The Average Weight for a Woman 5'7: Why the Numbers Might Be Lying to You

You're standing in front of the mirror, maybe a bit frustrated, wondering if that scale number is "normal" for your height. Being 5'7 is a bit of a unique spot. You’re taller than the average American woman—who usually clocks in around 5'4—which means you have more frame to fill out, more bone density, and a completely different metabolic baseline than your shorter friends. But honestly, searching for the average weight for a woman 5'7 usually leads you down a rabbit hole of rigid charts that don't account for whether you've ever lifted a dumbbell or if you just happen to have wide hips.

The data is out there, but it’s messy.

If we look at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and their National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the actual "average" weight for an adult woman in the United States is roughly 170.8 pounds. Now, that is a general average across all heights. For a woman who is 5'7, the statistical average often sits somewhere between 150 and 180 pounds, depending on the specific demographic study you're looking at. But here is the kicker: average isn't the same thing as healthy. The "average" American weight has been trending upward for decades, meaning the statistical mean is now technically in the overweight category according to the Body Mass Index (BMI).

It’s a weird paradox. You want to know where you fit in, but the "middle" might not be where you actually want to be for your long-term health.

The BMI Problem and Your 5'7 Frame

We have to talk about the Body Mass Index because every doctor’s office uses it. For a woman who is 5'7, the "normal" BMI range—which is 18.5 to 24.9—suggests a weight between 121 and 158 pounds.

That is a huge range. Thirty-seven pounds, to be exact.

A woman at 122 pounds looks vastly different than a woman at 155 pounds, yet both are "green-lit" by the medical establishment. And if you’re an athlete? Forget about it. If you have a significant amount of muscle mass, you could easily weigh 165 or 170 pounds at 5'7 and have a low body fat percentage, yet a standard BMI chart would label you "overweight." This is why researchers like those at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have argued that BMI is a deeply flawed measure because it fails to distinguish between fat and muscle. Muscle is much denser than fat. It takes up less space. You could be a "heavy" 160 pounds and wear a size 6, or a "light" 160 pounds and wear a size 12.

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The scale doesn't tell the story of your geometry.

Frame Size Matters More Than You Think

Have you ever heard someone say they are "big-boned" and rolled your eyes? Well, they’re actually onto something. Anthropologists and health scientists use elbow breadth and wrist circumference to determine "frame size."

At 5'7, your skeletal structure dictates how much weight you can carry comfortably. A woman with a small frame (wrist under 6.25 inches) will naturally lean toward the lower end of the weight spectrum. If you have a large frame (wrist over 6.75 inches), your bones alone weigh more, and your body requires more muscle and connective tissue to move that frame around. Trying to force a large-framed 5'7 woman into a 125-pound weight goal is not just difficult—it’s often biologically unsustainable and can lead to issues like bone density loss or hormonal imbalances.

Health isn't a one-size-fits-all garment.

The Role of Age and Hormones

Let's get real about aging. The average weight for a woman 5'7 in her early 20s is rarely the same as it is in her 50s. Perimenopause and menopause change the game entirely. As estrogen levels dip, the body naturally tends to redistribute fat toward the midsection—often called the "menopause middle."

A study published in the journal JAMA Network Open tracked weight gain across middle age and found that most women gain weight gradually through their 40s and 50s. If you’re 5'7 and 55 years old, being 165 pounds might be significantly healthier for your bone protection and brain health than trying to maintain the 135 pounds you weighed on your wedding day. We have to stop treating our bodies like they are static statues. They are dynamic systems.

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Why "Average" Varies by Lifestyle

Consider two women. Both are 5'7.

Woman A is a long-distance runner. She’s lean, has a smaller muscle carry, and weighs 130 pounds. She’s healthy.
Woman B is a powerlifter. She’s got thick quads, a strong back, and weighs 175 pounds. She’s also healthy.

If you only looked at the "average weight" statistics, you’d tell Woman B she needs to lose weight and Woman A she’s perfect. But Woman B might have better metabolic health, higher bone density, and more functional strength. This is why many modern experts, like those at the Mayo Clinic, are shifting focus away from the scale and toward waist circumference. For a woman, a waist measurement of less than 35 inches is generally a better indicator of low visceral fat (the dangerous kind around your organs) than the total number on the scale.

Basically, where you carry the weight matters way more than how much the earth is pulling on you.

The Myth of the "Perfect" 125

There’s this weird cultural obsession with 125 pounds for tall-ish women. It’s a leftover remnant from 1950s insurance actuary tables. Back then, the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company created "ideal" weight tables based on longevity data. While those tables were a start, they were based on a very specific, limited demographic.

Being 125 pounds at 5'7 puts you at a BMI of 19.6. That’s very close to the "underweight" cutoff. For many women, maintaining that weight requires an extreme caloric deficit that messes with leptin and ghrelin—your hunger hormones. It can lead to "skinny fat" syndrome, where you have a low weight but a high body fat percentage because you’ve lost muscle to keep the scale number down.

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It’s a trap. Honestly, it’s a miserable way to live.

What You Should Actually Measure

If the average weight for a woman 5'7 isn't the best goal, what is?

1. Body Fat Percentage: This is the gold standard. For women, a healthy range is typically 21% to 32%. You can get this measured via DEXA scans (the most accurate) or even mid-range smart scales (less accurate but good for tracking trends).
2. Energy Levels: If you are at your "ideal" weight but you’re too tired to climb a flight of stairs, that weight isn't ideal for you.
3. Blood Markers: Your A1C (blood sugar), lipid panel (cholesterol), and blood pressure tell a much more honest story than the scale ever will.
4. Strength: Can you carry your own groceries? Can you do a push-up? Functional strength is a massive predictor of how well you will age.

Actionable Steps for Navigating Your Weight at 5'7

Stop chasing a ghost. If you are trying to find your own healthy "average," stop looking at generic internet charts and start looking at your own biology.

Calculate your Waist-to-Hip Ratio. Take a tape measure. Measure the smallest part of your waist and the widest part of your hips. Divide the waist by the hips. For women, a ratio of 0.85 or lower is linked to better health outcomes and lower risk of chronic disease. This is a much better metric for a 5'7 woman than BMI.

Prioritize Muscle over Mass. Instead of trying to "lose 10 pounds," try to "gain 2 pounds of muscle." Because muscle is metabolically active, it burns more calories at rest. This makes maintaining your weight much easier in the long run. At 5'7, you have the height to carry a lot of beautiful, functional muscle without looking "bulky"—a common fear that is mostly a myth anyway.

Assess Your Relationship with Food. If you’re obsessing over hitting a specific "average" weight you saw in a magazine, check in with your mental health. Weight is a data point, not a moral failing. Real health at 5'7 looks like having the energy to live your life without the scale dictating your mood for the day.

Focus on Protein Intake. Regardless of where you sit on the weight spectrum, aiming for 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of your target weight helps preserve the muscle you have. This is especially vital for taller women who may struggle with satiety on lower-calorie diets.

The "average" weight is just a collection of numbers from a bunch of people who aren't you. Your 5'7 frame is unique. It’s built by your DNA, your history, and your daily movement. Treat it like the individual masterpiece it is, rather than a data point on a 1990s health chart.