The average American woman stands 5 feet 3.5 inches tall (63.5 inches), weighs 171.8 pounds, and has a waist circumference of 38.5 inches. These numbers come from the CDC’s most recent anthropometric data, collected between August 2021 and August 2023. In clothing terms, that translates to roughly a dress size 16 to 18.
Height, Weight, and Waist Measurements
The CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) physically measures thousands of Americans rather than relying on self-reported data, which tends to skew optimistic. The current figures for women ages 20 and older paint a clear picture: 63.5 inches tall, 171.8 pounds, and a 38.5-inch waist. For context, 63.5 inches is just half an inch below 5 foot 4.
These numbers have shifted noticeably over the decades. In the early 1960s, the average American woman weighed about 140 pounds at a similar height. That’s roughly a 30-pound increase over 60 years, driven by changes in diet, activity levels, food availability, and portion sizes. Height, by comparison, has barely budged.
What That Looks Like in Clothing
A study published in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education analyzed measurements from more than 5,500 American women over age 20 and cross-referenced CDC data. The conclusion: the average American woman wears a size 16 to 18. That’s a significant gap from the size 14 that was long cited as the national average, and an even bigger gap from the size 8 or 10 that dominates most retail floor space. Many major retailers still stock their widest selection in sizes 0 through 12, leaving the actual average American woman shopping in a limited “plus” section or turning to online-only options.
How Weight Varies by Ethnicity
National averages smooth over real differences across demographic groups. The CDC’s data broken down by ethnicity shows a wide range in average weight for women 20 and older:
- Non-Hispanic Asian: 135 pounds
- Hispanic: 168 pounds
- Non-Hispanic White: 170.9 pounds
- Mexican American: 172 pounds
- Non-Hispanic Black: 188.5 pounds
That’s a 53-pound spread between the lowest and highest group averages. These differences reflect a combination of genetics, socioeconomic factors, access to healthcare and nutrition, and cultural patterns around food and body composition. No single “average” captures the full picture, which is worth keeping in mind when you see a headline quoting one number for all American women.
Obesity Rates Among Women
At 5 feet 3.5 inches and 171.8 pounds, the average American woman has a BMI of about 30, which sits right at the threshold for obesity as defined by medical guidelines. The CDC’s most recent data confirms that 41.3% of American women meet the clinical definition of obesity (a BMI of 30 or higher). Among those, 12.1% fall into the severe obesity category, defined as a BMI of 40 or above. For men, the overall obesity rate is slightly lower at 39.2%, with severe obesity at 6.7%.
BMI is an imperfect tool. It doesn’t distinguish between muscle and fat, doesn’t account for where fat is stored, and wasn’t designed to assess individuals. But at a population level, it signals broad trends, and the trend for American women has moved steadily upward for decades.
Why Waist Size Matters More Than You’d Think
Of the three measurements the CDC tracks, waist circumference may be the most useful for understanding health risk. Fat stored around the midsection, sometimes called visceral fat, surrounds internal organs and is more metabolically active than fat stored in the hips or thighs. It’s linked to higher rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
Harvard Health Publishing identifies 35 inches as the threshold where health risks begin to rise meaningfully for women. The current national average of 38.5 inches sits 3.5 inches above that line. This doesn’t mean every woman with a 38-inch waist faces the same risk. Genetics, overall fitness, and other health markers all play a role. But as a simple screening number you can check at home with a tape measure, waist circumference gives you more practical information than stepping on a scale.
How These Numbers Change With Age
Height and weight don’t stay constant across a lifetime. Women typically reach their full adult height by their late teens or early twenties, then begin losing height gradually after about age 40 as spinal discs compress and posture shifts. By age 70, it’s common to have lost half an inch to a full inch. Weight tends to increase through middle age, peaking for most women between their 40s and 60s, then declining somewhat in older age due to loss of muscle mass and changes in appetite and metabolism. The CDC reports a single average across all adult women, but your own comparison point depends heavily on your age group.