middle class in the process. Americas two very different realities Members of Gen Z, relatively early in their credit journeys, saw the biggest credit score decrease, dropping three points in 2025. The decrease is the most notable among any age group in this years report, but also the largest drop for any age group since 2020. Falling credit scores among young people are linked to resumed student loan delinquency reporting, which reappeared on credit reports in February for the first time since the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed in March 2020. While only 17% of the broader U.S. population is still paying down a student loan, that percentage is 34% for Gen Z. Its no surprise then that 14% of Gen Zers had a 50-point score drop in the last year, with late student loan payments hitting their credit reports for the first time. Earlier this year, the Education Department warned student loan borrowers behind on their payments that their wages would be garnished. American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in April. Younger people are less likely to hold investments in the stock market, leaving them out in the cold when it comes to recent market gains. Between higher prices on everyday goods and high interest rates, many Americans are stuck navigating a uniquely challenging economy, even as wealthy investors continue to reap market wins. For people in the U.S distant from the stock markets highs, the economy is starting to feel like America during a very different eraa malaise backed by the new data. Delinquency rates on auto loans, credit cards, and personal loans are at or near their highest levels since 2009, during the Great Recessionand are more consistent with an economy in recession than one still in expansion, the FICO report states.
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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded its warning to consumers and retailers not to use or sell certain imported cookware that may leach significant levels of lead into your food. The list of cookware has grown from the FDA’s initial alert in August, issued after tests showed some types of imported cookware made from brass, aluminum, and aluminum alloys (known as Hindalium/Hindolium or Indalium/Indolium) had leached into food when used for cooking, making food unsafe. On Friday, three additional cookware products used for cooking or food storage were added to the list. The FDA investigation remains ongoing as it continues to collect and sample cookware, and the agency said other products may also be affected. It will continue to update the public. Here’s what to know. Why is lead dangerous? As Fast Company previously reported back in August, lead is toxic for humans. Even low levels can cause serious health problems. Certain groups, such as children, women of childbearing age, and those who are breastfeeding may be at higher risk after eating food from cookware leaching lead. Babies and kids are more susceptible to lead toxicity due to their smaller body size, metabolism, and rapid growth. Which cookware is listed in the expanded warning? The original August 13 recall warning was issued for Saraswati Strips Pvt. Ltd., an Indian aluminum cookware company that sells Tiger White brand cookware. Because the FDA could not “identify and contact the distributor or responsible party to facilitate a recall,” this product may still be sold in retail stores. On Friday, September 12, three additional products were added to the list, including Silver Horse cookware distributed by Patel Brothers, and JK Vallabhdas products distributed by Indian supermarket chain INDIACO. The original product warning details are as follows: Brand and product name: Pure Aluminium Utensils, Tiger White, RTM No. 2608606, an ISO 9001:2015 certified company Retailer: Mannan Supermarket, 166-11 Hillside Ave., 1st Floor, Jamaica, NY Manufacturer: Saraswati Strips Pvt. Ltd., India Recall status: The FDA was unable to identify the distributor responsible for effectuating a recall. Here are the details for the three additional products: Brand and product name: Aluminium Mathar Kadai 26, Silver Horse, 7 6554273084 5 Retailer: Patel Brothers, 830 W. Golf Rd., Schaumburg, IL Manufacturer: Goyal Group Inc., 179 Express St., Plainview, NY Recall status: Distributor notification in progress Brand and product name: Aluminium Milk Pan 4, Silver Horse, 7 6554272863 7 Retailer: Patel Brothers, 830 W. Golf Rd., Schaumburg, IL Manufacturer: Goyal Group Inc., 179 Express St., Plainview, NY Recall status: Distributor notification in progress Brand and product name: Aluminium Kadai India Bazaar, JK Vallabhdas, #3 2000000772 Retailer: INDIACO, 15 Golf Ctr., #17, Hoffman Estates, IL Manufacturer: Grain Market LLC, 12626 International Pkwy., Dallas, TX Recall status: Distributor notification in progress FDA recommendations Consumers should check their homes for the products and throw away the cookware. Do not donate or refurbish it. Consumers who are concerned they may have been exposed to lead or elevated levels of lead should contact their healthcare provider. Retailers and distributors are encouraged to consult with the FDA regarding the safety and regulatory status of any products used in contact with food that they market or distribute. Additional questions can be sent to the FDA via email at premarkt@fda.hhs.gov.
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E-Commerce
It seems like a terrible time to build an electric vehicle plant in the United States, but Rivian Automotive leaders say they’re confident as the company starts long-delayed work on a $5 billion facility in Georgia. The money-losing California-based company breaks ground Tuesday east of Atlanta despite President Donald Trumps successful push to roll back electric vehicle tax credits. Starting Sept. 30, buyers will no longer qualify for savings of up to $7,500 per car. Rivian Chief Policy Officer Alan Hoffman said the company believes it can sell electric vehicles not for environmental or tax incentive reasons, but because they’re superior. We did not build this company based upon federal tax incentives, Hoffman said. And were going to prove that were going to be successful in the future. Georgia plant is key to a mass market and profitability The Georgia plant, first announced in 2021, is Rivians key to reaching profitability. Now the company makes the high-end R1T pickup truck and the R1S sport utility vehicle in Normal, Illinois, as well as delivery vans for Amazon and others. Its truck prices start at $71,000. The Illinois plant will begin making smaller R2 SUVs next year, with prices starting at $45,000. An expanded Illinois plant will be able to assemble 215,000 vehicles yearly. But if the R2 is a hit, and if Rivian successfully produces an even smaller R3, it will need more capacity. The company has said the Georgia operation will be able to make 200,000 vehicles yearly starting in 2028. It plans another 200,000 in capacity in phase two, volume that would spread fixed costs over many more vehicles. The projections would be a big leap from the 40,000 to 46,000 vehicles Rivian expects to deliver this year, down from 52,000 last year. The company says its limiting production now in part to launch 2026 models. For Rivian, its do-or-die time, said Alex Oyler, North American director of auto research firm SBD Automotive. We saw with Tesla that the key to profitability is scale, and you cant scale if your cheapest vehicle is $70,000. So they need that plant online to achieve a level of scale of R2 and ultimately R3. Challenges in the electric vehicle market Sales growth is slowing for electric vehicles in the United States, rising only 1.5% in 2025’s first half, according to Cox Automotive. Tesla accounted for almost 45% of U.S. electric vehicle sales in that period, according to Cox. But the giant is losing market share as others gain: General Motors’ slice of American EV sales has climbed to 13%. By comparison, Rivian had a 3% share in the first half of the year, behind Tesla and six traditional automakers. But excluding Tesla, Rivian is the most successful of the startup automakers. The company initially tapped a largely unfilled niche: demand for electric pickups and SUVs. But the competition now includes Fords F-150 Lightning and the electric Chevrolet Silverado. After an initial public offering in 2021, Rivian shares have fallen by more than 80%, while automaker shares overall have outpaced the broader stock market. Rivian lost $1.66 billion in 2025s first half. At the same time, some automakers ardor for electric vehicles is cooling. Stellantis last week canceled Rams electric truck program. Ford has delayed production at a new Tennessee plant. And General Motors abandoned plans to build electric vehicles at a suburban Detroit plant. With all the competition out there in this market and the slowing growth of EVs, it does not play in Rivians favor, said Sam Fiorani, a vice president at AutoForecast Solutions. However, there still is an EV market out there. $1.5 billion in incentives for 7,500 jobs Georgia has pledged $1.5 billion of incentives to Rivian in exchange for 7,500 company jobs paying at least $56,000 a year on average. Rivian cant benefit from most incentives unless it meets employment goals, but the state is already spending $175 million to buy and grade land and improve roads. Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who has said he wants to make Georgia the electric mobility capital of America, acknowledges Rivian faces bumps, but says he remains confident the company can fulfill its promises. While Tesla has thousands of employees in California and Texas, some new electric vehicle plants have sputtered. Two separate EV makers that hoped to assemble vehicles in a former GM plant in Lordstown, Ohio, went bankrupt. Georgias Hyundai complex near Savannah is faring better, with production underway. However, a battery plant there has been delayed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arresting 475 people on site, including more than 300 South Koreans. Rivian was supposed to be making trucks by now at the 2,000-acre (800-hectare) site near Social Circle, about 45 miles (70 kilometers) east of Atlanta. As the company burned through cash in 2024, it paused construction. But German automaker Volkswagen agreed to invest $5.8 billion in Rivian in exchange for software and electrical technology. And then-President Joe Biden’s administration in November agreed to loan Rivian $6.6 billion/a> to build the Georgia plant. Despite the Trump administration’s hostility toward EVs, Hoffman said Rivian hopes the U.S. Department of Energy will distribute the loan money, arguing it will boost domestic manufacturing. Some neighbors still oppose the plant Rivian also faces opposition from some residents who say the plant is an inappropriate neighbor to farms and will pollute the groundwater. I planned on dying and retiring on the front porch and the biggest project in Georgia has to go next door to me, of all places in the country? asked Eddie Clay, who lives less than a mile away. He says his well water turned mud-choked after excavation at the Rivian site. There are other challenges for Rivian, including tariffs costing $2,000 per vehicle, the Trump administration ending a tax-credit program that will cost the company $140 million in revenue this year, and long-term threats from low-priced, cutting-edge Chinese EVs. But Hoffman says Rivian is in this for the long haul. We think that we can compete with anyone out there and that once given the opportunity, were going to excel, he said. Jeff Amy and Alexa St. John, Associated Press
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