Growth references · CDC data
Average Height for a 16-Year-Old (Boys & Girls)
According to the CDC Growth Charts (2000), a boy exactly 16 years old at the median — the 50th percentile — measures 5 ft 8.4 in (173.6 cm), and a girl the same age measures 5 ft 4.0 in (162.6 cm). "Average" here means the median of the U.S. reference population, not a target.
Height percentiles at age 16
| Percentile | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 5th | 5 ft 3.3 in (160.8 cm) | 4 ft 11.8 in (151.9 cm) |
| 10th | 5 ft 4.5 in (163.7 cm) | 5 ft 0.7 in (154.3 cm) |
| 25th | 5 ft 6.3 in (168.5 cm) | 5 ft 2.3 in (158.2 cm) |
| 50th | 5 ft 8.4 in (173.6 cm) | 5 ft 4.0 in (162.6 cm) |
| 75th | 5 ft 10.3 in (178.6 cm) | 5 ft 5.7 in (166.9 cm) |
| 90th | 6 ft 0.0 in (182.9 cm) | 5 ft 7.3 in (170.9 cm) |
| 95th | 6 ft 1.0 in (185.5 cm) | 5 ft 8.2 in (173.2 cm) |
Source: CDC Growth Charts (2000), National Center for Health Statistics. Values computed from the published LMS parameters; a reference population, not targets.
The middle half of boys this age measured between 5 ft 6.3 in and 5 ft 10.3 in; the middle half of girls between 5 ft 2.3 in and 5 ft 5.7 in. Anywhere from the 5th to the 95th percentile is generally considered typical — and the pattern over time matters more than any single number. New to percentiles? See how to read a percentile chart.
Where age 16 sits on the reference curves
Reading the chart: the light band spans the 5th–95th percentiles of the reference population, the darker band the middle half (25th–75th), and the line is the median. Heights in inches. Source: CDC Growth Charts (2000), National Center for Health Statistics.
What 16 looks like on those curves
By sixteen the girls' median sits essentially at its age-20 reference value, and the boys' median is at about 98% of his — with only about 0.7 inches of median change left in the year ahead. As annual changes shrink, measurement technique starts to matter more than the calendar: half an inch of sloppy setup can swamp half a year of real change.
How much does the reference median move in a year?
In the reference population, the median rises about 0.7 inches for boys and 0.1 inches for girls between 16 and 17 — but individual kids move through that change on very different schedules. A single measurement is a snapshot; the record of measured change over time is what actually shows how your athlete is developing.
Common questions
What height is considered tall for a 16-year-old?
In the reference population, the 90th percentile at 16 is about 6 ft 0.0 in for boys and 5 ft 7.3 in for girls — taller than roughly nine in ten kids measured at this age. Source: CDC Growth Charts (2000).
Why is the range so wide at 16?
By 16, some athletes are essentially at their adult height while others are still climbing — the range reflects where each one is on the road, not where anyone finishes. Pediatricians read the pattern across visits, and the 5th-to-95th percentile band is generally considered typical.
Is average height different for young athletes?
These are population-wide reference values, not athlete-specific ones. Sports differ in the body types they reward, and by 16 those differences are more visible — but a single comparison still tells you less than the same measurement repeated across a season.
How do I measure accurately at home?
Shoes off, heels against the wall, a flat rigid object pressed level on the crown, and a metal tape from the floor to the mark — the full step-by-step is in our guide, How to Measure Your Child's Height Accurately at Home.
Where these numbers come from
Every value on this page is computed by My Athlete from the CDC Growth Charts (2000), published by the National Center for Health Statistics and in the public domain. We use the charts' own published LMS (Lambda-Mu-Sigma) parameters and method — no estimates, no blended sources, nothing invented. The reference population is the U.S. reference population underlying the CDC Growth Charts (2000); it describes measured distributions, not targets. How we build these tables →
Source: CDC Growth Charts (2000), National Center for Health Statistics — cdc.gov/growthcharts. Data coverage: ages 2–20. Use of these data does not imply endorsement by CDC, NCHS, HHS, or the U.S. government. · Page last reviewed: August 26, 2026
One number tells you where they are today.
The part that actually matters is the same measurement, repeated over a season — the record of measured change over time. That's what My Athlete keeps, across 18 sports, alongside every assessment your athlete does.