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The height can vary significantly between adult individuals based on their age, race and gender.
We wanted here to let you know about the average height for US adults including by race and age group. All data is broken down by gender due to the vast height difference between males and females.
This information was retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website.
Please note all the height data is for adults aged 20 and older.
Here is the data in both metric (cm) and imperial units (ft,in).
Average American Adult Height
The average height of a US adult male is 175.3 cm (5′ 9″) while it’s 161.3 cm (5′ 3.5″) for females.
As indicated by this data, American men are taller than women by about 5.5 inches (or 9%).
Average US Height by Race
Following is the average adult’s height for main races in the US by gender:
| Race | Height (cm) | Height (ft,in) | ||
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| Non-hispanic white | 176.7 | 162.4 | 5′ 9.5″ | 5′ 3.9″ |
| Non-hispanic black | 176 | 162.5 | 5′ 9.3″ | 5′ 4″ |
| Non-hispanic Asian | 170.5 | 156.3 | 5′ 7.1″ | 5′ 1.5″ |
| Hispanic | 170.4 | 157.5 | 5′ 7.1″ | 5′ 2″ |
The tallest race groups in the US overall are whites and blacks. There seems to be a negligible height difference between the two groups for both men and women (about 0.1-0.2″).
Asian and Hispanic males in the US have almost the same height.
On average, African American men are taller than Asians and Hispanics by about 2.2 inches.
Average US Height by Age Group
These are the average heights for age groups above 20 years old by gender:
| Age | Height (cm) | Height (ft,in) | ||
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| 20 – 39 | 176.1 | 162.7 | 5′ 9.3″ | 5′ 4.1″ |
| 40 – 59 | 175.8 | 161.8 | 5′ 9.2″ | 5′ 3.7″ |
| 60+ | 173.3 | 159 | 5′ 8.2″ | 5′ 2.6″ |
It’s clear from the data that height shrinks with age for adults which is expected.
The US heights for ages of 20-39 and 40-59 aren’t much different especially for males. But the height for those aged 60+ is significantly lower.
On average, American men aged 60 and over are about one inch shorter than those aged between 40-59. The same applies to women, with the difference being slightly more.
Conclusion
These are the average heights in the US including the overall height, by age group and by race (all broken down by gender).
Here is a summary of some interesting data findings:
- There is a 9% height difference between men and women in the US.
- There is a one inch height difference between males aged 60+ and those who are younger.
- Black men are over two inches taller than Asians and Hispanics.
- The tallest race in the United States are whites and blacks with the former being very slightly taller.
In case you’re looking to grow your height after puberty, there are some exercises that can help.
We hope the above height data was helpful for you, whether for general knowledge or for a writing project.
