How far is 5,000 steps by height?
Distance depends on how long your steps are, and that depends mostly on your height: a walking step is about 41% of it. So for 5,000 steps:
| Height | Step length | Miles | Km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 0 in (152 cm) | 63 cm | 2.0 | 3.2 |
| 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) | 65 cm | 2.0 | 3.3 |
| 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) | 67 cm | 2.1 | 3.4 |
| 5 ft 6 in (168 cm) | 69 cm | 2.2 | 3.5 |
| 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | 72 cm | 2.2 | 3.6 |
| 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) | 74 cm | 2.3 | 3.7 |
| 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | 76 cm | 2.4 | 3.8 |
| 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | 78 cm | 2.4 | 3.9 |
| 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) | 80 cm | 2.5 | 4.0 |
For your own height, and any other number of steps, use the steps to miles calculator. The stride length calculator shows how to measure your own step, which is more accurate than any formula.
How long does it take to walk 5,000 steps?
At an average height, 5,000 steps is 2.2 miles (3.5 km). How long that takes depends on your pace:
| Pace | Speed | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Slow | 2 mph (3.2 km/h) | 1 h 6 min |
| Easy | 2.5 mph (4.0 km/h) | 52 min |
| Moderate | 3 mph (4.8 km/h) | 44 min |
| Brisk | 3.5 mph (5.6 km/h) | 37 min |
| Very brisk | 4 mph (6.4 km/h) | 33 min |
Another way to count it: about 100 steps a minute is where walking becomes moderate exercise for most adults, the kind health guidelines count. At that cadence, 5,000 steps is 50 min of walking. It doesn't have to be one walk: every step of the day counts toward the total.
How many calories does 5,000 steps burn?
Calories depend mostly on your weight, and a little on your pace. For 5,000 steps (2.2 miles at an average height), walking on the flat:
| Weight | At 3 mph | At 3.5 mph |
|---|---|---|
| 120 lb (54 kg) | 147 | 155 |
| 140 lb (64 kg) | 171 | 180 |
| 160 lb (73 kg) | 196 | 206 |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | 220 | 232 |
| 200 lb (91 kg) | 245 | 258 |
| 220 lb (100 kg) | 269 | 283 |
| 250 lb (113 kg) | 306 | 322 |
These are the total calories for the walk, worked out from the Compendium of Physical Activities' energy cost of walking at each speed. About a quarter to a third of it your body would have burned sitting still anyway. The steps to calories calculator works it out for your own weight and pace.
Is 5,000 steps a day enough?
It's close to what most people walk: in a 2017 study of nearly 720,000 smartphone users, the average was just under 5,000 steps a day. There's more to gain above it. In a review of 17 studies, each extra 1,000 steps a day was linked to a 15% lower risk of dying over the follow-up, and the benefit keeps growing until about 6,000 to 8,000 steps a day at 60 and over, and 8,000 to 10,000 under 60. How many steps should I walk a day? goes through the research.
If you want to walk more than you do now, the daily step goal calculator builds a week-by-week plan from your current steps, raising the target about 10% a week.
Questions
How many km is 5,000 steps?
About 3.5 km for an adult 170 cm tall, whose steps are about 70 cm long. At 5 ft (152 cm) it's about 3.2 km, and at 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) about 3.9 km.
How long does it take to walk 5,000 steps?
About 44 min at a moderate 3 mph, or 37 min at a brisk 3.5 mph, for an adult of average height.
How many calories does walking 5,000 steps burn?
About 189 calories for someone who weighs 70 kg (154 lb), walking at 3 mph. Someone heavier burns more for the same steps, someone lighter fewer.
Sources
- Althoff et al. (2017), Large-scale physical activity data reveal worldwide activity inequality, Nature
- Banach et al. (2023), The association between daily step count and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: a meta-analysis, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
- Paluch et al. (2022), Daily steps and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of 15 international cohorts, The Lancet Public Health
- Ainsworth BE et al. 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2011
- Tudor-Locke et al. (2019), Walking cadence (steps/min) and intensity in 21–40 year olds: CADENCE-adults, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity