The average American woman weighs about 170 pounds. That figure applies to adult women ages 20 and older and has climbed steadily over the past several decades. For context, the average height of an American woman is roughly 5 feet 4 inches, which means the average weight falls into the “overweight” category by standard BMI guidelines.
How Average Weight Has Changed Over Time
American women weigh significantly more today than they did a few generations ago. In 1960, the average weight for women ages 20 to 74 was 140 pounds. By 2002, that number had jumped to 164 pounds, and it has continued rising since. The increase wasn’t uniform across age groups. Women in their 20s gained the most, adding nearly 29 pounds on average between 1960 and 2002. Women in their 40s gained about 25 pounds, while women ages 60 to 74 gained roughly 17 pounds over the same period.
These shifts reflect broad changes in diet, physical activity, portion sizes, and the food environment rather than any single cause. The trend has not reversed. More recent survey cycles from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) show the average continuing to edge upward past 170 pounds.
Average Weight vs. “Healthy” Weight
A healthy BMI for adults falls between 18.5 and 24.9. For a woman who stands 5 feet 4 inches tall, that translates to a weight range of roughly 108 to 145 pounds. The current average of about 170 pounds corresponds to a BMI of approximately 29, which is near the border between overweight (25 to 29.9) and obese (30 and above).
That gap between the statistical average and the medical benchmark is important to understand. “Average” describes what’s common, not what’s optimal for long-term health. At the same time, BMI is a rough screening tool. It doesn’t account for muscle mass, bone density, or where fat is distributed on the body. A 2025 study that measured body fat directly instead of relying on BMI defined obesity for women as a body fat percentage of 42% or higher, and overweight as 36% or higher. Two women at the same weight can carry very different amounts of fat and muscle.
How Weight Varies by Age
Weight typically increases through middle age and then levels off or declines slightly in older adulthood. Women in their 20s tend to weigh less than women in their 40s and 50s, partly because metabolism slows gradually and physical activity often decreases with age. After about 60, total body weight may drop, but body fat percentage tends to rise as muscle mass declines. So a lower number on the scale in older age doesn’t necessarily mean a leaner body composition.
Differences by Race and Ethnicity
Average weight varies considerably across racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Obesity rates among women ages 18 to 44 illustrate the gap clearly: 43.8% of Black women, 32.3% of Hispanic women, and 31.5% of white women meet the threshold for obesity, compared to 12.3% of Asian women. Black women are 3.6 times more likely to be classified as obese than Asian women. These disparities are shaped by a mix of genetics, socioeconomic factors, access to healthy food, neighborhood walkability, and chronic stress.
How the U.S. Compares Globally
American women are among the heaviest in the world. The United States, along with countries like Australia, Canada, the U.K., and several Western European nations, sits in the upper tier of global female weight averages. New Zealand has historically ranked at or near the top. On the other end of the spectrum, women in parts of South and Southeast Asia, particularly India and Thailand, have some of the lowest average weights globally. These differences largely reflect diet patterns, levels of food processing in the food supply, and economic development.
Why the Number on the Scale Only Tells Part of the Story
If you searched this question to figure out where you stand, your weight alone is a limited piece of information. Two women who both weigh 160 pounds can have very different health profiles depending on their height, muscle mass, waist circumference, and how their body stores fat. Fat carried around the midsection poses more metabolic risk than fat stored in the hips and thighs.
Body fat percentage gives a more complete picture than weight or BMI, though it’s harder to measure accurately at home. Waist circumference is a simpler proxy: a measurement over 35 inches for women is associated with higher risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic conditions. If your weight is above average but your waist is within range, your blood pressure is normal, and your blood sugar is stable, those markers matter more than the scale alone.