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What's Your Worth? : Throughline The credit score: even if you don't think much about it, that three-digit number can change your life. A high score can mean the keys to a new apartment or a new car, while a low score can keep you locked out of the American Dream. Around 40% of people in the U.S. have a low credit score or no credit score at all. So what happened? Today on the show, we talk with media historian Josh Lauer about credit's origins as a moral judgment, and how a tool intended to level the playing field has instead created haves and have-nots.

Throughline

What's Your Worth?

What's Your Worth?

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Man pulls a red string attached to a needle pointing towards an orange unhappy face in an effort to pull the needle towards a green happy face. This illustrates his effort to improve his credit score.
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zhuweiyi49/Getty Creative Images
Man pulls a red string attached to a needle pointing towards an orange unhappy face in an effort to pull the needle towards a green happy face. This illustrates his effort to improve his credit score.
zhuweiyi49/Getty Creative Images

The credit score: even if you don't think much about it, that three-digit number can change your life. A high score can mean the keys to a new apartment or a new car, while a low score can keep you locked out of the American Dream. Around 40% of people in the U.S. have a low credit score or no credit score at all. So what happened? Today on the show, we talk with media historian Josh Lauer about credit's origins as a moral judgment, and how a tool intended to level the playing field has instead created haves and have-nots.