You're standing on the scale. 175 pounds. Maybe 160. Maybe 195. If you're 5'9, you've likely spent way too much time staring at those rigid color-coded charts in a doctor's office, wondering why the "normal" box feels so tiny.
Most people searching for the average weight for 5'9 are actually looking for two different things: what everyone else weighs, and what they should weigh. The gap between those two numbers is massive. In the United States, the average man standing 5'9 weighs roughly 197 pounds. For women of the same height, the average sits near 170 pounds. But here's the kicker—being "average" in a country where two-thirds of the population is technically overweight isn't exactly a clean bill of health. It's just a mathematical middle point.
Numbers are liars. Seriously.
The BMI Trap and the 5'9 Frame
We have to talk about the Body Mass Index (BMI). It’s the metric everyone loves to hate, yet it remains the gatekeeper for medical "normalcy." For a 5'9 adult, the "healthy" BMI range is generally considered to be between 125 and 168 pounds.
That’s a huge 43-pound spread.
If you weigh 126 pounds, you’re "normal." If you weigh 167, you’re also "normal." It's kinda wild how the medical community lumps a lanky distance runner and a stocky weekend warrior into the same category just because their height and weight happen to align. The BMI was invented in the 1830s by Adolphe Quetelet, a mathematician, not a doctor. He explicitly said it shouldn't be used to judge the health of an individual. Yet, here we are, nearly 200 years later, still using it to determine insurance premiums.
The math for BMI is $weight / height^{2}$, but it ignores the most important thing: what that weight actually consists of. Muscle is dense. Fat is voluminous. A 185-pound person with 12% body fat looks and functions entirely differently than a 185-pound person with 35% body fat.
Why your "Build" changes everything
Have you ever heard of the "Small, Medium, Large" frame test? You can basically do it right now. Wrap your thumb and middle finger around your opposite wrist.
- If they overlap? Small frame.
- If they just touch? Medium frame.
- If there’s a gap? Large frame.
A large-framed 5'9 man might feel like a skeleton at 150 pounds. Meanwhile, a small-framed person at that same weight might look perfectly "filled out." This is where the average weight for 5'9 gets messy. The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company popularized these frame-size weights back in the 40s because they realized that bone structure dictates how much "meat" a frame can healthy carry. If you have broad shoulders and a wide ribcage, your "healthy" weight is naturally going to sit at the higher end of the spectrum, maybe even pushing into the "overweight" BMI category while you're actually quite lean.
Real World Examples: Athletes vs. The Rest of Us
Let's look at some actual humans.
Conway Savage, the late musician, was roughly 5'9. He was lean, likely sitting in that 150-pound range. Then you have professional athletes. Look at some UFC fighters in the lightweight division (155 lbs). Many of them are 5'9. They look shredded, almost gaunt, because they've stripped away every ounce of fat. But walk around at that weight? Most 5'9 guys would find it incredibly difficult to maintain without a full-time nutritionist and a punishing gym schedule.
On the flip side, look at a CrossFit athlete. A 5'9 male competitor might weigh 190 to 200 pounds. According to the CDC, he’s "obese" or "borderline obese." But he has a six-pack and can deadlift 500 pounds.
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Weight is just gravity's relationship with your mass. It doesn't tell you your blood pressure. It doesn't tell you your fasting glucose levels. It doesn't tell you if you can climb three flights of stairs without wheezing.
The "Skinny Fat" Phenomenon
There’s a dangerous middle ground. You can be 5'9 and weigh 145 pounds—the "ideal" according to some charts—but have almost no muscle mass. This is often called TOFI (Thin Outside, Fat Inside). Research from experts like Dr. Jimmy Bell at Imperial College London suggests that people who look thin but carry visceral fat around their organs are sometimes at higher metabolic risk than someone who is technically "overweight" but active.
Basically, the scale can be a security blanket that hides real health issues.
Gender Differences at 5'9
5'9 is the "sweet spot" for many height discussions. For men, it’s just an inch shy of the "idealized" 5'10 or 6'0, but it’s still very much a standard height. For women, 5'9 is quite tall—well above the US female average of 5'4.
This height difference changes how weight is distributed.
- Hormonal impact: Women naturally carry more essential body fat (for reproductive health). A 5'9 woman at 140 pounds is often leaner than a 5'9 man at 140 pounds because her body requires a higher fat percentage to function.
- Bone Density: Men generally have heavier bone structures and more testosterone, which facilitates muscle growth. This often pushes the "comfortable" weight for a 5'9 male higher than for a female of the same height.
- Center of Gravity: Taller women often have longer limbs, which can make certain weights look "slimmer" than they would on a shorter person.
Honestly, the average weight for 5'9 women in the medical literature often hovers around 150-160 pounds for a healthy middle ground, but many women feel best in the 140s. Again, it's about how you carry it.
The Age Factor: The "Middle-Age Spread"
As we age, our "average" weight tends to climb. This isn't just because we get lazy (though that happens). Sarcopenia—the natural loss of muscle mass as we age—starts hitting in our 30s. If you don't actively lift weights, your body replaces that muscle with fat.
Fat takes up more space.
You might weigh the exact same 165 pounds at age 50 as you did at age 25, but your pants might be two sizes larger. This is why looking at the average weight for 5'9 by decade is depressing. The average 50-year-old is heavier and has less muscle than the average 20-year-old. If you're trying to stay healthy, you actually want to be "above average" in muscle mass and "below average" in weight as you move into your 50s and 60s.
How to Actually Find Your Target Weight
Forget the "perfect" number. It doesn't exist. Instead of obsessing over being the average, focus on these three markers that actually correlate with living a long time.
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Waist-to-Height Ratio
This is way more accurate than BMI. Take a piece of string, measure your height, then fold that string in half. Can you fit that halved string around your waist? If yes, you’re likely in a healthy range for visceral fat. For a 5'9 person (69 inches), your waist should ideally be 34.5 inches or less.
The "Feel Good" Range
Think back to a time in your adult life when you had the most energy. What did you weigh then? For many 5'9 individuals, there is a "set point" where the body feels strong but not sluggish. For some, that’s 155. For others, it’s 180.
Blood Markers
If your weight is 190 (technically "overweight" at 5'9) but your A1C is perfect, your HDL is high, and your triglycerides are low, your doctor probably won't tell you to lose weight.
Actionable Steps for the 5'9 Individual
Stop chasing the "average." Average is mediocre.
Instead, do this:
- Get a DEXA scan or a BodPod test. If you really want to know if your weight is "good," you need to know your body fat percentage. For men 5'9, 15-20% is a great athletic/healthy range. For women, 22-28% is generally the sweet spot.
- Prioritize resistance training. Since muscle is more compact, adding 5 pounds of muscle while losing 5 pounds of fat will keep your weight the same but transform your health and appearance.
- Ignore the "Weight Loss" industry. Most 5'9 people don't need "weight loss"; they need body recomposition.
- Measure your waist, not just your scale weight. If the scale goes up but your waist stays the same, you're gaining muscle. That's a win.
- Adjust for your lifestyle. If you're a heavy hiker or a lifter, expect to sit at the higher end of the 160-180 range. If you're sedentary, you might need to stay closer to the 145-155 range to avoid metabolic issues.
The average weight for 5'9 is a starting point, a piece of trivia. It is not a destiny. Your health is found in the way you move and the quality of your fuel, not the number that flashes on a piece of plastic on your bathroom floor. Focus on the waistline and the strength of your legs, and the weight will usually take care of itself.