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HEIGHT FACT / MEASURED BY CDC← Standards calculator

What is the average height for U.S. men?
68.9 inches on average.

By The Pool Report Research Desk

QUICK ANSWER68.9″5′8.9″See the source and definition ↓
68.9″5′8.9″

average measured height for U.S. men ages 20 and older

CDC/NCHS exams from August 2021–August 2023. Staff measured height.

SOURCE

CDC/NCHS FastStats and Anthropometric Reference Data, Table 8

Check the source ↗
THE ANSWER

What this answer includes.

U.S. men ages 20 and older are 68.9 inches tall on average. That is 5 feet 8.9 inches.

What this covers: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics (CDC/NCHS) measured participants from August 2021 through August 2023.

What this does not show: An average height does not show what share of men meet a chosen height cutoff or how tall dating-app users are.

Where the data comes from: CDC/NCHS FastStats: Body Measurements. Reports a measured average height of 68.9 inches for U.S. men ages 20 and older and identifies the August 2021–August 2023 source report.

EXAMPLE FILTERS · THE 6′ + $100,000 OR MORE EXAMPLE

Choose filters. See both estimates.

Ages 25–35 · not currently married · does not currently smoke. Change any filter to build your own estimate.

  1. 01ChooseSet your filters
  2. 02CompareSee men and women
  3. 03SaveKeep or share the result
MEN…WOMEN…View result ↓

The calculator uses U.S. and state data. It does not show exact city results.

Both estimates use these filters.

Age range25–35
Minimum height
6′0″ or taller
Minimum personal income$100,000 or more
Optional filters
Why this result?See what each filter changes
FILTERS WITH THE LARGEST CHANGE

Which filters change each estimate?

Remove one filter. Keep every other filter the same.

Exact details are available for one group.

We show filter effects only for a group with an exact point estimate. The other group stays marked as limited until its result supports an exact estimate.

MEN / FILTER THAT CHANGES IT MOSTPersonal income

Removes 89% of people who meet every other filter.

9.3× larger without it
WOMEN / FILTER DETAILS LIMITEDExact impact unavailable

This group has a height range instead of an exact estimate, so we do not compare its filter effects.

FILTERMEN REMOVEDWOMEN REMOVED
Personal incomeCENSUS DATA / COUNTED TOGETHER89%Limited
HeightESTIMATED FROM SEPARATE HEALTH DATA82%Limited
Not currently marriedCENSUS DATA / COUNTED TOGETHER55%Limited
Does not currently smokeESTIMATED FROM SEPARATE HEALTH DATA11%Limited
SMALL CHANGES TO TRY

Each button changes one setting and updates both estimates. “Not currently married” stays on.

ONE-STEP CHANGEMENWOMENACTION
Lower height to 5′11″ or tallerChanges only heightADDS56%ADDSLimited
Remove the cigarette-use filterChanges only does not currently smokeADDS12%ADDSLimited
Lower income to $95,000 or moreChanges only personal incomeADDS10%ADDSLimited

Do not add these percentages. Some filters remove the same people. Age sets the group, so it does not appear as a filter you can remove here.

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MORE DETAIL

How to read the answer.

01

68.9 inches is about 5 feet 9 inches

The official mean is 68.9 inches for U.S. men ages 20 and older. Converting units does not make it exactly 5′9″; 68.9 inches is one tenth of an inch below that shorthand.

02

Average and median are not interchangeable

The CDC reports a measured mean of 68.9 inches. The calculator uses age-specific curves from the measured data and checks them against the report’s percentiles. A six-foot share answers a different question from the national average.

03

The dating calculator uses age-specific curves

The headline includes all adults ages 20 and older. The calculator narrows to ages 20–69 and applies decade-specific CDC height distributions, because the expected share above a cutoff changes with the selected age range.

SOURCES FOR THIS PAGE

Where this answer comes from.

  1. 01

    CDC/NCHS FastStats: Body Measurements

    Reports a measured average height of 68.9 inches for U.S. men ages 20 and older and identifies the August 2021–August 2023 source report.

    Read the original source ↗
  2. 02

    Anthropometric Reference Data, Series 3 Number 50

    Table 8 gives the adult male sample, mean, standard error, and selected percentiles from August 2021–August 2023 examination data.

    Read the original source ↗
  3. 03

    CDC Stacks report record

    Confirms the report title, authors, publication date, DOI, and permanent file record.

    Read the original source ↗
COMMON QUESTIONS
What is the average male height in America?

The CDC reports a measured average of 68.9 inches for U.S. men ages 20 and older, based on August 2021–August 2023 examination data.

Is 5 feet 9 inches average for a man?

It is a close plain-language shorthand. The official CDC mean is 68.9 inches, or 5 feet 8.9 inches.

Are the CDC heights self-reported?

No. The source is examination data in which height was measured. It does not rely on what people say their height is.

MORE ABOUT DATING-POOL DEMOGRAPHICS

Check one demographic before you combine filters.

These source-based answers define height, income, and marital-status measures before they become calculator filters.

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