13,000 Steps to Miles

Walking 13,000 steps works out to about 6.50 miles. To put that in perspective, it's close to a typical 10K race. That's about 147% of the 8,818 steps the average American walks daily, per NHANES data.

Because 13,000 is a round number, it's one people search for directly, often straight off a fitness tracker goal or a step challenge. At an average walking pace of about 3 mph, 13,000 steps takes roughly 2 hr 10 min to walk, steady, without stopping.

Distance

6.50Miles

a typical 10K race

Within 5% of a 10K
2 hr 10 minWalk Time
520 kcalCalories
147%vs. US Avg

Steps to Your Next Goal

How 13,000 steps stacks up against a few common step and distance goals.

5K

Cleared by 6,800

10K

Cleared by 600

15K

5,600more steps

Half Marathon

13,200more steps

Walking this instead of driving saves about 2,600g CO2 (5.73 lb).

Full breakdown →

That 520 kcal is the flat estimate. Your real number changes with weight and pace.

Personalized breakdown →

Jump to Another Step Count

Distance Snapshot

  • a typical 10K race
  • Also in range: the main loop drive through Central Park
  • Within 5% of a 10K

Guess the Distance

Which is farther: 13,000 steps, or The Stanley Park Seawall in Vancouver?

Not quite.

13,000 steps6.50 mi
The Stanley Park Seawall in Vancouver5.50 mi

13,000 Steps to Miles, By Height

The 2,000-steps-per-mile figure above is a flat average. Stride length actually scales with height, so the same 13,000 steps covers a different distance depending on how tall the walker is.

HeightDistance
Short (~5'2")5.27 mi
Average (~5'7")5.69 mi
Tall (~6'2")6.29 mi

Keep This Up

If 13,000 steps became a daily habit instead of a one-time count, here's what it adds up to over time.

PeriodStepsDistanceCalories
Weekly91,00045.5 mi3,640 kcal
Monthly390,000195 mi15,600 kcal
Yearly4,745,0002,372.5 mi189,800 kcal

Where 13,000 Steps Ranks

Activity levels are commonly grouped by daily step count. Here's where 13,000 steps falls.

Activity LevelDaily Steps
SedentaryUnder 5,000
Low Active5,000–7,499
Somewhat Active7,500–9,999
Active10,000–12,499
Highly Active12,500+

Did You Know?

1

A large 2017 smartphone study across 46 countries (published in Nature) found average daily step counts varying enormously by country, roughly 4,000 to nearly 6,900. The researchers found that inequality in step counts within a country predicted obesity rates better than the average did.

2

George Meegan's 1977-1983 trek from the southern tip of South America to Alaska covered roughly 19,000 miles on foot the entire way, still recognized as the longest unbroken walking journey ever recorded.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 13,000 steps a lot?

It's more than the average U.S. adult walks in a day. 13,000 steps is about 147% of the NHANES-measured daily average of 8,818 steps.

How long does it take to walk 13,000 steps?

At an average walking pace of about 3 mph, 13,000 steps takes roughly 2 hr 10 min. Walking slower or faster will shift that time up or down.