Height Comparison — Chart to Scale With the Difference

How to compare heights

Put both heights in the same unit and subtract. In feet and inches, turn each into inches first — 5′10″ is 5 × 12 + 10 = 70 inches, 5′4″ is 64 — so the difference is 6 inches, or 6 × 2.54 = 15.24 cm. As a share of the shorter height, 6 ÷ 64 = 9.4% taller. The calculator does this for up to six people at once, sorts them, and draws them on a chart to scale with lines every foot or every 20 cm.

Height differences in couples

The medians of U.S. men and women are about 5.5 inches (14.1 cm) apart, so a difference of 5 to 6 inches is close to the typical gap between a man and a woman. Here is how some common pairs compare:

Shorter	Taller	Difference	Taller by
5′2″	5′10″	8 in (20.3 cm)	12.9%
5′4″	5′10″	6 in (15.2 cm)	9.4%
5′4″	6′0″	8 in (20.3 cm)	12.5%
5′6″	6′0″	6 in (15.2 cm)	9.1%
5′7″	5′9″	2 in (5.1 cm)	3.0%

Where a height falls among U.S. adults

When you choose Man or Woman, the result places each adult among Americans aged 20 and over, using the CDC’s measured heights from 2015–2018. The median man is 175.4 cm (about 5′9″) and the median woman 161.3 cm (about 5′3.5″). A man 5′10″ is at about the 63rd percentile — taller than roughly 63% of U.S. men — and a woman 5′4″ at about the 57th percentile of women. These are averages for adults; for children’s growth, ask a pediatrician.

Measuring height accurately

For a fair comparison, measure everyone the same way: barefoot, standing straight with heels, back and head against a wall, looking straight ahead. Put a flat book on the head at a right angle to the wall, mark the bottom edge, and measure from the floor to the mark. Height is slightly greater in the morning than in the evening, because the discs of the spine compress during the day, so measure people at the same time of day when the difference is small. Shoes add their heel height, and posture can change a reading by an inch or more.

Feet, inches and centimeters

An inch is exactly 2.54 centimeters and a foot is 30.48 cm, so a height in one unit converts to the other without rounding error. For a single height, the cm to feet and inches converter shows the rounding that forms use, and feet to cm goes the other way; common heights such as 5 feet 7 inches in cm have their own pages with the percentile table.

Frequently asked questions

How do I compare two heights?

Subtract the shorter from the taller. 5′10″ is 70 inches and 5′4″ is 64, so the difference is 6 inches, or 15.24 cm. The calculator also says how much taller that is in percent and draws both people to scale.

What is the average height difference between men and women in the U.S.?

The median adult man is 175.4 cm (about 5′9″) and the median woman 161.3 cm (about 5′3.5″), so the typical gap is about 14 cm, or 5.5 inches (CDC, 2015–2018).

What percentile is my height?

Choose Man or Woman for each person; the result shows where that height falls among U.S. adults aged 20 and over, from the CDC's measured heights. Below the 5th or above the 95th percentile, the report gives no finer figure.

Can I compare more than two people?

Yes, up to six. Everyone appears on the same chart, sorted from tallest to shortest in the result, with how much shorter each is than the tallest.

Can I use centimeters?

Yes. Switch the unit to cm; the chart lines change to every 20 cm and every height is also shown in feet and inches.

Does the chart show children's heights?

It draws any height from 1 to 9 feet. Choose Other for a child, so the result does not compare them with adult percentiles.