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Map reveals the US states with the tallest AND shortest men - how does YOUR hometown size up?
A new map has revealed which US states play host to the tallest men, and those living in America's heartland have a height advantage over coastal regions.
Utah, Montana, South Dakota, Alabama, Tennessee, and Nebraska came in first place, with men averaging 5ft 10.6in tall.
This was compared to Florida, the top state for the shortest males who have an average height of 5ft 9in.
The average US male has a height of 5ft 9.7in - a two-inch difference from men in the tallest and shortest states.
Utah Montana , South Dakota , Alabama , Tennessee , and Nebraska came in first place, with men averaging 5ft 10.6in tall compared to Florida which reported an average height of 5ft 9in
Perhaps one of the top reasons men in the US are shrinking is the increase in immigrants moving to certain states like California, where the average male height is 5ft 9.4 in. Immigrants accounted for 23 percent of California’s population with roughly 10 million immigrant residents - 49 percent of which were born in Latin America and 40 percent being born in Asia
Americans have been getting shorter since the 1980s, with men ranking the 47th tallest in the world and the average height shows that if you stand at 6ft tall or more, you’re an anomaly.
Researchers have attributed American men's shorter stature to a rise in childhood obesity and an influx of immigrants moving to some states like California.
In 1914, US men were the third tallest in the world while women were the fourth, but by 2024 that number had dropped by 43 places while women’s ranking sunk to 58th tallest, according to a study published in the journal eLife.
People living in the Midwest are taller on average, with men reaching 5ft 10.4in while those on the East Coast in states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts reporting between 5ft 9.6in and 5ft 9.7in.
Some researchers have speculated that people living in the Midwest are taller because of Swedish and Norwegian immigrants who came to the US in the late 19th century and primarily settled in Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakota and Wisconsin.
Several European countries including the Netherlands, Iceland and Denmark have some of the tallest people in the world and report that the average male is 6ft tall.
‘It's very interesting that 1980 is exactly the moment when American life expectancy began to fall behind its European counterparts Professor John Komlos told WBUR News, adding: ‘It's still increasing, but it is increasing at a slower rate.’
Height differences may vary from state to state due to genetics, nutrition, healthcare and socioeconomic status that indicates ‘the human organism is not doing as well in its economic environment as it did previously,’ Komlos said.
Perhaps one of the top reasons men in the US are shrinking is the increase in immigrants moving to certain states like California, where the average male height is 5ft 9.4 in.
Immigrants accounted for 23 percent of California’s population with roughly 10 million immigrant residents - 49 percent of which were born in Latin America and 40 percent being born in Asia, the Pew Research Center reported.
Both Latin American and Asian regions are recorded as having much shorter men than in the US at about 5ft 5in, according to the World Population Review.
Californian residents account for the second-shortest men in the country and according to the Public Policy Institute of California, it could be attributed to the state’s high level of foreign-born residents.
The Northeastern states are grouped into similar heights of about 5ft 9in while those in the Northwest including Washington, Oregon and Idaho hover at 5ft 10.4.
Meanwhile men in southern states like Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico are shorter, coming in under 5ft 10in.
Yet another reason has been attributed to the rise in obesity which began in 1980, when the average American’s height began to drop, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
People living in the Midwest are taller on average, with men reaching 5ft 10.4in while those on the East Coast in states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts reporting between 5ft 9.6in and 5ft 9.7in
A 2022 study analyzed 130,000 children in California and found that childhood obesity is associated with both boys and girls hitting puberty earlier, resulting in a smaller growth spurt than their peers.
Obesity can cause early puberty in adolescents because the fat tissue increases estrogen levels in boys and girls.
‘Higher estrogen levels can lead to more mature bones. So your bones grow taller, faster, but then their growth plates fuse earlier, Louise Greenspan, a Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center pediatric endocrinologist told The Washington Post.
If kids’ bone growth stops earlier, it can cause them to be shorter.
‘It has become a habit to have prepared food, which is less healthy than homemade fresh food. And as a consequence, there is a beginning of the obesity epidemic,’ Komlos told WBUR.
Utah - which ranks as one of the top states for men’s heights - has an obesity rate much lower than the national average, with 9.7 percent of high school students considered obese compared to the national average of 15.5 percent.
Meanwhile, Florida which has the shortest men in the country has an average obesity rate of 15.3 percent for the same age group making it on par with much of the US.
If the US population wants to increase its average height to compete with other countries around the world, Ezzati told The Week Magazine that the optimal ways are ‘good social services, good welfare, good health care, good nutrition, good public health.’