Steps Per Mile - How Many Walking Steps in a Mile?

How many steps per mile are typical for walkers using a pedometer? The number of walking steps per mile depends on your stride length. But your stride length can vary and you may see a different number of steps per mile depending on your walking speed, and whether you are on hills, rough trails, and starts and stops.

Typical Steps Per Mile

A typical number of walking steps per mile is between 2,000 and 2,500 steps.

Steps Per Mile Estimated by Height

A widely quoted estimate of stride length is 42% of height, although further research shows that ratio is only moderately accurate. Rough estimates of steps per mile based on a stride to height ratio are:

• Height - Steps per Mile
• 4'10" - 2,601
• 4'11" - 2,557
• 5'0" - 2,514
• 5'1" - 2,473
• 5'2" - 2,433
• 5'3" - 2,395
• 5'4" - 2,357
• 5'5" - 2,321
• 5'6" - 2,286
• 5'7" - 2,252
• 5'8" - 2,218
• 5'9" - 2,186
• 5'10" - 2,155
• 5'11" - 2,125
• 6'0" - 2,095
• 6'1" - 2,067
• 6'2" - 2,039
• 6'3" - 2,011
• 6'4" - 1,985

Measuring Your Steps per Mile

The best way to find your average steps per mile is to count them over a course of a mile, several times, and find your own average. You can use a step counting pedometer to do this.

To find a measured mile, you can use a regulation quarter-mile track at a local school. You may have to ask the coach to ensure it is a quarter-mile track (1,320 feet) rather than a 400 meter track (1,308 feet). Walk in the inside lane only. Count your steps. It's best to go around four times to get a full mile on a quarter mile track so you won't need to do any math. For a 400 meter track, go around four times and multiply your steps by 1.009.

You may also use the Google Map Pedometer to map you a mile course in your local area, then walk it with a pedometer.

Steps per Mile from Stride Length

Most pedometers have you enter your stride length in order for them to estimate your distance. This is the distance from the heel print of one foot to the heel print of the other foot. This is the distance traveled forward by a single leg. An average that you will see listed in many places is 2.2 feet (0.67 meters) for women and 2.5 feet (0.762 meters) for men, but it depends very much on height. Steps per mile would be 5,280 feet divided by your stride length in feet. A pedometer takes the number you have entered as stride length and divides a mile by that number to calculate the distance you have walked.

Correcting Your Pedometer Distance

• If you find that your pedometer is telling you that you have gone further than a mile in a measured mile, then increase the stride length programmed in the pedometer.
• If it is telling you that you have gone less than a mile in a measured mile, then reduce your stride length programmed into the pedometer.
• How to Set Your Pedometer

Sources:
^{HATANO, Y. "Use of the pedometer for promoting daily walking exercise." Int. Council Health Phys. Educ. Recreat. 29:4 - 8, 1993.}

^{TIAGO V. BARREIRA, DAVID A. ROWE, and MINSOO KANG, "Parameters of Walking and Jogging in Healthy Young Adults," International Journal of Exercise Science. Vol. 3 (2010) Iss. 1.}