Last verified against the study behind the height model (Barreira, Rowe and Kang, 2010) and NIST SP 811 (the mile).
Example: 10,000 steps at 5 ft 9 in tall
At 5 ft 9 in tall, the height model puts your step at 31.7 in, so 10,000 steps cover about 5.01 miles (8.06 km) and a mile takes about 1,996 steps. Count your steps over a known distance for a figure closer to your own. Enter your own steps or distance above to replace this example.
| Value | Amount |
|---|---|
| Step length usedfrom your height | 31.7 in, 80.6 cm |
| Steps per mile | 1,996 |
| Steps per kilometer | 1,240 |
Step length = 0.46 × height = 0.46 × 1.7526 m = 0.806 m (Barreira, Rowe and Kang, 2010). Distance = steps × step length. 1 mile = 1.609344 km, an exact factor (NIST SP 811).
What a step is, and where your steps per mile come from
A step is one foot moving ahead of the other: from one heel touching the ground to the other heel touching down. It is what your phone or pedometer counts. Some step counters call this a stride, but in gait research a stride is two steps, one with each foot. Every number on this page is per step.
Your steps per mile depend on how long each step is. The calculator works that length out from your height, or you can enter a step you measured yourself.
The height model comes from a 2010 study of 115 young adults who walked a measured indoor course at a moderate pace of their own choosing, about 3.3 mph. Their steps averaged 0.46 times their height, so we use step length = 0.46 × height. A mile is 1,609.344 meters, so steps per mile = 1,609.344 ÷ step length in meters.
Height explains part of the gap between one person's step and another's. The study's authors warn against leaning on height to predict step length, and they found that an older rule, using a smaller share of height, gave steps that were too short. If you know your own step length, use it.
Steps per mile by height
Steps per mile and per kilometer from the height model, for heights from 4 ft 10 in to 6 ft 6 in, walking at a moderate pace.
| Height | Step length | Steps per mile | Steps per km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ft 10 in 147.3 cm | 26.7 in 67.8 cm | 2,375 | 1,476 |
| 5 ft 152.4 cm | 27.6 in 70.1 cm | 2,296 | 1,426 |
| 5 ft 2 in 157.5 cm | 28.5 in 72.4 cm | 2,222 | 1,380 |
| 5 ft 4 in 162.6 cm | 29.4 in 74.8 cm | 2,152 | 1,337 |
| 5 ft 6 in 167.6 cm | 30.4 in 77.1 cm | 2,087 | 1,297 |
| 5 ft 8 in 172.7 cm | 31.3 in 79.5 cm | 2,026 | 1,259 |
| 5 ft 10 in 177.8 cm | 32.2 in 81.8 cm | 1,968 | 1,223 |
| 6 ft 182.9 cm | 33.1 in 84.1 cm | 1,913 | 1,189 |
| 6 ft 2 in 188.0 cm | 34.0 in 86.5 cm | 1,861 | 1,157 |
| 6 ft 4 in 193.0 cm | 35.0 in 88.8 cm | 1,812 | 1,126 |
| 6 ft 6 in 198.1 cm | 35.9 in 91.1 cm | 1,766 | 1,097 |
How walking pace changes your steps per mile
In a 2019 treadmill study of 76 adults aged 21 to 40, faster walking meant more steps a minute and longer steps. The table gives their average steps per minute at each speed, the step length that speed and step rate imply, and the steps per mile that step length gives.
| Speed | Steps per minute | Step length | Steps per mile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0 mph 3.2 km/h | 96 | 22.0 in 55.8 cm | 2,884 |
| 2.5 mph 4.0 km/h | 106 | 25.0 in 63.4 cm | 2,538 |
| 3.0 mph 4.8 km/h | 114 | 27.9 in 70.8 cm | 2,273 |
| 3.5 mph 5.6 km/h | 122 | 30.4 in 77.3 cm | 2,082 |
| 4.0 mph 6.4 km/h | 129 | 32.8 in 83.2 cm | 1,934 |
The study behind the height model measured its walkers at a moderate pace, near the middle of this table. Walk faster and your real steps per mile will come out lower than the calculator's; walk slower and they will come out higher.
Running lengthens your step further, and the questions below give the jogging figure. The height model is for walking, so for a run, enter a running step you measured.
Steps to miles questions
How many steps are in a mile?
It depends on the length of your step. Walking at a moderate pace, the height model gives 2,152 steps a mile at 5 ft 4 in, 1,996 at 5 ft 9 in and 1,913 at 6 ft. The table above has more heights, and your own measured step gives the closest figure.
How do I measure my own step length?
Walk a distance you know at your usual pace, such as a lap of a running track or a measured stretch of path, and count your steps. Divide the distance by the number of steps. Do it twice and take the average.
Do men and women take a different number of steps per mile?
On average, yes. In a reference study of adults walking in a lab, women took shorter steps than men at every speed (Oberg and colleagues, 1993). Height accounts for part of that. The calculator uses height alone, with no setting for sex, because no study we found measures how much of the difference is left once height is counted in adults under 70. A step you measure yourself covers both.
How many steps is a mile when running?
Fewer than walking. Jogging at about 6.8 mph, the adults in the 2010 study took about 1,352 steps per mile. Running faster lengthens the step again, so measure your own running step for a real figure.
Why does my phone show a different distance for the same steps?
Phones and fitness bands turn steps into distance with a step length of their own. If their distance and ours differ, the two step lengths differ. Measure your step and enter it here.
Sources
- Barreira TV, Rowe DA, Kang M. Parameters of Walking and Jogging in Healthy Young AdultsInternational Journal of Exercise Science 2010;3(1):4-13, doi:10.70252/ESYD9554. The step length of 115 adults walking at a moderate pace (Table 1) and jogging (Table 2), and the 0.46 times height model. Read 4 Oct 2026.
- Tudor-Locke C and colleagues. Walking cadence (steps/min) and intensity in 21 to 40 year olds: CADENCE-adultsInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2019;16:8, CC BY 4.0. Steps per minute at each treadmill walking speed (Table 2). Read 4 Oct 2026.
- Oberg T, Karsznia A, Oberg K. Basic gait parameters: reference data for normal subjects, 10 to 79 years of ageJournal of Rehabilitation Research and Development 1993;30(2):210-223, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Step length by sex, age and walking speed (appendix tables). Read 4 Oct 2026.
- NIST Special Publication 811, Appendix B.8NIST, 2008 edition. 1 mile = 1.609344 km, an exact factor.
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