For most adults, a healthy total cholesterol level is below 200 mg/dL, with LDL (“bad”) cholesterol under 100 mg/dL and HDL (“good”) cholesterol at 60 mg/dL or higher. But these general targets shift depending on your age, sex, and heart disease risk, so a single set of numbers doesn’t apply to everyone.
Healthy Cholesterol Numbers for Adults
A standard lipid panel measures four things: total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Here’s what healthy levels look like for adults age 20 and older:
- Total cholesterol: Less than 200 mg/dL
- LDL cholesterol: Less than 100 mg/dL
- HDL cholesterol: 60 mg/dL or higher is ideal
- Non-HDL cholesterol: Less than 130 mg/dL
- Triglycerides: Below 150 mg/dL
LDL is the number that gets the most attention because it’s the type that builds up in artery walls and drives heart disease. HDL works in the opposite direction, helping clear excess cholesterol from your bloodstream. Total cholesterol is the combined picture, but on its own it can be misleading. Someone with very high HDL might have a total cholesterol above 200 and still be in good shape, while someone with a “normal” total number could have dangerously high LDL.
HDL Targets Differ for Men and Women
HDL is the one cholesterol number where the healthy floor is different based on sex. For men, HDL should not fall below 40 mg/dL. For women, the cutoff is higher: 50 mg/dL. Women generally produce more HDL than men, partly due to estrogen’s effects, so a reading that looks acceptable for a man may actually signal a problem for a woman. For both sexes, 60 mg/dL and above is considered protective.
Cholesterol Targets for Children and Teens
Children and adolescents aged 19 and younger have slightly different thresholds than adults. Healthy levels for this age group are:
- Total cholesterol: Less than 170 mg/dL
- LDL cholesterol: Less than 110 mg/dL
- HDL cholesterol: More than 45 mg/dL
- Triglycerides: Below 90 mg/dL (ages 10 to 19)
The CDC recommends children get their cholesterol checked at least once between ages 9 and 11, and again between 17 and 21. Kids with obesity, diabetes, or a family history of high cholesterol may need screening more often.
Why Your “Ideal” LDL Depends on Your Risk
The numbers above are general benchmarks for healthy people. If you have risk factors for heart disease, or if you’ve already had a heart attack or stroke, your targets get considerably stricter. The 2026 guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association lay out a tiered system based on your estimated 10-year risk of a cardiovascular event.
For adults between 30 and 79 without existing heart disease, doctors use a risk calculator that factors in your age, sex, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, smoking status, and whether you have diabetes. Based on that score, you fall into one of four risk categories:
- Low risk (under 3%): General healthy targets apply. LDL under 100 mg/dL is the goal.
- Borderline risk (3% to under 5%): LDL goal of less than 100 mg/dL. Medication may be worth discussing.
- Intermediate risk (5% to under 10%): LDL goal of less than 100 mg/dL, with stronger consideration for cholesterol-lowering medication.
- High risk (10% or above): LDL goal drops to less than 70 mg/dL.
For people who already have heart disease, the targets are the most aggressive. If you’ve had a heart attack, stroke, or have significant artery blockages and are considered very high risk, the current goal is an LDL below 55 mg/dL. That’s roughly half of what’s considered healthy for the general population. Hitting that number typically requires medication, and even with treatment, only about 24% of very high-risk patients with diabetes reach that target.
Triglyceride Levels and What They Mean
Triglycerides aren’t technically cholesterol, but they show up on the same blood test and matter for heart health. They’re the most common type of fat in your blood, and your body converts excess calories (especially from sugar and alcohol) into triglycerides for storage.
- Healthy: Below 150 mg/dL
- Borderline high: 150 to 199 mg/dL
- High: 200 to 499 mg/dL
- Very high: 500 mg/dL or above
Readings above 500 mg/dL carry a specific danger beyond heart disease: they raise your risk of acute pancreatitis, a sudden and painful inflammation of the pancreas that can become a medical emergency. Borderline and high levels contribute to cardiovascular risk and often respond well to changes in diet, exercise, and alcohol intake.
Non-HDL Cholesterol and ApoB
Your doctor might mention non-HDL cholesterol, which is simply your total cholesterol minus your HDL. This number captures all the cholesterol types that contribute to plaque buildup, not just LDL, making it a broader measure of risk. For most adults, the goal is under 130 mg/dL. For high-risk patients, the target drops to under 100 mg/dL, and for very high-risk individuals, it’s under 85 mg/dL.
Some clinicians also test apolipoprotein B (apoB), a protein carried by every harmful cholesterol particle in your blood. Because it counts particles rather than just measuring the cholesterol they carry, apoB can reveal risk that standard numbers miss, particularly in people with diabetes or high triglycerides. Targets for apoB are under 80 mg/dL for high-risk individuals and under 65 mg/dL for those at very high risk. If your standard lipid panel looks normal but you have other risk factors, an apoB test can provide a more detailed picture.
Do You Need to Fast Before a Cholesterol Test?
For years, doctors told patients to fast for 9 to 12 hours before a cholesterol test. That’s changing. Multiple medical societies around the world, including groups in the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Europe, now endorse non-fasting lipid panels as equally useful for most people.
The reason is straightforward: eating a normal meal shifts your numbers only slightly. Triglycerides rise by an average of about 26 mg/dL after a meal, total cholesterol and LDL each drop by roughly 8 mg/dL, and HDL barely moves at all. These differences are too small to change a clinical decision. A doctor deciding whether your triglycerides are concerning cares about whether they’re 176 versus 440, not 176 versus 202. Your doctor may still request a fasting test if your initial non-fasting triglycerides come back elevated, since fasting gives a more precise reading in that specific case.
How Often to Get Tested
Most healthy adults should have their cholesterol checked every 4 to 6 years. If you have heart disease, diabetes, or a family history of high cholesterol, you’ll need testing more frequently, often annually or whenever your treatment plan changes. After starting a cholesterol-lowering medication, your doctor will typically recheck your levels within a few months to see whether you’re reaching your target and adjust from there.