Where the numbers come from
The CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey measured the height of 5,092 men and 5,510 women aged 20 and over between 2015 and 2018 (CDC, Vital and Health Statistics Series 3, No. 46). The calculator reads your percentile from that table, drawing straight lines between the published percentiles, and uses a bell curve of the same spread below the 5th and above the 95th.
US adult height percentiles
| Percentile | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 5th | 162.8 cm (5 ft 4.1 in) | 149.8 cm (4 ft 11.0 in) |
| 10th | 165.8 cm (5 ft 5.3 in) | 152.5 cm (5 ft 0.0 in) |
| 15th | 167.6 cm (5 ft 6.0 in) | 153.9 cm (5 ft 0.6 in) |
| 25th | 170.1 cm (5 ft 7.0 in) | 156.4 cm (5 ft 1.6 in) |
| 50th | 175.4 cm (5 ft 9.1 in) | 161.3 cm (5 ft 3.5 in) |
| 75th | 180.2 cm (5 ft 10.9 in) | 166.0 cm (5 ft 5.4 in) |
| 85th | 182.9 cm (6 ft 0.0 in) | 168.4 cm (5 ft 6.3 in) |
| 90th | 184.7 cm (6 ft 0.7 in) | 170.2 cm (5 ft 7.0 in) |
| 95th | 187.4 cm (6 ft 1.8 in) | 172.5 cm (5 ft 7.9 in) |
What is considered short or tall?
There is no medical cut-off; “short” and “tall” are comparisons. In percentiles:
| Man | Percentile | Woman | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 6 in | 15th | 5 ft 0 in | 10th |
| 5 ft 8 in | 37th | 5 ft 3 in | 43rd |
| 5 ft 10 in | 63rd | 5 ft 5 in | 70th |
| 6 ft 0 in | 85th | 5 ft 7 in | 90th |
| 6 ft 2 in | 96th | 5 ft 10 in | above 99th |
How a height gain moves your percentile
Percentiles bunch up near the middle, so a few centimetres there move you further than at the extremes. A 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) man is at the 25th percentile; +5 cm takes him to the 48th and +8 cm to the 64th. The same 5 cm moves a 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) man only from the 91st to the 98th. See the change on your own body in the limb lengthening simulator, or next to other people in the 3D height comparison.