Getting in extra steps is a good way to get in some extra movement. But to how many miles do all these steps when walking and running add up?
The exact number of steps you personally take each mile depends on different factors like height, speed, running vs walking, and potentially even age. There are however ways to make rough estimations.
In general, you will take around 1800-2200 steps per mile walking.
When running you will take around 1300-1800 steps per mile in general.
Below you can find more precise estimations that take speed, height, and gender into account.
If you want to be very precise for you personally you ultimately want to count your steps during a certain distance. For example on a running track where you know the distance.
Then you can calculate back how many steps in a mile your numbers indicate.
Biggest factors in how many steps you take per mile
A fact that many people find annoying is that the number of steps is hard to predict correctly. Even so, good estimations can be a helpful starting point.
By taking a few important factors into account you can make your estimations more accurate.
Some of the biggest factors that influence how many steps you will take in a mile include:
- Running vs walking: Both running and walking are technically transporting yourself on foot but the movements are slightly different. With running you will have moments without your feet on the ground while with walking you always have one on the ground.
- Height and leg length: It is clear that your height and the length of your legs play a big role in how much distance you cover with each step. This in turn influences your steps per mile.
- Age: Some studies suggest that your stride length decreases with age (1, 2). The formulas for the estimations below don’t take this factor into account but it’s something to keep in the back of your mind.
Estimations of steps per mile walking and running
While walking and running are both types of foot transportation, they are different enough to get separate estimation formulas, even if both these formulas consider speed.
The estimations below are based on the formulas found in a study in the American College of Sports Medicine journal (3).
Estimations steps per mile walking
For walking the study concluded two slightly different formulas for men and women to calculate their number of steps per mile. The height is in inches, the speed in minutes per mile.
Estimations steps per mile walking women
You can use the formula to calculate an estimation for specific situations and find some examples in the table below.
Steps per mile walking for women = 1949 + [ (63.4 x pace) – (14.1 x height) ]
| Pace Height | 20 Minute Mile (3 mph/4.8 kmh) | 18 Minute Mile (3.3 mph/5.3 kmh) | 16 Minute Mile (3.8 mph/6.1 kmh) | 14 Minute Mile (4.3 mph/6.9 kmh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ft 11 inches | 2385 Steps | 2258 Steps | 2132 Steps | 2005 Steps |
| 5 ft 0 inches | 2371 Steps | 2244 Steps | 2117 Steps | 1991 Steps |
| 5 ft 1 inches | 2357 Steps | 2230 Steps | 2103 Steps | 1977 Steps |
| 5 ft 2 inches | 2343 Steps | 2216 Steps | 2089 Steps | 1962 Steps |
| 5 ft 3 inches | 2329 Steps | 2202 Steps | 2075 Steps | 1948 Steps |
| 5 ft 4 inches | 2315 Steps | 2188 Steps | 2061 Steps | 1934 Steps |
| 5 ft 5 inches | 2301 Steps | 2174 Steps | 2047 Steps | 1920 Steps |
| 5 ft 6 inches | 2286 Steps | 2160 Steps | 2033 Steps | 1906 Steps |
| 5 ft 7 inches | 2272 Steps | 2146 Steps | 2019 Steps | 1892 Steps |
| 5 ft 8 inches | 2258 Steps | 2131 Steps | 2005 Steps | 1878 Steps |
| 5 ft 9 inches | 2244 Steps | 2117 Steps | 1991 Steps | 1864 Steps |
| 5 ft 10 inches | 2230 Steps | 2103 Steps | 1976 Steps | 1850 Steps |
| 5 ft 11 inches | 2216 Steps | 2089 Steps | 1962 Steps | 1836 Steps |
Estimations steps per mile walking men
You can use the formula to calculate an estimation for specific situations and find some examples in the table below.
Steps per mile walking for men = 1916 + [ (63.4 x pace) – (14.1 x height) ]
| Pace Height | 20 Minute Mile (3 mph/4.8 kmh) | 18 Minute Mile (3.3 mph/5.3 kmh) | 16 Minute Mile (3.8 mph/6.1 kmh) | 14 Minute Mile (4.3 mph/6.9 kmh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 5 inches | 2268 Steps | 2141 Steps | 2014 Steps | 1887 Steps |
| 5 ft 6 inches | 2253 Steps | 2127 Steps | 2000 Steps | 1873 Steps |
| 5 ft 7 inches | 2239 Steps | 2113 Steps | 1986 Steps | 1859 Steps |
| 5 ft 8 inches | 2225 Steps | 2098 Steps | 1972 Steps | 1845 Steps |
| 5 ft 9 inches | 2211 Steps | 2084 Steps | 1958 Steps | 1831 Steps |
| 5 ft 10 inches | 2197 Steps | 2070 Steps | 1943 Steps | 1817 Steps |
| 5 ft 11 inches | 2183 Steps | 2056 Steps | 1929 Steps | 1803 Steps |
| 6 ft 0 inches | 2169 Steps | 2042 Steps | 1915 Steps | 1788 Steps |
| 6 ft 1 inches | 2155 Steps | 2028 Steps | 1901 Steps | 1774 Steps |
| 6 ft 2 inches | 2141 Steps | 2014 Steps | 1887 Steps | 1760 Steps |
| 6 ft 3 inches | 2127 Steps | 2000 Steps | 1873 Steps | 1746 Steps |
| 6 ft 4 inches | 2112 Steps | 1986 Steps | 1859 Steps | 1732 Steps |
| 6 ft 5 inches | 2098 Steps | 1972 Steps | 1845 Steps | 1718 Steps |
Estimations steps per mile running
For running the study concluded one single formula for men and women to calculate their number of steps per mile. The height is in inches, the speed in minutes per mile.
Steps per mile running for men and women = 1048 + [ (143.6 x pace) – (13.5 x height) ]
| Pace Height | 12 Minute Mile (5 mph/8.1 kmh) | 10 Minute Mile (6 mph/9.7 kmh) | 8 Minute Mile (7.5 mph/12.1 kmh) | 6 Minute Mile (10 mph/16.1 kmh) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 1 inches | 1984 Steps | 1661 Steps | 1409 Steps | 1122 Steps |
| 5 ft 2 inches | 1970 Steps | 1647 Steps | 1396 Steps | 1109 Steps |
| 5 ft 3 inches | 1957 Steps | 1634 Steps | 1382 Steps | 1095 Steps |
| 5 ft 4 inches | 1943 Steps | 1620 Steps | 1369 Steps | 1082 Steps |
| 5 ft 5 inches | 1930 Steps | 1607 Steps | 1335 Steps | 1068 Steps |
| 5 ft 6 inches | 1916 Steps | 1593 Steps | 1342 Steps | 1055 Steps |
| 5 ft 7 inches | 1903 Steps | 1580 Steps | 1328 Steps | 1041 Steps |
| 5 ft 8 inches | 1889 Steps | 1566 Steps | 1315 Steps | 1028 Steps |
| 5 ft 9 inches | 1876 Steps | 1553 Steps | 1301 Steps | 1014 Steps |
| 5 ft 10 inches | 1862 Steps | 1539 Steps | 1288 Steps | 1001 Steps |
| 5 ft 11 inches | 1849 Steps | 1526 Steps | 1274 Steps | 987 Steps |
| 6 ft 0 inches | 1835 Steps | 1512 Steps | 1261 Steps | 974 Steps |
| 6 ft 1 inches | 1822 Steps | 1499 Steps | 1247 Steps | 960 Steps |
How to measure your personal step count per mile
Theoretical formula estimations aside, these numbers are fun walking facts but it is not too hard to get a close estimation for your personal step count per mile.
Step one is to find/create a place where you know the exact distance of a route. For example a 400-meter track, or a smaller distance you’ve measured out yourself.
The longer this distance the more accurate your estimation of your personal step count per mile will be.
Step two is to walk or run this distance while counting your steps. You can do this with a fitness tracker or just count the steps yourself.
The last step is figuring out how many times that distance fits in a mile and multiplying this amount with the number of steps you counted:
Steps per mile = (mile / distance you measured steps in) x number of steps you counted
Another way is to measure your stride length and calculate how many of those would fit in a mile.
