From 4,606,408 finishers at 17,584 races
Average 5K Time by Age and Gender
The median 5K time in the US is 35:58, or 11:35 /mi. Women run a median of 39:30 and men 31:41. Every number comes from published results of the last two years, with everyone who finished counted.
5K times by age and gender
Median finish time for each group, with pace and the time that puts you in its fastest tenth.
| Age | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 36:4011:48 /mi, top 10%: 25:44 | 29:589:39 /mi, top 10%: 21:08 |
| 20-29 | 37:1411:59 /mi, top 10%: 27:09 | 29:449:34 /mi, top 10%: 21:32 |
| 30-39 | 38:2612:22 /mi, top 10%: 27:26 | 31:0610:01 /mi, top 10%: 22:10 |
| 40-49 | 39:3012:43 /mi, top 10%: 27:50 | 31:5510:16 /mi, top 10%: 22:53 |
| 50-59 | 43:4314:04 /mi, top 10%: 29:47 | 33:5610:55 /mi, top 10%: 24:23 |
| 60-69 | 47:2815:17 /mi, top 10%: 31:53 | 36:3711:47 /mi, top 10%: 25:49 |
| 70+ | 51:5916:44 /mi, top 10%: 37:03 | 42:0613:33 /mi, top 10%: 29:28 |
What it takes to place in your age group
The third-place time in each group at a typical 5K (the median across races). Bigger races take faster times.
| Age | Women, 3rd place | Men, 3rd place |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 27:35 | 22:31 |
| 20-29 | 28:53 | 23:33 |
| 30-39 | 28:15 | 23:46 |
| 40-49 | 28:57 | 24:35 |
| 50-59 | 31:57 | 26:47 |
| 60-69 | 35:32 | 28:51 |
| 70+ | 44:09 | 34:42 |
Is my 5K time good?
Type a finish time to see where it falls among US finishers.
Turkey trots run slower: the median at a Thanksgiving 5K is 35:11, because so many families walk them. See the turkey trots near you.
Quick answers
- What is a good 5K time?
- Half of US finishers run the 5K in 35:58 or faster, a quarter in 29:00 or faster, and the fastest tenth in 24:26. Under 29:00 puts you in the top quarter of the field.
- What is the average 5K time for women?
- The median for women is 39:30 (12:43 /mi); the fastest tenth of women finish in 27:39 or better.
- What is the average 5K time for men?
- The median for men is 31:41 (10:12 /mi); the fastest tenth of men finish in 22:24 or better.
- What is a good 5K time for a 40-year-old?
- For runners 40 to 49, the median is 39:30 for women and 31:55 for men. A top-quarter time is 32:19 for women and 26:27 for men.
- Which age group runs the fastest 5K?
- Among adults, runners 20 to 29 have the quickest median, 34:16. Medians include everyone who finished, walkers too, so they run slower than club or race-winning times.
Median 5K time by state
- Alabama36:49
- Alaska34:33
- Arizona37:14
- Arkansas35:38
- California38:17
- Colorado36:53
- Connecticut32:35
- Delaware34:17
- District of Columbia34:03
- Florida38:24
- Georgia36:36
- Hawaii34:37
- Idaho42:37
- Illinois36:33
- Indiana36:42
- Iowa35:51
- Kansas37:35
- Kentucky36:44
- Louisiana36:09
- Maine32:26
- Maryland36:37
- Massachusetts32:41
- Michigan36:36
- Minnesota34:27
- Mississippi35:56
- Missouri37:10
- Montana36:58
- Nebraska34:39
- Nevada37:02
- New Hampshire34:31
- New Jersey32:28
- New Mexico36:47
- New York34:15
- North Carolina35:44
- North Dakota33:30
- Ohio35:30
- Oklahoma36:41
- Oregon37:39
- Pennsylvania32:47
- Rhode Island33:16
- South Carolina35:39
- South Dakota32:28
- Tennessee36:28
- Texas37:11
- Utah36:19
- Vermont34:11
- Virginia35:08
- Washington36:43
- West Virginia36:35
- Wisconsin34:22
- Wyoming37:25
How these numbers are made
Each race's published results are reduced to percentile times for the whole field and for each gender and age group; names are never stored. Those curves are pooled across road races of the last two years, weighted by finishers, so a big race counts for more than a small one. School meets and results with impossible times are left out, and a group needs 100 finishers across 5 races before we show it. Medians include walkers and first-timers, so they run slower than club times.
Find a race to test yourself: upcoming 5K races.