The average person takes between 2,000 and 2,500 walking steps per mile as counted by a fitness band, or phone motion sensor. Running steps have a longer stride length, which means you may take between 1,000 and 2,000 steps per mile.How Many Steps Are in a Mile?
Ten thousand steps adds up to four or five miles. Each person’s stride length determines how many steps they take in a mile.Knowing how many steps are typical for a mile, you can begin to envision how far you need to walk to log 10,000 steps per day.
It also works in reverse. The miles might not seem so long if you realize how many you manage to log during your daily activities. Keep moving and you will make it to your daily goal.How Many Steps Are in a Mile?
Average Steps Per Day: How Many Miles Adults Walk
Walking and Running
For a quick rule of thumb, an older research study found these average steps per mile at walking and running speeds:
- Walking 20 minutes per mile (3 miles per hour): 2,252 steps per mile
- Walking 15 minutes per mile (4 miles per hour): 1,935 steps per mile
- Running 12 minutes per mile (5 miles per hour): 1,951 steps per mile
- Running 10 minutes per mile (6 miles per hour): 1,672 steps per mile
- Running 8 minutes per mile (7.5 miles per hour): 1,400 steps per mile
Using these averages, here is how far you might go using various step totals. Keep in mind this will vary depending on your individual step length.
| Steps | Walk (Shorter Stride) |
Brisk Walk/Jog (Moderate Stride) |
Run (Long Stride) |
Fast Run (Very Long Stride) |
| 1,000 | 0.4 miles | 0.5 miles | 0.6 miles | 0.7 miles |
| 2,000 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| 3,000 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| 4,000 | 1.8 | 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.9 |
| 5,000 | 2.2 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 3.6 |
| 6,000 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.3 |
| 7,000 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 5.0 |
| 8,000 | 3.6 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 5.7 |
| 9,000 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 6.4 |
| 10,000 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 5.9 | 7.1 |
| 12,000 | 5.3 | 6.2 | 7.1 | 8.6 |
| 15,000 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 10.7 |
| 20,000 | 8.9 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 14.3 |
| 25,000 | 11.1 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 17.9 |
| 30,000 | 13.3 | 15.4 | 17.6 | 21.4 |
| 40,000 | 17.8 | 20.5 | 23.5 | 28.6 |
Estimations by Height
Many fitness trackers use estimates based on height and ask for your height during setup. Rough estimates of steps per mile based on a stride-to-height ratio are:3
| Height | Steps per Mile |
| 4 feet 10 inches | 2,601 steps |
| 4 feet 11 inches | 2,557 steps |
| 5 feet even | 2,514 steps |
| 5 feet 1 inch | 2,473 steps |
| 5 feet 2 inches | 2,433 steps |
| 5 feet 3 inches | 2,395 steps |
| 5 feet 4 inches | 2,357 steps |
| 5 feet 5 inches | 2,321 steps |
| 5 feet 6 inches | 2,286 steps |
| 5 feet 7 inches | 2,252 steps |
| 5 feet 8 inches | 2,218 steps |
| 5 feet 9 inches | 2,186 steps |
| 5 feet 10 inches | 2,155 steps |
| 5 feet 11 inches | 2,125 steps |
| 6 feet even | 2,095 steps |
| 6 feet 1 inch | 2,067 steps |
| 6 feet 2 inches | 2,039 steps |
| 6 feet 3 inches | 2,011 steps |
| 6 feet 4 inches | 1,985 steps |
Measuring Your Steps
You can use a step-counting fitness tracker or the step-counting function of your mobile phone to count your steps, or you can count them in your head. The best way to find your average steps per mile is to count them several times for a known distance and see your average:
Running Track
You can utilize a local school’s regulation quarter-mile track to find a measured mile. It could be necessary for you to request that the coach confirm that the track is a quarter-mile (1,320 feet) as opposed to a 400-meter (1,308 feet) one. Proceed solely in the inside lane. Make a step count.
On a quarter-mile track, it’s better to circle four times to obtain a full mile, so there’s no arithmetic involved. Walk around a 400-meter track four times, then multiply the number of steps by 1.009.
Use a Football Field
A football field is 300 feet from the goal line to opposite goal line. Count your steps as you walk or run at your usual pace from the goal line to the goal line. Multiply your steps by 17.6 to get your steps per mile.How Many Steps Are in a Mile?
Fitness Trackers
Fitness trackers, such as Fitbits or sports watches, will do the counting for you and can be a convenient way to track steps and a variety of other data, such as heart rate or stress scores, just by wearing it on your wrist. However, wearable devices tend to be an investment and reliable options can cost about $100 to $300 or more depending on the style and features included in it.How Many Steps Are in a Mile?
Apps
You can use a mobile app such as MapMyWalk that will count your steps and measure a mile with your phone’s GPS at the same time. However, the mile distance can be off by 10% using GPS.
GPS signals travel between your phone and multiple satellites in orbit. They can get confused by buildings, trees, and hillsides, resulting in less accurate distance measurement. For better accuracy, choose a place to walk in an open area with a clear view of the sky and no twists or turns.
Measured Mile
Another method is to use an online mapping site to map a mile course in your local area, then walk it with a fitness tracker. For the best accuracy, choose a straight path without turns and curves.How Many Steps Are in a Mile?
We Walked for Weeks to Find the 9 Best Pedometers of 2024
Stride Length
An average stride length 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. Measuring your stride length will give you a much more accurate number of steps per mile.How Many Steps Are in a Mile?
Your stride length 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.How Many Steps Are in a Mile?
Whether you are running or walking, on a smooth route or a hill, or crossing a street with stops and starts, all affect how long your stride is. To measure your stride length, you can use various methods such as walking a football field (300 feet) and stride length equations.How Many Steps Are in a Mile?
