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
George A. Romero
194 cm · 6'4"
b. 1940
Brie Larson
170 cm · 5'7"
b. 1989
Nicole Kidman
180 cm · 5'11"
b. 1967
Karl-Anthony Towns
211 cm · 6'11"
b. 1995
James Madison
163 cm · 5'4"
b. 1751
John Adams
170 cm · 5'7"
b. 1735
Thomas Jefferson
189 cm · 6'2"
b. 1743
Herbert Hoover
182 cm · 6'0"
b. 1874
Woodrow Wilson
180 cm · 5'11"
b. 1856
Dwight D. Eisenhower
180 cm · 5'11"
b. 1890
Grover Cleveland
180 cm · 5'11"
b. 1837
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.