Many people are only now learning about the average weight of an American man, and for some, the information is unsettling.
This statistic comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and it’s troubling to note that the average American, aged 20 or older, is now estimated to weigh 33 pounds more than individuals from just over half a century ago.
To put that into context, it’s roughly equivalent to the weight of a standard microwave.
Although the data was published four months ago, a recent Reddit post brought this information to the attention of users on the platform.
“TIL [Today I learned] I weigh less than the average American even though I think I need to lose 25 pounds,” one user remarked.
Another user commented: “It’s so easy to get fat in America, was 265-270 at my largest but down to 190 basically only changing eating habits.”
If you’re 20 or older and weigh 190 pounds, you are almost 10 pounds lighter than the average American male, which is currently reported to be 199 pounds.
This average weight is derived from CDC data, which was gathered through national health surveys and indicates that the typical adult male in the US weighs just under 200 pounds.
This number places many men at the threshold of the ‘overweight’ category, contingent on height, body composition, and activity levels.
It’s important to recognize that ‘average’ does not equate to ‘ideal’. The CDC emphasizes that a healthy weight range can vary greatly depending on individual factors such as height, age, muscle mass, and body fat percentage.
While Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist measurements are frequently used to assess health risks, experts caution that they do not provide a complete picture. For example, a person who is fit and muscular may technically fall into the ‘overweight’ category without being unhealthy.
In contrast to today, in the early 1960s, the average American man over 20 weighed approximately 166 pounds, according to government records. Today, that figure has increased by about 33 pounds.
This increase reflects broader changes in lifestyle, diet, and daily habits.
Factors such as a higher consumption of processed foods, increased screen time, and reduced physical activity have all influenced current waistlines.
To illustrate further, the average American man aged 20 and over stands at 5′ 7″ tall, and if they weigh 199 pounds, they are close to the ‘obese’ range on the BMI scale, depending on muscle mass and other variables.
For American women, the latest data shows an average weight of 171.8 pounds and an average height of 63.5 inches, which is also around 30 pounds heavier than the average weight between 1960-62.