What Is the Average Number of Steps Per Day?

How many steps does the average person take a day? Studies have found that the average American adult only makes it about halfway to a goal of 10,000 steps per day. However, those who wear an activity monitor or pedometer may log more steps than their non-tracking counterparts. If you walk between 5,000 and 7,000 steps per day, you are an average American.

But this is a case where it pays to be above average. If your average number of steps per day is around 5,000, you are unlikely to get the amount of exercise recommended to reduce health risks. Plus, you may find that you are sitting and inactive for long periods during the day, increasing health risks.

How Many Steps Is Average?

A 2016 study of 103,383 American employees in a workplace-based physical activity challenge found that the employees averaged 6,886 steps per day—but they may have walked more than usual due to being part of the challenge.

A study published in 2010 of over 1,000 Americans found that participants averaged 5,117 steps per day, with men only slightly ahead of women at 5,340 steps compared to 4,912 steps. The U.S. data was collected from people who wore a pedometer for two days during normal activity.

Researchers compared the average step counts from the U.S. with other countries:

• United States: 5,117 steps (about 2.5 miles or about 4 kilometers each day)
• Japan: 7,168 steps (about 3.5 miles or 6 kilometers each day)
• Switzerland: 9,650 steps (about 4.8 miles or 8 kilometers each day)
• Western Australia: 9,695 steps (similar to the Swiss results; however, a wider survey in Australia found an average of 7,400 steps, closer to Japan's tally)

Activity Monitor Data

These days, you don't have to calculate how many steps are in a mile or guess how many steps you take each day. Your pedometer, activity tracker, mobile phone, or fitness app can do it for you.

The companies that make these products receive continuous data from their users on total daily steps. But this data may be skewed because people who wear pedometers or activity monitors are commonly motivated to take more steps per day and reach targets. It's also possible that they may not wear the pedometer or carry the phone continuously throughout the day.

Withings, the maker of a variety of health trackers, released data from a panel of its users in 2015 that showed the following averages:

• United States: 5,815 steps
• United Kingdom: 6,322 steps
• France: 6,330 steps
• Germany: 6,337 steps

Fitbit also released data on the average steps per day for each U.S. state, based on over one million users, comparing summer to winter 2012 to 2014. Overall, Fitbit wearers walked 7,000 steps per day in winter and 1,000 more steps per day in summer for an average of about 8,000 steps.

Factors That Influence Steps Per Day

Several factors can affect daily step count. These include:

• Age: Children, adolescents, and young adults are generally more active and likely to average more steps a day than older adults. Steps might be more limited for older adults who are more sedentary or have mobility issues.
• Height and stride: Many pedometers ask for your height because stride length is primarily determined by height. Shorter people tend to have a shorter stride, resulting in more steps per mile than their taller counterparts.
• Occupation: People in occupations that involve a lot of sitting are likely to have lower daily step counts than those in active jobs, like bedside nurses, construction workers, and restaurant managers.
• Sex: When it comes to a step battle of the sexes, men take the lead, taking about 9% more steps on average compared to women.

How Many Steps Per Day Is Considered Active?

The goal of 10,000 steps per day was not initially determined by research or expert opinion. Instead, it was a nice, round number that fits nicely into a pedometer advertising campaign.

However, research has shown that this step goal is a reasonably good marker for being moderately active and achieving the minimum amount of physical activity recommended each day. Your personal step goal may differ depending on your health, age, or goals.

Some research indicates that 4,400 steps daily is enough to improve longevity compared to those who walk fewer steps. Additional benefits may be obtained by increasing this number, but these benefits taper off at about 7,500 steps.

If one of your goals is to lose weight or reduce your risk of metabolic syndrome, you may want to consider upping your daily step average. In a 2017 study, researchers found that those who took about 15,000 steps a day on average had a lower risk of metabolic syndrome and were more likely to lose weight.

Kids and teens may also benefit from taking more steps. Current research suggests that the optimal step count for children and adolescents between the ages of 5 to 19 is about 12,000 daily steps.

On the other hand, for older adults or those with chronic health conditions, 10,000 steps per day might be too much, and a lower step goal may be more appropriate.

How to Increase Your Daily Steps

If you typically walk 5,000 steps each day without any dedicated exercise time, look for ways to add 2,000 to 3,000 more steps to your day. You can walk briskly or enjoy a run for 15 to 30 minutes to add those steps while getting the moderate- or vigorous-intensity daily exercise recommended for reducing health risks.

Other quick ways to add more steps throughout your day include:

• Drinking lots of water (you'll have to get up often to refill your bottle and use the restroom)
• Going for a walk during your lunch break or using an under-desk treadmill
• Scheduling walking meetings
• Setting an alarm on your phone to get up every hour on the hour
• Standing and pacing while you talk on the phone.
• Taking a periodic "walk break"
• Taking the stairs whenever possible
• Using the furthest parking spot

It also helps to break up long periods of sitting, as many studies find that being inactive for most of the day is its own health risk. Many activity bands and smartwatches are incorporating inactivity alerts and movement reminders. Newer Fitbit models remind you to move at least 250 steps each hour. Using this goal, you should add 1,000 to 2,000 steps per day.

A Word From Verywell

The number of steps you take each day can indicate whether you are getting the amount of physical activity you need to reduce health risks and improve your fitness. You can monitor your step count in many ways, including wearing a pedometer, fitness tracker, activity monitor, or checking a pedometer app on your mobile phone (assuming you carry it with you most of the day).

Don't settle for average. Increase your steps to reduce inactive periods and achieve 30 minutes of exercise each day.