Steps and distance
How many steps are in a mile?
About 2,000 to 2,500 steps for most adults — nearer 2,000 if you are tall, nearer 2,500 if you are shorter. Your height decides where in that range you sit.
Short answer
2,000–2,500
steps in a mile
And about 1,250–1,550 steps in a kilometre. Put your height into the calculator below for a figure that fits you rather than the average.
Work out your own figure
Your height
Between 100 and 230 cm. It stays in your browser.
At that height
Based on an estimated step length of 71 cm (your height × 0.414).
Steps in a mile by height
Ordinary walking pace, on the flat.
| Height | Step length | Steps per mile | Steps per km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150 cm | 62 cm | 2,592 | 1,610 |
| 155 cm | 64 cm | 2,508 | 1,558 |
| 160 cm | 66 cm | 2,430 | 1,510 |
| 165 cm | 68 cm | 2,356 | 1,464 |
| 170 cm | 70 cm | 2,287 | 1,421 |
| 175 cm | 72 cm | 2,221 | 1,380 |
| 180 cm | 75 cm | 2,160 | 1,342 |
| 185 cm | 77 cm | 2,101 | 1,306 |
| 190 cm | 79 cm | 2,046 | 1,271 |
| 195 cm | 81 cm | 1,993 | 1,239 |
A mile is exactly 1609.344 metres, so the steps-per-mile column is simply that divided by the step length in the row.
What moves the number
Height does most of the work
Step length is roughly proportional to height, which is why a 160 cm walker needs several hundred more steps to cover a mile than a 190 cm walker. The estimate used here is your height multiplied by 0.414 — a population average for ordinary walking. It is a good starting point and a poor substitute for measuring yourself, and we would rather say so than imply a precision we do not have.
Walking is not running
Running lengthens your stride considerably, so a mile of running usually takes 1,400 to 1,700 steps rather than 2,000 to 2,500. Jogging sits between the two. If your tracker shows a distance that disagrees with this page, mixed activity is often the reason: it counted a mile of running at running stride, while this page assumes you walked.
Pace, terrain and the rest
Walking faster mostly means longer steps rather than simply quicker ones, so a brisk mile takes fewer steps than a stroll. Hills shorten your steps going up and can lengthen them coming down. Rough ground, ice, sand, heavy shopping, pushing a buggy, walking a dog that stops at every gatepost, unfamiliar shoes and plain tiredness all shorten things a little. Nobody has one step length; everybody has a range.
Measure yourself if it matters
Walk a known 100 m at your normal pace and count every step. Divide 100 by the count and you have your step length in metres: 132 steps means 0.76 m, or 76 cm. Do it twice and average. Then use your own figure rather than an estimate — it is the single change that most improves how closely a Stroll>On route matches your step goal.
Why Stroll>On cares
Steps per mile is not trivia for us; it is the conversion the whole app rests on. Stroll>On takes the steps you have left today, turns them into a target distance with your step length, and then looks for real walking routes from where you are standing that land as close to that distance as the pavements allow. Get the conversion right and the walk finishes when your step goal does.
Common questions
How many steps are in a mile?
For most adults, about 2,000 to 2,500 steps. Taller walkers with a longer stride are nearer 2,000; shorter walkers are nearer 2,500. Height is the biggest factor, so a calculator based on your own height beats any single figure.
How many steps are in a kilometre?
Roughly 1,250 to 1,550 steps for most adults, which is about 62% of the steps in a mile because a kilometre is about 62% of a mile.
Is running the same as walking?
No. Running strides are much longer, so a mile of running is usually 1,400 to 1,700 steps rather than 2,000 to 2,500. If your tracker mixes running and walking, its distance will not match a walking-only calculation.
How accurate is this?
Treat it as within about 10%. It is an estimate from your height, not a measurement of your stride, and your real step length changes with pace, terrain, footwear and how tired you are. Measuring yourself over a known 100 m closes most of the gap.
Know the number? Now walk it.
Tell Stroll>On how many steps you have left and it will find a route from your doorstep that matches.