What Is The Average Weight Of A 5 7 Female? | Healthy Range

There’s no official average by height alone; at 5 feet 7 inches, a common healthy range is about 121 to 159 pounds.

If you’re asking what the average weight of a 5’7″ woman is, the cleanest answer starts with one fact: public health data usually gives an average for adult women as a whole, not one exact height. So if you want a useful number for a 5’7″ female, you need to pair the national average with a height-based range.

That split matters. A woman who is 5’7″ is taller than the average U.S. adult woman. So a single national weight figure can point you in the wrong direction if you treat it like a personal target.

Average Weight For A 5’7″ Female And The Healthy Range

The clearest way to read this is in two parts. CDC data says the average U.S. woman age 20 and older is 63.5 inches tall and weighs 171.8 pounds. A height of 5’7″ equals 67 inches, so that woman is 3.5 inches taller than the U.S. female average.

Once height enters the picture, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s BMI table gives a cleaner reference. At 5’7″, the healthy-weight span runs from 121 to 159 pounds on that chart. That is not a promise that every healthy 5’7″ woman will fit inside one tiny band. It is a screening range built from height and weight.

So what should you do with the “average” question? Use it as a rough marker, not a verdict. The U.S. average for adult women is one broad population figure. The 5’7″ range is the better personal starting point.

Why The National Average Can Mislead

If you only hear “the average woman weighs 171.8 pounds,” it sounds neat and settled. But that average includes women of many heights, ages, and body builds. It also blends people with more muscle, less muscle, a larger frame, a smaller frame, and very different activity levels.

At 5’7″, a weight of 171.8 pounds lands at a BMI of about 26.9. That sits above the healthy-weight band used in standard adult BMI screening. That does not prove anything on its own. It just shows why a height-free average can miss the mark for one person.

What A 5’7″ Weight Number Can Tell You

A scale gives you one data point. It does not tell you how much of that weight is muscle, how your waist fits, how steady your weight has been, or how you feel day to day. A trained athlete and a sedentary adult can show the same number on the scale and have very different body composition.

The same issue shows up with age. An 18-year-old, a 35-year-old, and a 70-year-old woman can all be 5’7″ and healthy at different weights. The number still matters, but it works best when it sits next to context.

Using BMI At 5’7″ Without Letting It Run The Show

The CDC adult BMI calculator calls BMI a screening measure, not a diagnosis. That’s the right way to use it here. BMI is handy because it turns height and weight into a simple reference point. It falls short when someone has more muscle than average, is pregnant, or has body changes that a ratio cannot catch.

Still, BMI is useful because it gives a shared language. If you are 5’7″, it helps sort weights into broad zones. That keeps the “average weight” question from floating around without any frame at all.

How The 5’7″ BMI Range Breaks Down

The NIH BMI table shows how weight lines up with BMI at this height. Here’s a plain-English version of the 5’7″ row.

BMI Marker Weight At 5’7″ What It Means
19 121 lb Low end of the healthy band on the NIH chart
20 127 lb Healthy-weight range
22 140 lb Mid-range point on the chart
24 153 lb Healthy-weight range
25 159 lb Start of the overweight category
30 191 lb Start of the obesity category
35 223 lb Higher-risk obesity range on the chart

This table is handy for one reason: it shows how fast the label changes as pounds climb. At 5’7″, the shift from BMI 24 to BMI 25 is only six pounds. So a small change on the scale can push you over a category line even if your day-to-day habits have not changed much.

That is why the healthiest reading is rarely one weigh-in. Trends beat single snapshots. A stable weight, steady energy, and a waistline that is not jumping around often say more than one morning number.

What Shifts Weight At The Same Height

Two women can both stand 5’7″ and land far apart on the scale for reasons that have nothing to do with “doing it right” or “doing it wrong.” Height is only one piece of the puzzle.

  • Muscle mass: Muscle weighs more than fat by volume, so active women often weigh more at the same clothing size.
  • Frame size: Bone structure changes how a healthy weight looks and feels.
  • Age: Body composition often shifts over time, even when the scale stays close.
  • Hormones and cycle changes: Water retention can move the scale more than many people expect.
  • Diet and sodium: One salty meal can bump weight for a day or two.
  • Medications and medical issues: Some can raise or lower body weight without any big change in eating.
Factor What It Does To Scale Weight Why It Matters
Higher muscle mass Often pushes weight up Scale weight may rise while body fat stays moderate
Smaller frame May sit lower A lower weight can still feel strong and steady
Larger frame May sit higher A higher weight is not always excess body fat
Cycle-related fluid shifts Can swing a few pounds Short-term jumps may have little to do with fat gain
Training volume Can hold weight steady Fitness can improve even when scale weight barely moves
Age-related body changes Can move weight up or down The same number may fit differently over time

That’s why asking for one “average” weight for every 5’7″ woman is a bit like asking for one average shoe fit. You can get a ballpark figure. You cannot get the full story from that alone.

When A Weight Number Deserves More Context

If your goal is to judge whether your weight is in a decent place, use more than one marker. A few simple checks tell a fuller story than the scale by itself:

  1. Track weight at the same time of day for two to four weeks.
  2. Check waist measurement and how your clothes fit.
  3. Notice whether your weight has been stable, rising, or falling.
  4. Match the number with your activity level and muscle mass.
  5. Use BMI as a screen, then add daily-life clues from your body.

The CDC body measurements page is useful here because it keeps the population average in its lane. It tells you what adult women weigh on average in the United States. It does not say that every woman of every height should land there.

If weight changes fast, if you feel weak, or if swelling shows up, that moves this out of the “average weight” lane and into a medical one. In that case, a doctor can sort out whether the change is from diet, hormones, medication, fluid shifts, or illness.

A Better Way To Answer The Question

Here’s the plain version. There is no single official average weight published for women who are exactly 5’7″. The best public numbers come from two angles: the CDC’s average for U.S. adult women overall, and the BMI-based weight band for someone who is 5’7″. Put together, those numbers give a far better answer than either one alone.

So if you want a practical benchmark, think of 121 to 159 pounds as the standard healthy-weight range on the NIH chart for a 5’7″ adult woman. Then treat the national female average of 171.8 pounds as background population data, not a target you need to hit.

References & Sources

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“FastStats – Body Measurements.”Lists the measured average height and weight for U.S. adult women ages 20 and older.
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.“BMI Table.”Shows the height-and-weight chart used to map BMI values, including the 5’7″ row.
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.“Adult BMI Calculator.”Explains that adult BMI is a screening measure and gives the standard BMI categories for adults.