About the Adult Weight Percentile Calculator
This adult weight percentile calculator shows where your body weight falls compared with other adults of the same sex and age group in the United States. Enter your weight, sex and age band and it returns your approximate percentile — for example, the 60th percentile means you weigh more than about 60% of comparable adults and less than about 40%.
The comparison uses the official anthropometric reference tables published by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, based on measured (not self-reported) weights from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015–2018. Women’s figures exclude pregnancy. The tables give the 5th, 10th, 15th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 85th, 90th and 95th percentiles; values between those points are estimated by straight-line interpolation.
A percentile describes how common a weight is, not whether it is healthy. Because the average US adult is above a healthy BMI, being at the 50th percentile does not mean you are at an ideal weight, and height is not taken into account. Use it for curiosity and context, and use BMI, waist-to-height ratio or a clinician’s assessment to judge health risk.
With the default inputs, the weight percentile is 34. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the adult weight percentile calculator
- 1Choose US or metric units.
- 2Select your sex and age group (or "All adults" for an overall comparison).
- 3Enter your current weight, ideally measured in light clothing.
- 4Read your percentile, the median weight for your group and how far you are from it.
- 5Use the table to see the weight at each reference percentile.
Formula and method
The calculator looks up the CDC reference weights for your sex and age group, finds the two published percentile points your weight falls between, and interpolates in a straight line. For example, if the 50th percentile is 90.5 kg and the 75th is 104.0 kg, a weight of 97 kg sits about halfway, near the 62nd percentile. Pounds are converted to kilograms first (1 kg = 2.20462 lb).
Weights below the 5th or above the 95th percentile are reported as "Below 5th" or "Above 95th", because the published tables do not extend further and extrapolating would be unreliable. Interpolated values between published points are estimates; the true distribution curves slightly between them.
- W
- Your weight in kilograms
- Wₗ, Wᵤ
- Reference weights at the published percentiles just below and above W
- Pₗ, Pᵤ
- Those published percentiles (5, 10, 15, 25, 50, 75, 85, 90, 95)
Worked examples
Man in his 40s weighing 185 lb
185 lb is 83.91 kg. For men aged 40–49 the 25th percentile is 79.9 kg and the 50th is 90.5 kg, so 83.91 kg sits 38% of the way between them: 25 + 0.379 × 25 ≈ the 34th–35th percentile (34.5). The median for the group is 90.5 kg (199.5 lb), about 14.5 lb more.
Woman aged 30–39 weighing 68 kg
Women aged 30–39 have a 25th percentile of 63.5 kg and a median of 73.3 kg. 68 kg is (68 − 63.5) ÷ (73.3 − 63.5) = 0.459 of the way, giving 25 + 0.459 × 25 ≈ the 36th–37th percentile (36.5) — lighter than the median by 5.3 kg.
Man aged 20–29 weighing 140 kg
The 95th percentile for men aged 20–29 is 128.1 kg, so 140 kg is heavier than 95% of the group. The tables stop at the 95th percentile, so the result is shown as "Above 95th".
Frequently asked questions
What is the average weight of an adult in the US?+
According to CDC NHANES 2015–2018 measurements, the average US man aged 20 and over weighs about 199.8 lb (90.6 kg) and the average woman about 170.8 lb (77.5 kg). The medians are a little lower: 192.6 lb for men and 161.2 lb for women.
Does a high weight percentile mean I am overweight?+
Not necessarily. Percentiles ignore height and body composition, so a tall or muscular person can rank high and be healthy. Because most US adults are above a healthy BMI, the 50th percentile is itself above the healthy range for many heights.
Why is height not included?+
The CDC reference tables report weight percentiles by sex and age only. To account for height use BMI, or compare your height separately with the adult height percentile calculator.
Where does the data come from?+
From the National Center for Health Statistics report "Anthropometric Reference Data for Children and Adults: United States, 2015–2018", which uses measured weights of more than 10,000 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
How accurate is the percentile between table values?+
The tables give nine percentile points, and values in between are estimated by straight-line interpolation. Results are typically within a couple of percentile points of the true value, which is fine for comparison purposes.
This tool gives general estimates and is not medical advice. Talk to a doctor or qualified professional about your health, diet or training.