Key facts
- For adults 20 and older, a BMI of 18.5 to under 25 is the healthy weight category and 30 or more is obesity. 1
- In pounds and inches, BMI equals weight divided by height squared, multiplied by 703. 3
- BMI does not distinguish between fat, muscle and bone mass. 2
- The NHLBI says BMI does not take into account muscle mass, bone density or body composition. 5
- An unhealthy waist circumference is above 40 inches for men and above 35 inches for women. 6
What is BMI, and what do the categories mean?
Body mass index (BMI) is a number worked out from your weight and your height. The CDC describes it as a screening measure of a person’s weight relative to height, and says it is not intended to diagnose disease or illness.24 It is one potential health indicator that should be considered with other factors.4
For adults 20 and older, the CDC sorts BMI into the categories below. They are the same for men and women. Children and teens aged 2 through 19 use a different CDC tool that gives a BMI percentile, so this chart does not apply to them.24
| BMI | Category |
|---|---|
| Below 18.5 | Underweight |
| 18.5 to under 25 | Healthy weight |
| 25 to under 30 | Overweight |
| 30 or higher | Obesity |
| 30 to under 35 | Obesity, class 1 |
| 35 to under 40 | Obesity, class 2 |
| 40 or higher | Obesity, class 3 (severe obesity) |
Category names and cutoffs from the CDC adult BMI page.1 The NHLBI lists the same four main bands.5
BMI chart in inches and pounds
The table gives the weight bands for each height from 4 ft 10 in to 6 ft 4 in. It is calculated with the CDC formula for pounds and inches: weight in pounds divided by height in inches squared, multiplied by 703.3 To find the lowest weight in a band, multiply the cutoff BMI by height squared and divide by 703, then round up to the next whole pound.
Example for 5 ft 6 in (66 inches). Height squared is 66 x 66 = 4,356. For the start of the healthy band: 18.5 x 4,356 = 80,586, divided by 703 = 114.6, so 115 pounds is the first whole pound at or above 18.5. For the start of overweight: 25 x 4,356 = 108,900, divided by 703 = 154.9, so 155 pounds is the first whole pound at or above 25. For the start of obesity: 30 x 4,356 = 130,680, divided by 703 = 185.9, so 186 pounds.
| Height | Underweight (BMI below 18.5) | Healthy weight (18.5 to under 25) | Overweight (25 to under 30) | Obesity (30 or higher) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 ft 10 in | 88 lb or less | 89 to 119 lb | 120 to 143 lb | 144 lb or more |
| 4 ft 11 in | 91 lb or less | 92 to 123 lb | 124 to 148 lb | 149 lb or more |
| 5 ft 0 in | 94 lb or less | 95 to 128 lb | 129 to 153 lb | 154 lb or more |
| 5 ft 1 in | 97 lb or less | 98 to 132 lb | 133 to 158 lb | 159 lb or more |
| 5 ft 2 in | 101 lb or less | 102 to 136 lb | 137 to 164 lb | 165 lb or more |
| 5 ft 3 in | 104 lb or less | 105 to 141 lb | 142 to 169 lb | 170 lb or more |
| 5 ft 4 in | 107 lb or less | 108 to 145 lb | 146 to 174 lb | 175 lb or more |
| 5 ft 5 in | 111 lb or less | 112 to 150 lb | 151 to 180 lb | 181 lb or more |
| 5 ft 6 in | 114 lb or less | 115 to 154 lb | 155 to 185 lb | 186 lb or more |
| 5 ft 7 in | 118 lb or less | 119 to 159 lb | 160 to 191 lb | 192 lb or more |
| 5 ft 8 in | 121 lb or less | 122 to 164 lb | 165 to 197 lb | 198 lb or more |
| 5 ft 9 in | 125 lb or less | 126 to 169 lb | 170 to 203 lb | 204 lb or more |
| 5 ft 10 in | 128 lb or less | 129 to 174 lb | 175 to 209 lb | 210 lb or more |
| 5 ft 11 in | 132 lb or less | 133 to 179 lb | 180 to 215 lb | 216 lb or more |
| 6 ft 0 in | 136 lb or less | 137 to 184 lb | 185 to 221 lb | 222 lb or more |
| 6 ft 1 in | 140 lb or less | 141 to 189 lb | 190 to 227 lb | 228 lb or more |
| 6 ft 2 in | 144 lb or less | 145 to 194 lb | 195 to 233 lb | 234 lb or more |
| 6 ft 3 in | 148 lb or less | 149 to 200 lb | 201 to 240 lb | 241 lb or more |
| 6 ft 4 in | 151 lb or less | 152 to 205 lb | 206 to 246 lb | 247 lb or more |
Calculated for this guide from the CDC formula and category cutoffs.13 Each band is the whole-pound range whose unrounded BMI falls in that category. Clothes, time of day and the scale used can move your weight by a few pounds, so a pound or two at the edge of a band is not meaningful.
How to read the table
- Measure your height without shoes, standing against a wall.
- Find your height in the left column. If you are between two heights, work from the formula instead.
- Read across to the band that contains your weight.
- Treat the result as a starting point for a conversation, not a verdict.
The same bands apply to women and men at a given height, because the CDC categories do not differ by sex.1 That answers the common searches for a BMI at 5 ft 2 in, 5 ft 3 in, 5 ft 4 in or 5 ft 5 in for women: use the row for your height.
How to calculate your BMI, with worked examples
In the CDC’s U.S. customary version the formula is BMI = weight in pounds divided by height in inches squared, multiplied by 703.3 The metric version the CDC gives is weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.2 The 703 factor converts pounds and inches to the metric result.
| Person | Steps | BMI | CDC category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 6 in (66 in), 170 lb | 66 x 66 = 4,356. 170 x 703 = 119,510. 119,510 / 4,356 = 27.4 | 27.4 | Overweight1 |
| 5 ft 10 in (70 in), 225 lb | 70 x 70 = 4,900. 225 x 703 = 158,175. 158,175 / 4,900 = 32.3 | 32.3 | Obesity, class 11 |
| 5 ft 4 in (64 in), 150 lb | 64 x 64 = 4,096. 150 x 703 = 105,450. 105,450 / 4,096 = 25.7 | 25.7 | Overweight1 |
Arithmetic done for this guide with the CDC formula;3 categories from the CDC page.1 Results rounded to one decimal.
Notice the third row. A 5 ft 4 in person weighing 150 pounds lands in the overweight band by 0.7 BMI points, and sits 4 pounds above the healthy limit of 145 pounds in the table. A difference that small is within the day-to-day swing of body weight. This is why the CDC says BMI should be considered with other factors rather than used alone.4
There is no interactive calculator on this page by design. The table and the formula give the same answer, and you can check the arithmetic yourself. If you want a calculator, the NHLBI and the CDC both publish one.45
What BMI cannot tell you
The CDC says plainly that BMI does not distinguish between fat, muscle and bone mass, does not indicate what types of fat a person has, and does not indicate where in the body the fat is carried.2 The NHLBI says the same in its own words: BMI is based on height and weight and does not take into account muscle mass, bone density or body composition.5
That has three practical effects.
- A very muscular person can have a high BMI and little body fat. Cleveland Clinic lists athletes and bodybuilders among the people who likely should not rely on the standard BMI chart to judge body fat.7
- A person with a normal BMI can still carry extra fat around the abdomen. The NHLBI notes that a person may have more fat in the abdomen than elsewhere, and that waist size is used alongside BMI.6
- The same BMI can describe different bodies. The CDC says BMI does not measure body fat directly, though it is moderately to strongly associated with other measures of body fat.2
Waist size is the simplest second number. The NHLBI says an unhealthy waist circumference is greater than 40 inches for men and greater than 35 inches for women.6 To go deeper, see the guides to visceral fat and the waist-to-hip ratio.
To see how a scale estimates the fat share of your weight, read body fat percentage. For a clinic-grade reference, see DEXA scans vs smart scales.
BMI in older adults and very muscular people
Two groups come up again and again. The first is adults over 65. Cleveland Clinic lists people over 65, along with people who have muscle atrophy, among those who likely should not use the standard BMI chart to calculate body fat.7 The reason follows from what BMI cannot see: it cannot tell whether a given weight is mostly muscle or mostly fat. For the muscle side of that story, see muscle mass and muscle loss after 50.
Researchers have asked whether the standard cutoffs fit older people. A 2024 study in Scientific Reports by Esparza-Hurtado and colleagues reported that the current obesity cutoff of 30 underestimates obesity prevalence in older adults, and proposed a cutoff of 27.2 for older Mexican adults, checked against fat mass index in a second Northern Mexico sample.8 That is one population, and the authors’ cutoff is not an official US category. The CDC categories above remain the ones to use for this chart.1
The second group is people with a lot of muscle, such as weightlifters and other athletes. For them BMI can read high while body fat is modest. A measure that separates fat from lean mass, such as a body composition scan, answers a different question than BMI does.72
Neither group should draw a conclusion from this page alone. If your BMI and your own sense of your body disagree, a health professional can combine BMI with waist size, blood pressure, blood tests and a physical exam. The CDC lists blood pressure, cholesterol levels and physical examination as the kind of factors to weigh alongside BMI.2
Using BMI sensibly
A BMI chart is a fast sorting tool. Use it for what it does well and set it aside for what it does not.
If you track body composition at home, a smart scale can add a body fat estimate next to the weight. Treat it the same way: a trend under steady conditions, not a diagnosis. Our comparison of Withings and Renpho scales shows what different brands announce, and the guide to how to calculate BMR covers the other number a scale tends to show.
When to talk to a health professional about your weight
A chart cannot judge your health. Talk to a doctor or other qualified professional if:
- Your BMI falls in the underweight or obesity categories and you have not discussed it with a clinician.
- Your weight has changed noticeably without a clear reason.
- Your waist is above the thresholds in this guide, or your BMI looks normal but you have other concerns.
- You are over 65 or have lost muscle, and you want to understand your body composition.
In a medical emergency in the United States, call 911. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988.
Frequently asked questions
What is a healthy BMI for an adult?
The CDC calls a BMI of 18.5 to under 25 a healthy weight for adults 20 and older. Below 18.5 is underweight, 25 to under 30 is overweight and 30 or higher is obesity. BMI is a screening measure and does not diagnose disease.
Is the BMI chart different for women and men?
No. The CDC uses the same adult categories for both. Cleveland Clinic notes the same calculation is used even though adult women may have more body fat than adult men, which is one limit of the measure.
What is the BMI formula in pounds and inches?
BMI equals weight in pounds divided by height in inches squared, multiplied by 703. For 170 pounds at 66 inches: 170 x 703 = 119,510, divided by 4,356 = 27.4.
What is a healthy weight for a woman who is 5 ft 4 in?
Using the CDC cutoffs, the healthy weight band at 5 ft 4 in runs from 108 to 145 pounds. The same band applies to men of that height. It is a screening range, not a personal target.
What is a healthy weight at 5 ft 2 in, 5 ft 3 in or 5 ft 5 in?
Healthy weight bands from the CDC cutoffs are 102 to 136 pounds at 5 ft 2 in, 105 to 141 pounds at 5 ft 3 in and 112 to 150 pounds at 5 ft 5 in. See the table for every height from 4 ft 10 in to 6 ft 4 in.
Does BMI work for athletes and muscular people?
Not well. The CDC says BMI does not distinguish between fat, muscle and bone mass, and Cleveland Clinic lists athletes and bodybuilders among people who likely should not rely on the standard chart for body fat.
Is BMI accurate for people over 65?
Cleveland Clinic lists people over 65 among those who likely should not use the standard chart to calculate body fat. Researchers have proposed different cutoffs for older adults in specific populations, but the CDC categories are the official ones.
Does the BMI chart apply to children?
No. The CDC uses a separate tool that gives a BMI percentile for children and teens aged 2 through 19. This chart is for adults 20 and older.
Sources
- CDC, Adult BMI categories, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- CDC, About Adult BMI (page dated December 16, 2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- CDC, Calculating BMI (page dated June 18, 2024), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- CDC, Adult BMI Calculator, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- NHLBI, Calculate Your BMI, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- NHLBI, Overweight and Obesity: Symptoms (last updated March 24, 2022), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- Cleveland Clinic, Body Mass Index (BMI) (last updated May 19, 2026), Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved October 16, 2026
- Esparza-Hurtado N, et al. Novel BMI cutoff points for obesity diagnosis in older Hispanic adults. Sci Rep. 2024;14:27498, PubMed. Retrieved October 16, 2026