How Many Steps Should I Walk a Day?
Aim for about 7,000 to 8,000 steps a day. Large studies find most of the health benefit by then, and 10,000 is a good stretch goal. If you are far below that, start with 1,000 more than you walk now.
To reach 7,000 steps a day, add
2,000steps
about 18 min more walking a day
- Level now
- Low active
- Level at goal
- Low active
- Extra distance
- 0.88 mi · 1.41 km
- Extra calories a day
- 69 kcal
- +1,000 steps every 2 weeks
- 4 weeks
From where you are now
5,000 steps
Reached
7,000 steps
+2,000 · 18 min
8,000 steps
+3,000 · 26 min
10,000 steps
+5,000 · 44 min
12,000 steps
+7,000 · 1 h 1 min
On this page
What research found at each step count
| Steps a day | What the study found | Study |
|---|---|---|
| About 2,300 | Lower risk of dying from heart disease begins | Banach 2023 |
| About 3,900 | Lower risk of death from any cause begins | Banach 2023 |
| About 4,400 | 41% lower mortality than about 2,700, in older women | Lee 2019 |
| 7,000 | 47% lower mortality than 2,000 | Ding 2025 |
| 7,000 or more | 50% to 70% lower mortality than under 7,000, at middle age | Paluch 2021 |
| About 7,500 | Benefit levels off, in older women | Lee 2019 |
| 8,000 | 51% lower mortality than 4,000 | Saint-Maurice 2020 |
| About 10,000 | No further drop in mortality seen beyond this, at middle age | Paluch 2021 |
| 12,000 | 65% lower mortality than 4,000 | Saint-Maurice 2020 |
What each daily goal takes
| Steps a day | Woman, 5′4″ (mi) | Man, 5′9″ (mi) | Walking time | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,000 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 26 min | Sedentary |
| 4,000 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 35 min | Sedentary |
| 5,000 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 44 min | Low active |
| 6,000 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 53 min | Low active |
| 7,000 | 2.9 | 3.2 | 1 h 1 min | Low active |
| 7,500 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 1 h 6 min | Somewhat active |
| 8,000 | 3.3 | 3.6 | 1 h 10 min | Somewhat active |
| 10,000 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 1 h 28 min | Active |
| 12,000 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 1 h 45 min | Active |
| 15,000 | 6.3 | 6.8 | 2 h 11 min | Highly active |
Steps a day by age
| Group | Steps a day | What the figure means |
|---|---|---|
| Boys | 12,000 to 16,000 | Typical average |
| Girls | 10,000 to 13,000 | Typical average |
| Teens | 10,000 to 11,700 | About equal to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity |
| Adults, US | 4,774 | Average measured by phones |
| Healthy older adults | 7,000 to 10,000 | About equal to 30 minutes of daily activity on top of normal movement |
| Healthy older adults | 2,000 to 9,000 | Typical average |
| Chronic illness or disability | 1,200 to 8,800 | Typical average. Set a goal with your doctor |
The short answer: about 7,000 to 8,000
That's where the big studies keep landing. A 2025 review of 57 studies in The Lancet Public Health found 7,000 steps a day was tied to 47% lower all-cause mortality than 2,000, with the gains slowing after about 5,000 to 7,000. A 2020 JAMA study of US adults found 51% lower mortality at 8,000 than at 4,000. In older women, a 2019 study saw the benefit level off around 7,500.
The best goal is the next one you can actually hit, though. If you walk 3,000 steps today, 7,000 is a long way off, and the early steps do the most: a 2023 meta-analysis linked each extra 1,000 steps to 15% lower all-cause mortality.
All of these studies are observational. Healthier people may simply walk more, so treat the percentages as a strong signal and not a promise.
Do you really need 10,000 steps?
No, but it's not a bad goal. The number traces back to a Japanese pedometer sold in the 1960s, the Manpo-kei, or "10,000 steps meter". As Harvard epidemiologist I-Min Lee has said, no studies had looked at 10,000 steps at the time.
Later research has been kind to it. The 2025 review found lower risks at 10,000 steps than at 7,000 for several outcomes, though the extra gain was small. A study of middle-aged adults saw no further drop in mortality beyond about 10,000. So walk more if you enjoy it or want the calories, and don't feel you've failed at 8,000.
What that looks like in miles and minutes
Seven thousand steps is about 2.9 to 3.2 miles, or about an hour of walking in total. That total includes everything you do all day, so you don't need an hour-long walk on top. Ten minutes of walking at 3 mph is about 1,100 steps, so a few short walks close most gaps. US guidelines dropped their old rule that activity had to last 10 minutes to count.
The calculator above shows your own gap in steps, time and distance. If you want to know how long a particular route takes, use the walking time calculator.
Do steps count if you walk slowly?
Yes. In both the JAMA study and the older women's study, stepping speed made no clear difference to mortality once total steps were accounted for. Get the count up first.
Pace still matters for fitness, and for the US guideline of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week. About 100 steps a minute is the usual marker for moderate intensity. To check, count your steps for 15 seconds: 25 or more means you're there.
Does your goal change with age?
Not as much as you'd think, at least for healthy adults. A 2011 review found that 30 minutes of daily activity on top of normal movement works out at about 7,000 to 10,000 steps for healthy older adults, close to the target for younger adults. Children move far more, and they need to: guidelines for them call for 60 minutes a day.
The numbers in the age chart are mostly averages, which isn't the same as a target. If you live with a chronic illness or disability, the same review shows lower typical counts, so set a goal with your doctor.
How to build up to your goal
Find your baseline first. Check your phone's average over a normal week, then enter it above. The British Heart Foundation suggests starting with a target of 1,000 steps more than you do now, because you're more likely to stick with it.
How quickly you go from there is up to you. The calculator's example adds 1,000 steps every 2 weeks, which is a gentle example and not a medical rule. If your feet, shins or knees complain, hold where you are for a while.
Frequently asked questions
How many steps a day is good?
About 7,000 to 8,000 for most adults, based on large studies. Any increase from a low starting point is good.
Is 3,000 steps a day good?
It's better than less, and studies find lower risk starting at about 2,300 to 3,900 steps. It's still in the sedentary range, so it's a good starting point and not a goal. See 3,000 steps.
Is 4,000 steps a day good?
It's a real start, and a little under the US average of 4,774. Going from 4,000 to 8,000 was tied to 51% lower mortality in one large study. See 4,000 steps.
Is 5,000 steps a day enough?
It clears the sedentary line, and research finds the steepest gains up to about 5,000 to 7,000. Most people have more to gain by going a bit further. See 5,000 steps.
Is 6,000 steps a day good?
Yes. It's above the US average, and it's within the range where benefits start to level off. See 6,000 steps.
Is 8,000 steps a day good?
Yes. For most people it's close to the point where added steps bring smaller gains. See 8,000 steps.
Is 10,000 steps a day good?
Yes, it's a good goal if you're already active. It's just not the minimum for good health. See 10,000 steps.
Is 20,000 steps a day too much?
Not for a healthy person who has built up to it, but it's about 2 hours 55 minutes of walking. Studies show little extra mortality benefit past about 10,000, so do it because you enjoy it. See 20,000 steps.
How many miles should I walk a day?
About 3 miles gets most adults close to 7,000 steps, or roughly an hour of walking across the day. See steps in 3 miles.
What is the average number of steps per day?
A 2017 study of smartphone data in Nature found 4,961 steps a day worldwide and 4,774 in the US.
How many steps should a woman or a man walk a day?
The studies here don't set separate targets by sex, so the same 7,000 to 8,000 is a fair goal for both. Women tend to cover a little less ground in those steps because they're shorter on average.
How many steps should a 60- or 70-year-old walk a day?
For healthy older adults, about 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day lines up with guidelines. In a study of women over 62, the benefit leveled off around 7,500. Start from what you can do, and ask your doctor if you have a health condition.
How many steps a day do I need to lose weight?
It depends on how many new steps you add and what you eat. The walking weight loss calculator works it out for your weight.
Sources
- Ding et al. (2025). Daily steps and health outcomes in adults: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. The Lancet Public Health 10(8).
- Saint-Maurice et al. (2020). Association of daily step count and step intensity with mortality among US adults. JAMA.
- Paluch et al. (2021). Steps per day and all-cause mortality in middle-aged adults. JAMA Network Open.
- Lee et al. (2019). Association of step volume and intensity with all-cause mortality in older women. JAMA Internal Medicine 179(8):1105-1112.
- Banach et al. (2023). The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
- I-Min Lee on the origin of the 10,000-step goal, Popular Science.
- Tudor-Locke & Bassett (2004). How many steps/day are enough? Sports Medicine 34(1):1-8.
- Tudor-Locke et al. (2011). How many steps/day are enough? For older adults and special populations. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 8:80.
- Tudor-Locke et al. (2011). How many steps/day are enough? For children and adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 8:78.
- Althoff et al. (2017). Large-scale physical activity data reveal worldwide activity inequality. Nature 547:336-339.
- Tudor-Locke et al. (2018). How fast is fast enough? Walking cadence as a practical estimate of intensity in adults. British Journal of Sports Medicine 52(12):776-788.
- US Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition (2018).
- British Heart Foundation. How many steps a day should I walk for my heart health?
By Niks. Updated . Figures are estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice. How we calculate.