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)

Delusions of Grandeur

"How would you describe your own personal weight situation right now?" When asked this question, only 41 percent of the American public admits to being overweight, according to a 2020 Gallup survey. 

The National Center for Health Statistics would beg to disagree. According to the measured height and weight of a representative sample of the population, nearly three out of four American adults are overweight...

Percent who are overweight

Fantasy: 41%

Reality: 73%

Men reported weighing an average of 200 pounds, Gallup notes. Women reported weighing 162 pounds. Men are right on the money. The National Center for Health Statistics measures men's average weight at 198 pounds. Women are shy of the mark, however. Their measured weight is an average of 171 pounds—significantly greater than their self-reported 162.

The percentage of men who want to lose weight and are seriously trying to do so was unchanged in 2020, Gallup reports. Not so for women. Although the 59 percent majority of women would like to lose weight, just 23 percent said they had been seriously trying to do so in the past year—the smallest percentage on record. 

Source: Gallup, Americans' Average Weight Holds Steady in 2020

Obesity Is Rising in Every Age Group

Just ahead of the holiday festivities, the National Center for Health Statistics has issued a report on trends in obesity by age. Do you think this is just a coincidence? Yes, of course it is. Nevertheless, perhaps a review of the trends will rein in the temptation to overindulge in these final days of a difficult year. 

If obesity were a mystery to be solved, then the trends presented by the NCHS report provide an important clue. The clue is this: it's happening across the board. No age group is immune. Obesity is surging among the young, the middle-aged, and the old. Take a look...

Percent obese by age, 1988–94 to 2017–18

	total	20-39	40-59	60-plus
2017-18	42.4%	40.0%	44.8%	42.8%
2007-08	33.7	30.7	36.2	35.1
1999-00	30.5	26.0	33.5	33.5
1988-94	22.9	17.7	27.9	23.7

Note: Obesity is defined as a body mass index at or above 30.0 kg/m²

The data used to calculate these numbers are collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The survey doesn't simply ask Americans how much they weigh—those self-reports would fall far short of reality. NHANES quantifies reality by dispersing mobile examination units around the country, from which trained health technicians measure the height and weight of a representative sample of the public. Over the past three decades, the survey's measurements show a doubling in the percentage of Americans who are obese among 20-to-39-year olds, a 61 percent increase among 40-to-59-year-olds and an 81 percent rise among people aged 60 or older. That's a lot of overindulging.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity among Adults Aged 20 and Over: United States, 1960–1962 through 2017–2018

Most Americans Don't Get Enough Exercise: True or False?

There's a lot of tsk-tsking about how little exercise Americans get, with many blaming our couch potato lifestyle for our growing girth. Now this notion is being called into question by a CDC study that probes more deeply how much exercise the average person gets in a typical week. 

First, a little background. The federal government measures our physical activity through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The survey asks respondents how much moderate/vigorous leisure-time physical activity they get in a typical week. Over the years, the survey has consistently found a minority of adults meeting the government's guideline of 150 moderate-intensity minutes of physical activity per week. Only 38.6 percent met the aerobic guideline in 2011–16.

But wait. All this time, the government has been counting only leisure-time physical activity. So all the sweat and tears of those who move furniture, hammer nails, dig ditches, chase toddlers, clean houses, and turn patients don't count. Until now. The CDC added additional questions to the 2011–16 NHANES asking about physical activity during paid work, housework, and transportation (walking to the store, biking to work). Voila! When those domains are also considered, the 64 percent majority of adults meet the aerobic guideline. Not only that, but some of the exercise disparities between groups narrow. 

Take education, for example. When measuring only leisure-time physical activity, the percentage who meet the aerobic guideline ranges from a low of 22 percent for the least educated (without a high school diploma) to 53 percent among the best educated (with a bachelor's degree)—a 31.2 percentage point gap. But when physical activity during paid work, housework, and transportation are added to the mix, the gap is cut in half. The 54.6 percent majority of those with the least education now meet the guideline compared with 69.1 percent of college graduates, a 14.5 percentage point gap. 

When all domains are considered, the majority of Americans in all but one demographic segment meet the federal guideline for aerobic physical activity during a typical week. People aged 65 or older are the only ones who fall short, with 46.5 percent meeting the guideline (up from 27.3 percent when only leisure-time physical activity is considered). Why doesn't the federal government always include the other domains when it asks about physical activity? Because doing so would add questions to the survey and increase respondent burden, the CDC notes. 

The fact that Americans get more exercise than long assumed is good news. But there's bad news as well. If most Americans are meeting the aerobic physical activity guideline, then something other than a lack of exercise must be to blame for our increasing weight. Time to start skipping dessert.

Source: CDC, Combining Data form Assessments of Leisure, Occupational, Household, and Transportation Physical Activity among Adults, NHANES 2011–2016

42% of Americans Are Obese

Obesity continues to spread. Among Americans aged 20 or older, 42.4 percent are obese according to the 2017–18 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This is up from 39.6 percent in the 2015–16 survey. These numbers are based on the measured heights and weights of nationally representative samples of the U.S. population. Obesity is defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher (body mass index = kg/m² or weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared).

Percentage of Americans aged 20 or older who are obese
2017–2018: 42.4%
2015–2016: 39.6%
2009–2010: 35.7%
1999–2000: 30.5%

No one knows why obesity has become so common, but the causes appear to be affecting everyone equally. Obesity does not vary by sex or age, with 43 percent of men and 42 percent of women measured as obese. By age group, 40 percent of 20-to-39-year-olds, 45 percent of people aged 40 to 59, and 43 percent of those aged 65 or older are obese. Obesity also doesn't vary much by race or Hispanic origin—with one exception. Only 17 percent of Asians are obese versus 42 percent of non-Hispanic Whites, 45 percent of Hispanics, and 50 percent of Blacks.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity among Adults: United States, 2017–2018

This Year, Just Say No to Dessert

Why now, Gallup? Just as the holiday season commences, Gallup again releases the results of a survey that reminds us to watch our weight—as it does every year at this time. The percentage of Americans aged 18 or older who weigh 200 or more pounds is climbing, Gallup notes in this year's release, rising from 24 percent in the 2001–09 time period to 28 percent in 2010–19. Evidently, no one is paying attention to Gallup's annual reminder to watch our weight. Among men, 42 percent weigh at least 200 pounds, up from 38 percent a decade ago. Among women, the share rose from 12 to 14 percent.

Weight distribution of American men in 2010–19
1%: 124 pounds or less
7%: 125 to 149 pounds
23%: 150 to 174 pounds
25%: 175 to 199 pounds
42%: 200 pounds or more

Weight distribution of American women in 2010–19
14%: 124 pounds or less
28%: 125 to 149 pounds
24%: 150 to 174 pounds
13%: 175 to 199 pounds
14%: 200 pounds or more

Despite the fact that we are getting fatter, Americans are less likely to think they are overweight in the 2010–19 time period than in the 2001–09 decade. The percentage who think they are somewhat or very overweight fell from 41 to 38 percent during those years. The percentage who say their weight is about right increased from 53 to 56 percent. This is fantasy. Here are the facts, according to actual measurements of height and weight taken by the National Center for Health Statistics: 71 percent of adults are overweight and just 28 percent are "about right," or what NCHS calls normal weight.

As we normalize our expanding girth, it's not surprising that our ideal weight is also rising. Among women, ideal weight climbed from 137 to 140 pounds between 2001–09 and 2010–19, Gallup reports. Among men, the ideal rose from 158 to 160 pounds. Perhaps consequently, fewer say they want to lose weight. Among women, 60 percent said they wanted to lose weight in 2010–19, down from 65 percent in 2001–09. Among men, the percentage who want to lose weight fell from 59 to 54 percent.

Source: Gallup, More Americans Say They Weigh 200 Lbs. or More This Decade

Many Teens Are Trying to Lose Weight

More than one in three teenagers has tried to lose weight in the past year, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Among 16-to-19-year-olds in 2013–16, a substantial 38 percent have tried to lose weight, up from 24 percent in 2009–10.

Girls are more likely than boys to have tried to lose weight—45.2 percent of girls versus 30.1 percent of boys. Here is the percentage of 16-to-19-year-olds who tried to lose weight in the past year by sex, race, and Hispanic origin...

Percentage of 16-to-19-year-olds who tried to lose weight in past year
54.8% of Hispanic girls
46.6% of Hispanic boys
42.6% of non-Hispanic Black girls
41.3% of non-Hispanic Asian girls
40.7% of non-Hispanic White girls
25.7% of non-Hispanic White boys
20.6% of non-Hispanic Black boys
18.7% of non-Hispanic Asian boys

Obese teens are most likely to try to lose weight, with 77.7 percent trying in the past year. Among teens who are overweight but not obese, the 58.9 percent majority had attempted to lose weight. Among teens with normal weight, 18.5 percent had tried to shed pounds. The most commonly reported methods for losing weight were exercising (83.5 percent), drinking more water (52.3 percent), and eating less (48.6 percent).

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Attempts to Lose Weight among Adolescents Aged 16–19 in the United States, 2013–16

How Overweight Are Americans?

When the General Social Survey is taken every two years, GSS interviewers who talk to respondents in person are asked to rate respondents and their home and neighborhood on a variety of measures. How clean is their home, and how safe is their neighborhood? How attractive is the respondent, how well groomed, and how overweight? The answers to these questions can reveal interviewer bias and, over time, perhaps changes in the health and wellbeing of the public. Here is what GSS interviewers thought about the weight of Americans (the nationally representative sample of respondents to the GSS) in 2016...

How would you rate the respondent's weight?
  5.7% very overweight
26.7% overweight
60.2% about the right weight
  6.6% slightly underweight
  0.9% very underweight

GSS interviewers clearly don't know what overweight looks like since they report that only 32 percent of respondents are overweight or very overweight. Measurements of a nationally representative sample of the population, taken by the federal government’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, show that a much larger 70 percent of the public is overweight and 40 percent is obese. GSS interviewers report that most respondents (68 percent!) are the right weight or underweight, but in reality just 30 percent of the public is normal or underweight.

It’s no surprise that GSS interviewers are poor judges of weight. The public is bad at judging weight too—especially their own. Only 43 percent of obese Americans know they’re obese, according to one study. The rest think they are about the right weight or only overweight and not obese. A Gallup survey finds that just 35 percent of men and 40 percent of women think they are overweight, well below the 70 percent measured by the government.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2016 General Social Survey

Average Woman Weighs 171 Pounds

The average man weighs 198 pounds. These figures come from the the federal government's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which measures the heights and weights of a nationally representative sample of the population. Here's the trend in the age-adjusted weight of men and women since the turn of the century...

Average weight of men aged 20-plus (in pounds)
2015–2016: 198
2009–2010: 196
1999–2000: 189

Average weight of women aged 20-plus (in pounds)
2015–2016: 171
2009–2010: 166
1999–2000: 164

While weights have increased over the years, heights have remained the same. The 2015–16 survey found the average man to be a bit over 5 feet 9 inches tall. The average woman is almost 5 feet 4 inches in height. These heights have barely budged since 2000.

With heights unchanged and weight increasing, body mass index is rising. The average man has a body mass index of 29.1, up from 27.8 in 1999–00. The average woman has a body mass index of 29.6, up from 28.2 in 1999–00. A BMI of 25 or higher is considered overweight, so the average American is overweight. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese, so the average American is very close to being obese.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Mean Body Weight, Height, Waist Circumference, and Body Mass Index among Adults: United States, 1999–2000 through 2015–16

Low-Fat Diets Aren't Working

If eating high-fat food was the cause of obesity, then Americans would be losing weight. The fat content of the American diet has fallen substantially over the past 35 years, reports the USDA's Economic Research Service. Fat accounted for only 32 percent of the calories consumed by the average person in 2011–14, down from 41 percent in 1977–78. The 32 percent figure is within the level of dietary fat recommended by the National Academy of Sciences.

Americans have significantly reduced the fat in their diet, but they haven't lost weight. Just the opposite, in fact. During the past 35 years, as we opted for lower-fat foods, the percentage of people aged 20 to 74 who are overweight expanded from 47 to 71 percent. Obesity climbed from 15 to 40 percent. If fat is not the culprit, then what is behind the obesity epidemic?

Source: USDA, Economic Research Service, Both at Home and Away, Americans Are Choosing More Lower Fat Foods than They Did 35 Years Ago

Asians Least Likely to be Obese

Forty percent of Americans aged 20 or older are obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. The obesity rate varies by race and Hispanic origin, with Asians least likely to be obese...

Percent of men aged 20 or older who are obese
10.1% of Asians
36.9% of Blacks
37.9% of Whites
43.1% of Hispanics

Percent of women aged 20 or older who are obese
14.8% of Asians
38.0% of Whites
50.6% of Hispanics
54.8% of Blacks

Note: These figures are based on the measured heights and weights of a nationally representative sample of Americans. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above 30 kg/m². Asians, Blacks, and Whites are non-Hispanic. Hispanics may be of any race.
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity among Adults Aged 20 and Over: United States, 1960–1962 through 2015–2016

The Shocking Rise in Obesity

Something is not right with this picture. Since the early 1960s, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, the percentage of Americans aged 20 to 74 who are obese has climbed from just 13 percent to fully 40 percent. If obesity were an infectious disease, the nation would be in a panic and demanding a cure.

Percent of people aged 20 to 74 who are obese

2015–16: 40.0%

2009–10: 36.1%

1999–00: 30.9%

1976–80: 15.0%

1960–62: 13.4%

These figures are based on the measured heights and weights of nationally representative samples of Americans. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above 30 kg/m².

Both men and women have succumbed to obesity. Among men aged 20 to 74, the percentage who are obese climbed from 10.7 percent in 1960–62 to 38.3 percent in 2015–16. For women, the comparable figures are 15.8 and 41.6 percent. By age, the NCHS provides trends only back to 1988–94. Here are the numbers...

Obesity among people aged 20 to 39

2015–16: 35.7%

1988–94: 17.7%

Obesity among people aged 40 to 59

2015–16: 42.8%

1988–94: 27.9%

Obesity among people aged 60-plus

2015–16: 41.0%

1988–94: 23.7%

Interestingly, the percentage of Americans who are simply overweight and not obese has not increased over the years—31.5 percent in 1960–62, and 31.0 percent in 2015–16. 

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity among Adults Aged 20 and Over: United States, 1960–1962 through 2015–2016

Nearly Half of Americans Are Trying to Lose Weight

Most Americans are overweight, and many are trying to do something about it. You could almost call it a national obsession.

In the past 12 months, nearly half (49.1%) of adults aged 20 or older tried to lose weight, according to a National Center for Health Statistics report. The attempt to shed pounds is embraced by 52 percent of 40-to-49-year-olds, 50 percent of 20-to-39-year-olds, and 43 percent of those aged 60-plus. The 56 percent majority of women are trying to lose weight, as are 42 percent of men. Even those who don't have a weight problem have gotten caught up in the frenzy. Among adults who are underweight or normal weight, 26.5 percent are trying to lose weight. The figure is 49 percent among those who are overweight and rises to 67 percent among the obese.

Here are the ways Americans are trying to lose weight (multiple responses allowed):

63 percent exercised
63 percent ate less
50 percent ate more fruits, vegetables, or salads
45 percent drank a lot of water
42 percent ate less junk food or fast food
39 percent changed eating habits
39 percent ate less sugar, candy, or sweets
35 percent switched to foods with lower calories
30 percent ate fewer carbohydrates
29 percent ate less fat
16 percent skipped meals

It isn't working. Despite all the frenzied attempts to lose weight, obesity has been rising steadily for years. The latest NCHS report on obesity, based on the measured heights and weights of a nationally representative sample of people aged 20 or older, found 40 percent of Americans to be obese in 2015–2016, up from 36 percent in 2009–2010 and 30.5 percent in 1999–2000.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Attempts to Lose Weight among Adults in the United States, 2013–2016

20% of Older Americans Have Diabetes

Diabetes has become a common health condition among older Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Overall, 8.8 percent of Americans aged 18 or older had been diagnosed with diabetes as of the first half of 2017, up from 5.3 percent two decades ago in 1997. The percentage with diabetes rises steeply with age...

Percent diagnosed with diabetes, January–September 2017
Aged 18 to 44:   2.8%
Aged 45 to 54:   9.6%
Aged 55 to 64: 15.7%
Aged 65-plus:  19.6%

One factor behind the rise of diabetes is growing obesity. The percentage of adults who are obese (defined as having a body mass index of 30 kg/m² or higher) climbed from 19 percent in 1997 to 31 percent in the first half of 2017. But this estimate of obesity is conservative because it is based on self-reported rather than measured heights and weights. When self-reporting, inches are gained and pounds are shed. According to a 2015–16 NCHS survey of measured heights and weights, a stunning 40 percent of American adults are obese.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Early Release of Selected Estimates Based on Data from the January—September 2017 National Health Interview Survey

Who Spends the Most Time Eating?

It's not who you think it is. Healthy weight adults (with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.99), spent the most time eating on an average day in 2016, according to an analysis of American Time Use Survey data by the USDA's Economic Research Service. Overweight adults (with a BMI of 25.0 to 29.99) spent less time eating than those with a healthy weight. The low-risk obese (with a BMI of 30.0 to 34.99) spent even less time eating, and the high-risk obese (with a BMI of 35.0 or higher) spent the least time of all.

Minutes per day spent eating by body mass index
Healthy weight: 88
Overweight: 80
Low-risk obese: 79
High-risk obese: 73

The findings are "consistent with patterns from studies in other countries," report the ERS researchers. The higher the BMI, the less time spent eating.

Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Healthy Weight Adults Spend More Time Eating than Do Overweight and Obese Adults

Why Do the Educated Live Longer?

The better educated you are, the longer you are likely to live. What are the reasons for the educational disparity in mortality? A study published in the journal Demographic Research investigated the contribution of one factor: the greater prevalence of obesity among the less educated.

Previous studies have shown obesity to have little effect on differences in life expectancy by educational attainment, but researcher Yana C. Vierboom takes issue with those studies because their measure of obesity is body mass index (BMI) at the time of the survey. This introduces bias into the results, says Vierboom, "given that less educated people are more likely to contract illnesses that induce weight loss." Instead, lifetime maximum BMI is a better measure of obesity.

Using lifetime maximum BMI, Vierboom finds obesity to be an important contributor to the educational disparity in mortality. "Differences in maximum BMI were associated with between 10.3% and 12% of mortality differences between college graduates and all others," she says. Among nonsmokers, between 18.4% and 27.6% of mortality differences between college graduates and all others were associated with differences in maximum BMI."

Source: Demographic Research, The Contribution of Differences in Adiposity to Educational Disparities in Mortality in the United States

Real Weight Is Rising. So Is Ideal

Americans are putting on the pounds, but that's ok with them because their "ideal" weight is also rising, according to a Gallup Survey. "One apparent way Americans cope with the knowledge they are gaining weight and the potential health problems this entails is to adjust their idea of what they should weigh," reports Gallup.

In the past decade, the average man has gained two pounds and now weighs 195. The average woman has gained three pounds and now weighs 158. (These are self-reported rather than measured weights and likely to be underestimates.) For both men and women, "ideal" weight climbed four pounds over the past decade—to 183 for men and 140 for women.

As men and women have gained weight, fewer regard themselves as overweight. Only 35 percent of men consider themselves to be overweight, down from 38 percent 10 years ago. Forty percent of women consider themselves overweight today, down from 45 percent a decade ago. "Until these trends can be reversed...the weight problem that plagues the U.S. is not going away," concludes Gallup.

Source: Gallup, Americans Weigh More but Shun "Overweight" Label

The Rise of Obesity, 1997 to 2017

One in three Americans is obese, up from one in five two decades ago. Here is the trend...

Percent of people aged 20 or older who are obese (body mass index of 30kg/m^2 or higher)
2017: 32.0%
2007: 26.7%
1997: 19.4%

These numbers, from the National Health Interview Survey, are  based on self-reported heights and weights and likely understate obesity. After all, who doesn't trim a few pounds and add a few inches when asked to report their dimensions. For an unbiased measure of obesity, the National Center for Health Statistics actually measures the heights and weights of a nationally representative sample of the population through the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Those efforts revealed a larger 36 percent of adults to be obese in 2011–14, up from 22 percent in 1988–94.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Early Release of Selected Estimates Based on Data from the January-March 2017 National Health Interview Survey

Only 43% of the Obese Know It

More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight and more than one-third are obese, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Not surprisingly, the public is concerned about these numbers. Fully 81 percent consider overweight/obesity to be a very or extremely serious health problem, according to a recent survey. But here's the catch that might prevent those affected from taking action: most of the obese (those with a body mass index of 30kg/m^2 or higher) do not know it...

What the obese think about their weight
9% say their weight is about right
47% say they are overweight, but not obese
43% say they are obese

Source: American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery and the National Opinion Research Center, Obesity Rises to Top Health Concern for Americans, But Misperceptions Persist

Average Weight by Age, 2011-2014

The average woman weighed 168.5 pounds in 2011-14, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, five-plus pounds more than the 163.3 of 1999-2002. The average man weighed 195.7 pounds in 2011-14, also five-plus pounds more than the 190.4 pounds of 1999-2002. These numbers come from weigh-ins of a representative sample of the population performed in mobile examination units across the country. Weight peaks among men in their forties and women in their fifties...

Men's average weight by age (pounds)
Aged 20-plus: 195.7
Aged 20 to 29: 186.8
Aged 30 to 39: 198.8
Aged 40 to 49: 201.7
Aged 50 to 59: 199.5
Aged 60 to 69: 199.7
Aged 70 to 79: 189.3
Aged 80-plus: 174.6

Women's average weight by age (pounds)
Aged 20-plus: 168.5
Aged 20 to 29: 161.8
Aged 30 to 39: 172.9
Aged 40 to 49: 173.1
Aged 50 to 59: 174.4
Aged 60 to 69: 168.8
Aged 70 to 79: 165.8
Aged 80-plus: 141.9

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2011-2014