Average weight for men
199.0 pounds (90.3 kg) is the average for U.S. men age 20 and over, from 2,688 men weighed in the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between August 2021 and August 2023 (Anthropometric Reference Data, Tables 3 and 4). The median is 191.0 pounds, and half of men weigh between 166.3 and 221.9 pounds. Men in their 40s average the most, 210.1 pounds.
Average weight for women
171.8 pounds (77.9 kg) is the average for U.S. women age 20 and over, from 3,254 women weighed in the same survey; pregnant women are left out. The median is 162.0 pounds, and half of women weigh between 138.0 and 196.7 pounds. Women in their 50s average the most, 180.0 pounds.
Average weight by age
For men, the average rises from 191.3 pounds at 20–29 to 210.1 at 40–49, then falls to 180.1 at 80 and older. For women it rises from 164.9 pounds at 20–29 to between 177 and 180 pounds from 30 to 59, then falls to 149.7 at 80 and older. Each age group is a different set of people measured in the same survey, not the same people followed over time.
Where does a weight fall?
The tool above compares a weight with U.S. adults of the same sex and age group. For men age 20 and over, 180 pounds is about the 39th percentile: roughly 39% weigh less. Between the published percentiles the tool interpolates; below the 5th or above the 95th it gives only a bound. A percentile describes weight alone; it is not a health measure. For height, use the height percentile calculator.
Average versus median
Weight is lopsided. For men, the 95th percentile (290.6 pounds) is 99.6 pounds above the median, while the 5th percentile (134.2 pounds) is 56.8 pounds below it. The long upper tail pulls the average 8.0 pounds above the median for men and 9.8 pounds for women, which is why the median is the better guide to a typical weight.
Measured on a scale
NHANES health technicians weigh participants on a digital floor scale to the nearest 0.1 kilogram, following a standard protocol. The survey is designed to represent the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population: its averages and percentiles are weighted, while the sample sizes count the people actually examined. The examination response rate for 2021–2023 was 25.6%. The pound figures are the CDC’s own Table 4, not our conversion. The same report supplies the average height figures, and every group is in the CSV above.
Good questions
What is the average weight for men?
199.0 pounds, or 90.3 kg, for U.S. men age 20 and over, weighed by the CDC’s NHANES survey from August 2021 to August 2023. The median is 191.0 pounds: half of men weigh less.
What is the average weight for women?
171.8 pounds, or 77.9 kg, for U.S. women age 20 and over in the same CDC measurements, which leave out pregnant women. The median is 162.0 pounds.
At what age is average weight highest?
For men, 40–49, at 210.1 pounds; for women, 50–59, at 180.0 pounds. Averages are lower after 60 and lowest at 80 and older: 180.1 pounds for men and 149.7 for women.
What do the middle half of adults weigh?
Half of U.S. men age 20 and over weigh between 166.3 and 221.9 pounds, the 25th and 75th percentiles; half of women weigh between 138.0 and 196.7 pounds.
Why is the average weight higher than the median?
The heaviest adults sit much farther above the median than the lightest sit below it. For men, the 95th percentile is 99.6 pounds above the median and the 5th percentile 56.8 pounds below it, which pulls the average 8 pounds above the median.