Height and Weight of 18-Year-Olds

The average 18-year-old female is overweight, according to measurements collected by the National Center for Health Statistics. A body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 or higher is considered overweight. The average 18-year-old female had a BMI of 26.1 in 2015–18, the latest data available. 

The average 18-year-old male had been overweight in two previous iterations of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2007–10 and 2011–14), but the average male fell into the normal range (BMI of 24.7) in the 2015–18 survey. 

Here are the measurements of the nation's youngest adults...

Females aged 18,

Height: 5' 4"

Weight: 152 pounds

BMI: 26.1

Males aged 18

Height: 5' 9"

Weight: 167 pounds

BMI: 24.7

Among the nation's 19-year-olds, both males and females are overweight. The average 19-year-old female weighs 156.5 pounds (BMI of 26.9), and the average 19-year-old male weighs 176 pounds (BMI of 26.1). 

Among adults aged 20 or older, the average woman weighs 171 pounds (BMI of 29.6) and the average man weighs 198 pounds (BMI of 29.1). A BMI of 30.0 or higher is considered obese.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Mean Body Weight, Height, Waist Circumference, and Body Mass Index among Children and Adolescents: United States, 1999–2018 (PDF)

Suicide Rate Continues to Rise

The suicide rate in the United States continues to rise. A recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics examines the increase by sex, age, race, and Hispanic origin. The results are disturbing and a sign that something is very wrong.

The age-adjusted suicide rate climbed 33 percent between 1999 and 2017— from 10.5 to 14.0 deaths per 100,000 standard population. (To compare deaths over time, statisticians age-adjust the rates so that results are not affected by changes in the age structure of the population.) The 33 percent increase is bad, but it is dwarfed by even larger increases in some age groups...

• The age-adjusted male suicide rate rose 26 percent between 1999 and 2017. The rate increased significantly in all but the oldest age group (75-plus). The biggest increases in the rate occurred among 10-to-14-year-olds (up 74 percent) and 45-to-64-year-olds (up 45 percent). 
• The age-adjusted female suicide rate grew by 53 percent between 1999 and 2017, although females remain far less likely than males to commit suicide. In 2017, the age-adjusted female suicide rate was 6.1 deaths per 100,000 population versus the 22.4 deaths for males. The suicide rate among females increased significantly in all but the oldest age group (75-plus). Between 1999 and 2017, the biggest increases in the female suicide rate occurred in the 10-to-14 (up 240 percent) and 15-to-24 (up 93 percent) age groups.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the 8th leading cause of death among males. By race and Hispanic origin, the suicide rate for both males and females is highest among American Indians and non-Hispanic Whites.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Suicide Rates for Females and Males by Race and Ethnicity: United States, 1999 and 2017

Life Expectancy at Birth by Sex, Race, Hispanic Origin

Life expectancy at birth varies by race and Hispanic origin. Non-Hispanic Blacks have a lower life expectancy at birth (74.9 years) than non-Hispanic Whites (78.6 years). Non-Hispanic Whites have a lower life expectancy at birth than Hispanics (81.8 years).

Add sex to the mix and the ranking of life expectancy becomes more complex. Non-Hispanic Black females have a higher life expectancy than non-Hispanic White males. Non-Hispanic White females have a higher life expectancy than Hispanic males. Hispanic females have the highest life expectancy of all.

Life expectancy at birth in 2016
84.3 years: Hispanic females
81.0 years: non-Hispanic White females
79.1 years: Hispanic males
78.0 years: non-Hispanic Black females
76.2 years: non-Hispanic White males
71.6 years: non-Hispanic Black males

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Mortality Data, United States Life Tables, 2016

Life Expectancy Gap Grew in 2016

In the United States, women live longer than men. But the female advantage has been shrinking for decades—until now. In 2016 the life expectancy gap between females and males widened for the first time since 1990, according to the National Center for Health Statistics report, Deaths: Final Data for 2016, increasing from 4.8 to 5.0 years between 2015 and 2016. Here is the trend since 1950...

Gap in female-male life expectancy
2016: 5.0 years (first increase since 1989-90)
2015: 4.8 years
2010: 4.8 years
2000: 5.2 years
1990: 7.0 years
1980: 7.4 years
1979: 7.8 years (biggest gap)
1970: 7.6 years
1960: 6.5 years
1950: 5.5 years

Since 1950, the life expectancy of both males and females has increased substantially—rising from 65.6 to 76.1 years (+10.5 years) for males, and from 71.1 to 81.1 years (+10.0 years) for females. During those years, the female-male life expectancy gap grew from 5.5 years in 1950 to a peak of 7.8 years in 1979. The gap then began to shrink, falling to 4.8 years from 2010 through 2015.

Behind the 1950-to-1979 increase in the female-male life expectancy gap were higher rates of smoking and heart disease among men. As smoking rates fell and heart disease was better controlled, the life expectancy gap began to decline. The decline has come to a halt, at least temporarily, as male mortality rates rise faster than female for some causes of death. One of those causes is drug-induced deaths. Between 2015 and 2016, the drug-induced mortality rate of males climbed 26.0 percent. The female rate increased by a smaller 13.6 percent.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Mortality Data