A new map has revealed which US states are home to the tallest men, with those living in the heartland having a height advantage over coastal regions.
Utah, Montana, South Dakota, Alabama, Tennessee and Nebraska ranked first, with men averaging 5’9″ in height.
This was compared to Florida, the state with the highest number of shorter men, who have an average height of 5 feet 9 inches.
The average American man is 5 feet 9.7 inches tall—a two-inch difference between men in the tallest and shortest states.
Utah, Montana, South Dakota, Alabama, Tennessee and Nebraska ranked first, with men averaging 5 feet 10.6 inches, compared to Florida, which reported an average height of 5 feet 9 inches.
Perhaps one of the main reasons the male population in the United States is declining is the increase in immigrants moving to certain states such as California, where the average height of men is 1.75 m. Immigrants make up 23 percent of California’s population, with approximately 10 million immigrant residents, of whom 49 percent were born in Latin America and 40 percent in Asia.
Americans have been getting shorter since the 1980s; men are the 47th tallest in the world, and the average height shows that if you’re 6’1″ or taller, you’re an anomaly.
Researchers have attributed the shorter stature of American men to a rise in childhood obesity and an influx of immigrants moving to states such as California.
In 1914, American men were the third tallest in the world, while women were fourth, but by 2024 that number had fallen 43 spots, while women’s ranking sank to 58th place, according to a study published in the journal Electronic life.
People living in the Midwest are taller on average, with men reaching 1.70 m, while those living on the East Coast, in states such as New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, are between 1.70 m and 1.70 m.
Some researchers have speculated that people living in the Midwest are taller because of Swedish and Norwegian immigrants who came to the U.S. in the late 19th century and settled primarily in Iowa, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wisconsin.
Several European countries, including the Netherlands, Iceland and Denmark, have some of the tallest people in the world, reporting that the average man is 1.80 m tall.
“It’s very interesting that 1980 is exactly the time when American life expectancy began to fall behind its European counterparts,” said Professor John Komlos. WBUR NewsHe added: “It continues to increase, but at a slower pace.”
Height differences can vary from state to state due to genetics, nutrition, health care and socioeconomic status that indicate “the human organism is not functioning as well in its economic environment as it once did,” Komlos said.
Perhaps one of the main reasons the number of men in the United States is declining is the increase in immigrants moving to certain states such as California, where the average height of men is 5 feet 9.4 inches.
Immigrants accounted for 23 percent of California’s population, with approximately 10 million immigrant residents, of whom 49 percent were born in Latin America and 40 percent in Asia. Pew Research Center reported.
It is reported that both in Latin America and Asia there are much shorter men than in the US, approximately 1.65 m, according to the World Population Review.
California residents represent the second shortest male group in the country, and according to the Public Policy Institute of California, this could be attributed to the high level of foreign-born residents in the state.
Northeastern states are clustered at similar heights of around 5 feet 9 inches, while those in the Northwest, including Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, hover around 5 feet 10.4 inches.
Meanwhile, men in southern states like Texas, Louisiana and New Mexico are shorter, measuring less than 5’10”.
Another reason has been attributed to the rise in obesity that began in 1980, when the average height of the American began to decline, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
People living in the Midwest are taller on average, with men reaching 5 feet 10.4 inches, while those living on the East Coast, in states like New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, are between 5 feet 9.6 inches and 5 feet 9.7 inches.
A 2022 study They analyzed 130,000 children in California and found that childhood obesity is associated with both boys and girls reaching puberty earlier, resulting in a smaller growth spurt than their peers.
Obesity can cause early puberty in adolescents because fatty tissue increases estrogen levels in both boys and girls.
“Higher estrogen levels can lead to more mature bones. So bones grow taller and faster, but then their growth plates fuse earlier,” said Louise Greenspan, a pediatric endocrinologist at Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center. The Washington Post.
If children’s bone growth stops early, it can cause them to be shorter.
“It has become a habit to consume prepared foods, which are less healthy than fresh foods made at home. And as a result, we are seeing the beginning of an obesity epidemic,” Komlos told WBUR.
Utah, which ranks as one of the tallest states for men, has a much lower obesity rate than the national average: 9.7 percent of high school students are considered obese, compared with 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, putting it on par with much of the United States.
If the American population wants to increase its average height to compete with other countries around the world, Ezzati said. Magazine of the week that the optimal forms are ‘good social services, good welfare, good health care, good nutrition and good public health’.
