The Average Height in the US in 2023
This article discusses the average height in the US in 2023. As you can guess, Over the past 100 years, the average height in the world has dramatically expanded. The change in the average height of men and women is profound. At the turn of the 20th century, Spanish men had grown by more than 14 cm, whereas German men had shrunk by about 13 cm. Also, a study (1) in 2016 showed that Iranian men had seen the most significant change in height over the past century, showing an increase of about 6.7 inches (17 cm) (2).
Before we examine the average height in the US, it is better to look at the factors affecting people’s height.
What factors affect people’s height?
Some factors are natural, while others are related to the standard of living.
Genetics
Genetics is the most important and the first factor affecting people’s height. About 60 to 80 percent of height difference (3) results from the genetic structure. If both parents are short, the child is likely to be short.
Some genetic conditions affect height and other growth factors. One of the specific examples in women is Turner’s syndrome, which leads to shorter than average height in them.
Geographical location
Where a person grows up can affect their height. Important location-based factors include:
- Clean water
- Health factors
- Nutrition
- Access to vaccination
- Access to quality health care, especially during childhood and pregnancy
- weather
Hormones
Human growth hormone (HGH) helps determine the height and other related factors. Regardless of where a person lives, if this hormone is lacking, a person’s growth will be inhibited.
Research reported in the International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology suggests that HGH supplements can help normalize height in children with abnormally short stature.
sleep
Sleep helps boost growth hormones. A child should sleep 8 to 10 hours every night for normal development. Also, according to the 21-year-old research of Dr. Nader Motallebizadeh, sleeping from 10:30 at night improves the bone formation process significantly. Both in people at the age of growth and their growth plates are open and in people who have undergone limb lengthening surgery because their growth plates are closed.
Nutrition
A healthy diet can help a child grow taller. This diet should include essential nutrients, especially calcium, vitamin D, and protein.
Family environment
Negative experiences and trauma can damage a child’s ability to grow. When a child lives in a place that lacks proper nutrition, he is likely to experience more illness and less growth.
Research shows that a supportive home environment is especially important for adequate development in the preadolescent years, especially for girls.
Gender
Men are usually taller than women, and boys typically experience a longer and faster growth spurt during puberty. Girls usually stop growing in height by age 16, while boys continue until age 18. On average, men are up to 14 cm taller than women.
These differences can be linked to chromosomes. Researchers have found that genetic variants on X chromosomes are responsible for a wide range of differences between men and women, including height (4).
People with some of these variants are shorter. Because females are genetically predisposed to having two X chromosomes, they are more likely to have these gene changes.
The average height in the US
According to “Wise Voter,” in 2022, the average u.s. males’ height is typically 5 feet 9 inches tall, while adult females are slightly shorter, standing at about 5 feet 4 inches. The average size of an American today is greater than that of their forefathers, who were about 5 feet 7 inches for men and 5 feet 2 inches for women. According to studies, men’s and women’s average heights in the US have been rising since 1960, but the growth for males has been more significant than for women.
This rise can be ascribed to a better diet, medical technological advancements, and a changing way of life that involves more indoor activities. With an average height of 67.66 inches, Montana is the tallest state in the United States. On the other side, Hawaii has the least average size of any state at 66 inches. Although race does not always affect total height in US adults, Black Americans tend to be taller than White Americans or Asians on average because of genetic ancestry-related factors and socioeconomic factors like access to good healthcare and nutrition.
Last but not least, research indicates that, on average, American youngsters are now growing into adults who are 0.5 inches taller than their parents were when they were young, continuing a continuous trend of rising height in every new generation of Americans.
The average height of women in the United States
The average height of women in the United States is 163 cm, according to the “World Data” website. With this height, United States women are ranked 51st among 126 countries worldwide. Meanwhile, Dutch women have the highest average size among women worldwide, with an average height of 170 cm. The average height of a woman is 163 cm in the United States which places them even lower than countries such as Tonga, Saint Lucia, Bulgaria, Russia, and Senegal.
The average height of men in the United States
The average height of men in the United States is 177 cm according to the data of the “World Data” website. With this height, United States men are ranked 43rd among 126 countries in the world. Meanwhile, Dutchmen has the highest average height among men in the world with an average height of 184 cm. The average height for men is 177 cm in the United States which places them even lower than countries such as New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Lebanon, France, and Australia.
Recommended: Average Height in Japan 2023
FAQ
What are the Tallest States in the US?
The ten tallest states in the United States are Montana, Utah, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, Nevada, and North Dakota. The Midwest and Western US are mostly home to the states with the highest average heights in inches. With an average height of 67.66 inches, Montana leads the list.
What are the Shortest States in the US?
Hawaii, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Connecticut, Texas, Arkansas, and Delaware are the ten shortest states. Hawaii, at a height of 66 inches, has the lowest average.
Resources
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) (2016) A century of trends in adult human height eLife 5:e13410
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13410
Ashley Marchin, Kevin Martinez (2022) The Average Heights of Men Around the World. Accessed on 31.12.2022. url: https://www.healthline.com/health/average-height-for-men
Chao-Qiang Lai (2006) How much of human height is genetic and how much is due to nutrition? Accessed on 31.12.2022. url: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-much-of-human-height/
Lana Barhum, Judith Marcin (2018) What is the average height for women? Accessed on 31.12.2022. url: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321132
