Average Height
Average Height in The United States
Men: 177.1 cm·Women: 163.5 cm
Men · 1996
177.1 cm
Women · 1996
163.5 cm
Men · 1896 baseline
171.1 cm
Women · 1896 baseline
158.5 cm
Men world rank:#37Women world rank:#41
Height trend across birth cohorts
Insights
Between 1896 and 1996, the mean adult male height in United States rose from 171.1 cm to 177.1 cm — a gain of 6.0 cm over 100 years.
- Height gains have plateaued since 1976.
- Mean height has declined in recent birth cohorts.
All cohorts, 1896–1996
| Cohort | Men (cm) | Women (cm) | Gap (cm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | 171.1 | 158.5 | 12.6 |
| 1897 | 171.2 | 158.6 | 12.6 |
| 1898 | 171.3 | 158.6 | 12.7 |
| 1899 | 171.4 | 158.7 | 12.7 |
| 1900 | 171.5 | 158.7 | 12.8 |
| 1901 | 171.6 | 158.8 | 12.8 |
| 1902 | 171.7 | 158.9 | 12.8 |
| 1903 | 171.8 | 158.9 | 12.9 |
| 1904 | 171.9 | 159.0 | 12.9 |
| 1905 | 172.0 | 159.0 | 13.0 |
| 1906 | 172.1 | 159.1 | 13.0 |
| 1907 | 172.2 | 159.1 | 13.1 |
| 1908 | 172.3 | 159.2 | 13.1 |
| 1909 | 172.4 | 159.3 | 13.1 |
| 1910 | 172.5 | 159.3 | 13.2 |
| 1911 | 172.6 | 159.4 | 13.2 |
| 1912 | 172.7 | 159.5 | 13.2 |
| 1913 | 172.9 | 159.6 | 13.3 |
| 1914 | 173.0 | 159.7 | 13.3 |
| 1915 | 173.1 | 159.8 | 13.3 |
| 1916 | 173.3 | 159.9 | 13.4 |
| 1917 | 173.4 | 160.0 | 13.4 |
| 1918 | 173.5 | 160.1 | 13.4 |
| 1919 | 173.7 | 160.2 | 13.5 |
| 1920 | 173.8 | 160.3 | 13.5 |
| 1921 | 174.0 | 160.4 | 13.6 |
| 1922 | 174.1 | 160.6 | 13.5 |
| 1923 | 174.2 | 160.7 | 13.5 |
| 1924 | 174.4 | 160.8 | 13.6 |
| 1925 | 174.5 | 161.0 | 13.5 |
| 1926 | 174.7 | 161.1 | 13.6 |
| 1927 | 174.8 | 161.2 | 13.6 |
| 1928 | 175.0 | 161.4 | 13.6 |
| 1929 | 175.1 | 161.5 | 13.6 |
| 1930 | 175.2 | 161.7 | 13.5 |
| 1931 | 175.4 | 161.8 | 13.6 |
| 1932 | 175.5 | 162.0 | 13.5 |
| 1933 | 175.6 | 162.1 | 13.5 |
| 1934 | 175.8 | 162.2 | 13.6 |
| 1935 | 175.9 | 162.4 | 13.5 |
| 1936 | 176.0 | 162.5 | 13.5 |
| 1937 | 176.1 | 162.6 | 13.5 |
| 1938 | 176.2 | 162.7 | 13.5 |
| 1939 | 176.3 | 162.8 | 13.5 |
| 1940 | 176.4 | 162.9 | 13.5 |
| 1941 | 176.5 | 163.0 | 13.5 |
| 1942 | 176.6 | 163.1 | 13.5 |
| 1943 | 176.6 | 163.1 | 13.5 |
| 1944 | 176.7 | 163.2 | 13.5 |
| 1945 | 176.8 | 163.2 | 13.6 |
| 1946 | 176.9 | 163.2 | 13.7 |
| 1947 | 176.9 | 163.3 | 13.6 |
| 1948 | 177.0 | 163.3 | 13.7 |
| 1949 | 177.0 | 163.3 | 13.7 |
| 1950 | 177.1 | 163.4 | 13.7 |
| 1951 | 177.1 | 163.4 | 13.7 |
| 1952 | 177.1 | 163.4 | 13.7 |
| 1953 | 177.2 | 163.5 | 13.7 |
| 1954 | 177.2 | 163.5 | 13.7 |
| 1955 | 177.2 | 163.5 | 13.7 |
| 1956 | 177.2 | 163.6 | 13.6 |
| 1957 | 177.3 | 163.6 | 13.7 |
| 1958 | 177.3 | 163.7 | 13.6 |
| 1959 | 177.3 | 163.7 | 13.6 |
| 1960 | 177.3 | 163.8 | 13.5 |
| 1961 | 177.3 | 163.8 | 13.5 |
| 1962 | 177.3 | 163.9 | 13.4 |
| 1963 | 177.3 | 163.9 | 13.4 |
| 1964 | 177.3 | 163.9 | 13.4 |
| 1965 | 177.3 | 164.0 | 13.3 |
| 1966 | 177.3 | 164.0 | 13.3 |
| 1967 | 177.4 | 164.0 | 13.4 |
| 1968 | 177.4 | 164.0 | 13.4 |
| 1969 | 177.4 | 164.0 | 13.4 |
| 1970 | 177.4 | 164.0 | 13.4 |
| 1971 | 177.4 | 164.0 | 13.4 |
| 1972 | 177.4 | 164.0 | 13.4 |
| 1973 | 177.5 | 164.0 | 13.5 |
| 1974 | 177.5 | 164.0 | 13.5 |
| 1975 | 177.5 | 164.0 | 13.5 |
| 1976 | 177.5 | 164.0 | 13.5 |
| 1977 | 177.5 | 163.9 | 13.6 |
| 1978 | 177.5 | 163.9 | 13.6 |
| 1979 | 177.5 | 163.9 | 13.6 |
| 1980 | 177.5 | 163.8 | 13.7 |
| 1981 | 177.5 | 163.8 | 13.7 |
| 1982 | 177.5 | 163.8 | 13.7 |
| 1983 | 177.5 | 163.8 | 13.7 |
| 1984 | 177.5 | 163.7 | 13.8 |
| 1985 | 177.5 | 163.7 | 13.8 |
| 1986 | 177.4 | 163.7 | 13.7 |
| 1987 | 177.4 | 163.7 | 13.7 |
| 1988 | 177.4 | 163.7 | 13.7 |
| 1989 | 177.3 | 163.7 | 13.6 |
| 1990 | 177.3 | 163.6 | 13.7 |
| 1991 | 177.3 | 163.6 | 13.7 |
| 1992 | 177.2 | 163.6 | 13.6 |
| 1993 | 177.2 | 163.6 | 13.6 |
| 1994 | 177.2 | 163.6 | 13.6 |
| 1995 | 177.2 | 163.6 | 13.6 |
| 1996 | 177.1 | 163.5 | 13.6 |
Explore by sex and age
Notable people from United States with known heights
Al Gore
189 cm · 6'2"
b. 1948
Henry Kissinger
173 cm · 5'8"
b. 1923
Alexander Graham Bell
183 cm · 6'0"
b. 1847
James Naismith
179 cm · 5'10"
b. 1861
Errol Flynn
186 cm · 6'1"
b. 1909
Martina Navratilova
173 cm · 5'8"
b. 1956
Natalie Portman
165 cm · 5'5"
b. 1981
Ryan Reynolds
188 cm · 6'2"
b. 1976
Joni Mitchell
168 cm · 5'6"
b. 1943
Marlene Dietrich
168 cm · 5'6"
b. 1901
Patrick Ewing
213 cm · 7'0"
b. 1962
Wayne Gretzky
184 cm · 6'0"
b. 1961
Heights from Wikidata (property P2048). Shown for published persons sorted by priority score.
Sources & methodology
Mean adult height by birth cohort, ages 20+. Figures are modelled from pooled population-representative surveys and measurement studies compiled by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) and published via Our World in Data.
Cohorts are labelled by birth year, not by survey year. Reported heights reflect the adult height those cohorts reached, typically measured in their 20s or 30s.
License: CC BY 4.0. Last updated: 2026-04-21.