20,172 Steps to Miles
Put 20,172 steps on a tracker and the readout comes to about 10.09 miles. A useful way to picture it: a 10 mile road race. The average American, per NHANES data, logs 8,818 steps a day. This step count is more than that, at about 229%.
Distance
10.09Miles≈ a 10 mile road race
Walk Time
3 hr 22 min
Calories
807 kcal
vs. US Avg
229%
Steps to Your Next Goal
How 20,172 steps stacks up against a few common step and distance goals.
5K
Cleared by 13,972
10K
Cleared by 7,772
15K
Cleared by 1,572
Half Marathon
6,028more steps
Walking this instead of driving saves about 4,034g CO2 (8.89 lb).
Full breakdown →That 807 kcal is the flat estimate. Your real number changes with weight and pace.
Personalized breakdown →Jump to Another Step Count
Distance Snapshot
- ≈ a 10 mile road race
- Also in range: a full day of sightseeing on foot in a major city
Guess the Distance
Which is farther: 20,172 steps, or A half-day easy hike on a nature trail?
Not quite.
20,172 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 20,172 steps covers a different distance depending on how tall the walker is.
| Height | Distance |
|---|---|
| Short (~5'2") | 8.17 mi |
| Average (~5'7") | 8.83 mi |
| Tall (~6'2") | 9.75 mi |
Keep This Up
If 20,172 steps became a daily habit instead of a one-time count, here's what it adds up to over time.
| Period | Steps | Distance | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly | 141,204 | 70.6 mi | 5,648 kcal |
| Monthly | 605,160 | 302.6 mi | 24,206 kcal |
| Yearly | 7,362,780 | 3,681.4 mi | 294,511 kcal |
Where 20,172 Steps Ranks
Activity levels are commonly grouped by daily step count. Here's where 20,172 steps falls.
| Activity Level | Daily Steps |
|---|---|
| Sedentary | Under 5,000 |
| Low Active | 5,000–7,499 |
| Somewhat Active | 7,500–9,999 |
| Active | 10,000–12,499 |
| Highly Active | 12,500+ |
Did You Know?
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.
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 20,172 steps a lot?
It's more than the average U.S. adult walks in a day. 20,172 steps is about 229% of the NHANES-measured daily average of 8,818 steps.
How long does it take to walk 20,172 steps?
At an average walking pace of about 3 mph, 20,172 steps takes roughly 3 hr 22 min. Walking slower or faster will shift that time up or down.