Average Weight 5'8 Women: Why The Numbers Rarely Tell The Full Story

You're standing in a fitting room, or maybe at the doctor's office, and you see that number on the scale. If you're 5'8", you're taller than about 90% of women in the United States. That height changes everything about how weight sits on your frame. It's not just about the pounds. Honestly, the way we talk about the average weight 5'8 women carry around is often totally disconnected from the reality of bone density, muscle mass, and biological variation.

Most people just head straight for a BMI calculator. They type in the height, type in a weight, and wait for a color-coded verdict. But a 5'8" woman with a "broad" frame and a 5'8" woman with a "narrow" frame can look completely different at the exact same weight. It's wild how much we ignore the architecture of the body in favor of a single digit.

The Statistical Reality vs. The CDC Numbers

So, let's look at the actual data. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), the average weight for an adult woman in the U.S. has been hovering around 170.8 pounds lately. But that’s a general average across all heights. When you isolate for height, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests a "healthy" BMI range for a 5'8" woman is roughly between 122 and 164 pounds.

That’s a massive 42-pound gap.

Why is the range so wide? Because "average" is a mathematical middle, not a physical mandate. If you look at the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) data, you'll see that many women who are 5'8" actually weigh more than that 164-pound "upper limit" while maintaining excellent metabolic health.

Does the "Ideal" Even Exist?

Back in the day, doctors used the Devine Formula to calculate "Ideal Body Weight" (IBW). For a woman who is 5'8", that formula spits out a result of about 140 pounds. But here’s the kicker: the Devine formula was originally designed to calculate drug dosages, not to tell a human being what they should weigh to be healthy. It’s a tool for pharmacology, yet it’s been repurposed as a golden standard for aesthetics. That’s kinda ridiculous when you think about it.

Why 5'8" is a "Swing Height" for Body Composition

At five-foot-eight, you have more "real estate" for muscle. This is a height where body composition starts to matter way more than the total mass.

Think about it this way.
Muscle is dense.
Fat is voluminous.

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A 5'8" woman who lifts weights might weigh 175 pounds and wear a size 8. Another woman of the same height who has very little muscle mass might weigh 155 pounds and wear a size 12. This is why the average weight 5'8 women report is often a source of confusion. You can't see "heavy" bones or dense muscle from across the room, but the scale definitely feels them.

Frame Size Matters More Than You Think

There’s this old-school way of measuring frame size by looking at the circumference of your wrist. It sounds like something your grandma would tell you, but there’s actually some clinical truth to it. If your wrist is over 6.5 inches and you’re 5'8", you likely have a larger bone structure. This means your "healthy" weight is naturally going to be on the higher end of the spectrum. You're carrying a heavier chassis.

If you have a small frame (a wrist under 6.25 inches), 130 pounds might feel "full" on you. But for someone with a large frame, 130 pounds could be dangerously low. We have to stop treating the 5'8" population as a monolith.

The BMI Flaw for Taller Women

The Body Mass Index is essentially a 2D calculation (weight divided by height squared) being applied to a 3D object—you. Because height is squared rather than cubed in the formula, it tends to make taller people look "heavier" on paper than they actually are in terms of body fat percentage.

Nick Trefethen, a mathematician at Oxford University, has actually proposed a "New BMI" formula to account for this. Under his math, taller people get a bit more leeway. For a 5'8" woman, the standard BMI might overstate her fatness by about 3-5%. It’s a small number, but it’s the difference between being labeled "overweight" or "healthy" by an insurance company.

What the Experts Say About Metabolic Health

Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity medicine scientist at Harvard, has frequently pointed out that the number on the scale is just one data point among dozens. When assessing the health of a 5'8" woman, specialists are looking at:

• Waist-to-hip ratio: This is often a better predictor of heart health than weight.
• Blood pressure and lipids: If your numbers are perfect, does the 170 on the scale actually matter?
• Visceral fat: This is the "hidden" fat around organs, which is way more dangerous than the "pinchable" fat on your arms or legs.

Honestly, a lot of the stress regarding the average weight 5'8 women strive for comes from outdated fashion industry standards. For decades, the "sample size" for a 5'9" or 5'8" model was a size 0 or 2, which usually requires a weight well below 120 pounds. That’s not just "thin"—for most women that height, it’s biologically unsustainable.

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Real-World Examples: The 160-Pound Variance

Let’s look at two hypothetical but realistic examples to see how this plays out in the real world.

Example A: The Distance Runner
She’s 5'8" and weighs 135 pounds. She has a narrow frame and focuses on cardiovascular endurance. Her BMI is 20.5. She’s healthy, but she has very little power or "cushion." If she gets a flu, she has zero reserves.

Example B: The Powerlifter
She’s also 5'8" but weighs 185 pounds. According to the CDC, she is "overweight" with a BMI of 28.1. However, her body fat percentage is 22%, and her waist measurement is 28 inches. She is metabolically healthier than many people 40 pounds lighter.

If we only look at the "average," we miss the fact that Example B is actually in peak physical condition.

Navigating the "Middle Ground"

Most 5'8" women fall somewhere in between. They aren't elite athletes, but they aren't sedentary either. For this "average" group, the weight usually settles between 150 and 175 pounds. In the 1950s, this would have been considered quite heavy, but our understanding of nutrition and the importance of lean mass has evolved.

We also have to talk about age.
Perimenopause and menopause change everything.
Estrogen drops.
Weight shifts to the midsection.

A 5'8" woman in her 50s will naturally carry more weight than she did in her 20s, and that’s actually protective for bone density. Heavier women have lower rates of osteoporosis because the weight-bearing nature of carrying that mass strengthens the skeleton. There's always a trade-off.

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Practical Steps for Finding Your Own "Normal"

Instead of chasing a specific number you saw in a magazine or a 20-year-old health textbook, focus on these actionable metrics. These are what actually determine your quality of life at 5'8".

1. Track your Waist-to-Height Ratio
Keep your waist circumference less than half your height. If you're 68 inches tall (5'8"), your waist should ideally be under 34 inches. This is a much more accurate health marker than total weight because it focuses on abdominal fat.

2. Prioritize Protein and Resistance Training
Because you have a longer frame, you need more muscle to support your joints. Aim for at least 0.8 grams of protein per pound of your "goal" weight. This helps ensure that the weight you do carry is functional tissue, not just stored energy.

3. Ignore the "Standard" Charts
If your doctor uses a BMI chart from the 1970s, ask for a DEXA scan or a BodPod assessment if you're concerned. These tools measure exactly how much of your weight is bone, muscle, and fat. At 5'8", you might be surprised to find you're carrying 10-15 pounds more bone and muscle than the "average" woman.

4. Focus on Functional Strength
Can you carry your own groceries? Can you get up off the floor without using your hands? These "longevity markers" matter a lot more as you age than whether you weigh 155 or 165.

5. Check Your Bio-Markers
Get a full blood panel once a year. If your A1C (blood sugar), fasting insulin, and CRP (inflammation) are in the optimal range, your body is likely at a weight it can handle. Your "set point" weight is where your body naturally wants to stay when you're eating whole foods and moving regularly.

The average weight 5'8 women possess is a broad, messy, and highly individual number. Stop trying to fit into a 1D box when you live in a 3D world. Focus on how you move, how you feel, and what your internal labs say. Everything else is just noise.