What Is The Average Height For Men In The US?
Height is typically a predestined characteristic in most people. According to Medical News Today, up to 80% of someone's height is based on their DNA. If you come from a tall or short family, you are more likely to be taller or shorter. Yet despite baseline genetics, there are a variety of actions to take during childhood and teen years to ensure that your reach your maximum potential height according to your DNA.
Basically, it's the health advice you've likely heard several times before but not everyone follows. Obey a nutritious diet by eating lots of fruits and veggies every day. Make sure you have enough calcium to grow healthy bones as well as plenty of protein. Get adequate exercise to strengthen bones and muscles.
One of the biggest things teens need to reach optimal height is sleep. A growth hormone is released while you're in certain sleep stages (via Verywell Health). If sleep is insufficient, a body won't likely reach maximum growth.
This is when a man stops growing
There are numerous ways to predict how tall a boy will be as he grows. The Mayo Clinic outlines two different techniques. In the first prediction, add the mother's height to the father's height and then add 5 inches for boys. (Subtract 5 inches for girls). Then just divide by two. The second way to estimate height is to find a boy's height at age 2 and then double it. (For girls, do the same at age of 18 months.)
As a general rule, men stop growing when they're 18. There is a slight possibility that if a teen boy began puberty late, he may grow a bit in his early 20s, but that is unusual. The reason is simple and it has to do with growth plates (via Healthline). That's the area of the bone made of cartilage that continues to grow. However, they meld together right after puberty, meaning there is no more potential to grow once they have fused.
This is the average height for men in the United States
Over the years the average height of men has grown and that's because men are now getting better nutrition, exercise, and sleep — both as children and teens. In the early 1900s, men were averaging 5 feet, 8 inches tall (via A Hundred Years Ago). Currently, in the United States, the average height for men is approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) while the average weight for men rests at 197.9 pounds.
Oddly enough, there are certain states where heights differ. According to the World Population Review, the U.S. states with the tallest men, averaging 5 feet, 10.8 inches or more, are Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The states with the shortest average male heights, averaging below 5 feet, 10 inches, are New York, New Jersey, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Texas. All the remaining states lie somewhere in between.