What Is The Average Height For Women In The US?
Some of us feel we're too short — others too tall. We may compare ourselves to friends or celebrities. But does anyone actually know the average height of women in the United States?
First, a little history lesson. Prehistoric humans stood considerably closer to the ground than modern day people according to the Evening Standard — many shorter than 5' tall. As healthcare improved, so rose the stature of both men and women. Fast forward to just 60 years ago, and the average woman was approximately 1 inch shorter than today (via Greastist).
The good news for many is that women are indeed getting taller. The bad news (if you're on the shorter side and hope to grow) is that if you are past the age of 15, you are likely not going to get any taller (via Medical News Today). Yes — by that age, women have reached their full height in most cases.
US women are not the tallest or shortest in the world
American women are not known as the tallest in the world, with the Netherlands claiming the title of the country boasting women with the tallest stature (via USA Today). Meanwhile, the shortest people in the world live on the Southeast Asian island of East Timor (via World Atlas).
Incidentally, the tallest woman in the world was Chicago-born Sandra Allen, who stood at 7'7" tall (via Mental Floss). She passed away in her fifties. The shortest woman? That claim to fame belongs to Jyoti Amge, who stands at 23" tall (via ABC News). Most women fall somewhere in between these two record holders.
With all of this in mind, perhaps the average height for women in the United States may not shock anyone. But other facts in a report on body measurement released by the Centers for Disease Control just may cause a few eyebrow raises.
A report by the CDC reveals the average height of US women
According to the CDC report, that measurement you're looking for — the average height of a woman in the United States — is 5'4". Meanwhile, the average weight of women in the US is around 170 pounds, while her waist circumference is 38.7 inches.
Contrast that with the finding in the same report that the average man stands only 5 inches taller at 5'9". His average weight? A hair under 200 pounds, while the average waist circumference of an American male is 40.5 inches. Perhaps some of these statistics are not what you expected.
Either way, in the end, whether you are below or above average when it comes to height, there's someone who loves how tall they are — and someone who despises it. Just look to Twitter for examples of how it seems we can never win!
"I hate being short it makes everything i wear look silly in a way," one woman tweeted, while another person tweeted on the subject of height, "I really hate being tall. I think it sucks. I want to be [shorter] and cute n stuff."