Average vertical jump

Average vertical jump by age and sex from a national survey of 5,188 people, plus college athletes and the NBA and NFL combines. See your percentile.

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Your vertical jump

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Median for men and boys, ages 20–24: 19.4 in. Canadian national survey, 2016–17: force plate, arms swinging allowed. Source: Hoffmann et al. (2019). Normative-referenced percentile values for physical fitness among Canadians. Health Reports, Statistics Canada.

Approximate. Arm swing, run-ups and the measuring device all change the number: compare with a group that jumped the way you did.

Don't know your vertical? Film a jump and measure it below.

Find where you stand

01Enter your vertical jump, or measure it with the tester further down this page.
02Pick male or female, and your age group or an athlete group.
03Read your approximate percentile and the group's median.
04Check how the group jumped: arm swing, run-ups and devices change the numbers.

Average vertical jump for men

The best general-population numbers come from the Canadian Health Measures Survey: 5,188 people aged 8 to 69, chosen to represent the country, each jumping on a force plate with arm swing allowed [1]. Men jump highest in their early twenties: the median at 20–24 is 49.4 cm (19.4 in). The survey screened out some less fit people, so its authors expect these values to run higher than the whole population's [1].

Men and boys: vertical jump by age, arm swing allowed (Canadian national survey, 2016–17)
Age	10th percentile	Median	90th percentile
12–13	30.5 cm12.0 in	39.9 cm15.7 in	49.8 cm19.6 in
14–15	33.3 cm13.1 in	44.0 cm17.3 in	54.6 cm21.5 in
16–17	35.2 cm13.9 in	46.9 cm18.5 in	58.1 cm22.9 in
18–19	36.3 cm14.3 in	48.7 cm19.2 in	60.1 cm23.7 in
20–24	36.6 cm14.4 in	49.4 cm19.4 in	60.7 cm23.9 in
25–29	35.5 cm14.0 in	48.0 cm18.9 in	59.0 cm23.2 in
30–34	33.9 cm13.3 in	45.8 cm18.0 in	56.3 cm22.2 in
35–39	32.3 cm12.7 in	43.5 cm17.1 in	53.5 cm21.1 in
40–44	30.7 cm12.1 in	41.1 cm16.2 in	50.7 cm20.0 in
45–49	29.1 cm11.5 in	38.8 cm15.3 in	48.0 cm18.9 in
50–54	27.4 cm10.8 in	36.4 cm14.3 in	45.1 cm17.8 in
55–59	25.7 cm10.1 in	33.9 cm13.3 in	42.2 cm16.6 in
60–64	23.8 cm9.4 in	31.3 cm12.3 in	39.0 cm15.4 in
65–69	21.7 cm8.5 in	28.5 cm11.2 in	35.5 cm14.0 in

Average vertical jump for women

Women's jumps peak earlier, at 12–13 (median 34.9 cm, 13.7 in), and the median at 20–24 is 31.8 cm (12.5 in) [1].

Women and girls: vertical jump by age, arm swing allowed (Canadian national survey, 2016–17)
Age	10th percentile	Median	90th percentile
12–13	27.6 cm10.9 in	34.9 cm13.7 in	42.3 cm16.7 in
14–15	27.3 cm10.7 in	34.7 cm13.7 in	42.3 cm16.7 in
16–17	26.5 cm10.4 in	33.7 cm13.3 in	41.3 cm16.3 in
18–19	25.6 cm10.1 in	32.8 cm12.9 in	40.2 cm15.8 in
20–24	24.7 cm9.7 in	31.8 cm12.5 in	39.3 cm15.5 in
25–29	24.1 cm9.5 in	31.3 cm12.3 in	38.8 cm15.3 in
30–34	23.6 cm9.3 in	30.9 cm12.2 in	38.5 cm15.2 in
35–39	22.9 cm9.0 in	30.2 cm11.9 in	37.8 cm14.9 in
40–44	22.0 cm8.7 in	29.1 cm11.5 in	36.6 cm14.4 in
45–49	20.8 cm8.2 in	27.7 cm10.9 in	34.9 cm13.7 in
50–54	19.5 cm7.7 in	26.1 cm10.3 in	32.9 cm13.0 in
55–59	18.1 cm7.1 in	24.4 cm9.6 in	30.9 cm12.2 in
60–64	16.8 cm6.6 in	22.7 cm8.9 in	28.8 cm11.3 in
65–69	15.6 cm6.1 in	21.1 cm8.3 in	26.9 cm10.6 in

What is a good vertical jump?

It depends on your age and sex. For men aged 20–24, the middle 40% of the survey jumped 44.3–54.1 cm (17.4–21.3 in), and 56.9 cm (22.4 in) put you in the top 20%. For women aged 20–24, the middle 40% jumped 28.9–34.8 cm (11.4–13.7 in), and 36.7 cm (14.4 in) was the top 20% [1].

Jumping drops with age from early adulthood: men's median falls from 49.4 cm at 20–24 to 28.5 cm at 65–69, and women's from 31.8 cm to 21.1 cm [1].

Athletes

Athlete numbers are only comparable when they were measured the same way. Combine verticals are jump-and-reach, with a vane device, which reads differently from timing your flight. The standing vertical starts with no steps; the max vertical allows a run-up.

Group	Vertical jump	How it was measured
NCAA Division I athletes, men	36 cm (14.2 in) average	Force plate, flight time, no arm swing [2]
NCAA Division I athletes, women	27 cm (10.6 in) average	Force plate, flight time, no arm swing [2]
Elite youth athletes, age 15, boys	36.2 cm (14.3 in) average	Light-beam mat, hands on hips [3]
Elite youth athletes, age 15, girls	27.4 cm (10.8 in) average	Light-beam mat, hands on hips [3]
Elite volleyball men	37.9 cm (14.9 in), 52.2 cm (20.6 in) with arm swing	Force plates, 18 players [4]
NBA draft prospects, point guards (drafted)	76.5 cm (30.1 in) standing, 91.9 cm (36.2 in) running	Jump and reach [5]
NBA draft prospects, centres (drafted)	70.8 cm (27.9 in) standing, 81.1 cm (31.9 in) running	Jump and reach [5]
NBA slam dunk contest finalists	102.4 cm (40.3 in) running	Jump and reach [6]
NFL combine players	83–84 cm (about 33 in) average	Jump and reach, arm swing [7] [8]

Why the numbers don't all match

Arm swing: college students jumped 5–7 cm higher with their arms (about 23%) [9], elite volleyball players 38% higher [4].
Jump and reach adds the rise from lifting your heels before take-off, which flight-time methods don't count [10].
Run-ups: at the NBA combine the running vertical beat the standing one by 10–15 cm [5].
The national survey allowed arm swing; the NCAA and elite youth groups jumped without it [1] [2] [3]. Compare with the group that jumped the way you did.

Measure your jump

Test your jumpFree · no install

Upload a video

Best: a slow-motion video from your camera app. On iPhone, slow motion takes a few seconds to prepare after you pick it. Your video stays on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

Set up in 30 seconds

1Put the phone on the floor or at knee height, 2–3 m (7–10 ft) away, so your whole body and both feet are in the picture.
2Stand still, jump straight up as high as you can, and land on the same spot with straight legs.
3Then step through the video and mark two frames: take-off and landing.

Questions

What is the average vertical jump?

In Canada's national fitness survey, with arm swing allowed, the median was 49.4 cm (19.4 in) for men aged 20–24 and 31.8 cm (12.5 in) for women aged 20–24. It falls steadily with age after that.

What is a good vertical jump for my age?

Above the median for your age and sex is better than half your peers. For men aged 20–24, 56.9 cm (22.4 in) is about the top 20%; for women aged 20–24, 36.7 cm (14.4 in). Use the tool above for your own age.

What is the average NBA vertical jump?

Drafted point guards at the NBA combine averaged 76.5 cm (30.1 in) standing and 91.9 cm (36.2 in) with a run-up, measured by jump and reach. Centres averaged 70.8 cm (27.9 in) and 81.1 cm (31.9 in).

Can I compare my result with these numbers?

With the national survey, yes, roughly: it timed jumps on a force plate with arm swing allowed, close to filming a jump and marking the frames. Combine numbers are jump-and-reach and aren't directly comparable.

Does vertical jump decline with age?

Yes. In the survey, men's median fell from 49.4 cm at 20–24 to 28.5 cm at 65–69, and women's from 31.8 cm to 21.1 cm.

Is a 20 inch vertical good?

For men aged 20–24 in the national survey, 20 in (50.8 cm) is about the 56th percentile: a little above the median. For women aged 20–24 it's above the 95th percentile, and for boys aged 14–15 about the 79th.

What's the average vertical jump for a 14-year-old?

In the national survey, the median for boys aged 14–15 was 44.0 cm (17.3 in) and for girls 34.7 cm (13.7 in), with arm swing allowed.

How rare is a 40 inch vertical?

Very rare. NBA slam dunk contest finalists averaged 102.4 cm (40.3 in) with a run-up, measured by jump and reach, and drafted NBA point guards 91.9 cm (36.2 in). A standing jump timed by flight reads lower than these.

More on the vertical jump

How to measure your vertical jumpEvery way to measure a vertical jump, compared: the wall and chalk test, jump mats, force plates and phone video. Then measure yours here, free.How to jump higherHow to jump higher: technique you can use today, like arm swing and the dip, and the training that adds 2–6 cm over 10+ weeks, from research reviews.Dunk calculatorHow high do you need to jump to dunk? Enter your height or standing reach for the vertical you need to touch a 10 ft rim and to dunk, and measure yours.