The Recommended Daily Step Count for Your Age and Fitness Level

Walking 10,000 steps is catchy, but it’s not an exact number that everyone should follow. The real target depends on your age, baseline fitness, and what you want to achieve (longevity vs. conditioning).

As you sit in your comfy chair watching YouTube, you may need a reality check when it comes to your wellness. A large US study showed that more daily steps are equivalent to lower death risk, and the curve flattens somewhere between 7,500 and 12,000, depending on age. How fast you take those steps matters far less for longevity than how many you take.

Ages 15-20: Easy to Achieve At This Age

For teens and late adolescents, something that is recommended is around 60 minutes per day of moderate to hard physical activity. Steps equivalents from pedometar research place at 12,000 to 15,000 steps/day on average. Hours of sitting, playing video games, and doing homework also matter and can influence the number needed to achieve.

Target goal: 12k-15k most days, with some short activity. To be exact with pacing, 100 steps per minute is a moderate pace. Even adding a short and faster pace will help them meet the weekly goal.

Ages 20-30: Jack of all goals (longevity+fitness)

In adults, the risk of death fell notably if they made 4,000 to 8,000 steps per day. And the risk is even lower if the number is closer to 12,000. After looking at the total step count, the pace wasn’t a huge influence on the mortality rate. So, if the healthspan is your goal, take more steps instead of focusing on pace.

Target goal: 8k-12k per day. Most adults are going to the gym at this age, but don’t connect weight lifting to moving. There is a difference between a treadmill and going out for a walk as well.

Ages 30-40: Busy years, Durable Habits

Careers and kids are the biggest impact on “our time,” and we shouldn’t complain about it, but our body does. A huge number of parents are not doing the bare minimum for their bodies, and they think that being active around their kids is equal to training/wellness. 5,000 steps are necessary at this age, just to keep your body in an acceptable state. From 8,000 to 10,000, you are doing somewhat okay.

Target goal: 7.5k-10k per day. And it would be great if you could include fast-paced walks a couple of times for at least 10 minutes. This can make a huge change if you haven’t been active in years.

Ages 40-50: Things Start To Kick In

Cardio-metabolic risk creeps up here, and consistent walking is a low-friction countermeasure. Step-mortality work continues to show benefits in the 7k-10k/day range for middle-aged adults. If you combine that with 2 days of resistance training, you are on the right path.

Target goal: 7k-9k/day (more is fine), plus resistance training with an experienced coach.

Ages: 50-60: Volume matters while Intensity is Optional

The “more steps, lower risk” pattern holds, and guidelines still emphasize that 150-300 minutes per week of moderate activity is the way to go. If knees or feet complain, split walks into shorter chunks and aim for 6-8k/day most days.

Target goals: 6k-8k/day, adding brief brisk segments as tolerated.

Ages 60+: Big Returns from “Modest” Numbers

Among older women, around 4,000 steps per day is linked to significantly lower mortality vs. 2,500, with benefits climbing and plateuing near 7,500. The difference in health condition is also higher at this age, so the estimate is harder to predict.

Target goal: 4.5k-7.5k/day. Depending on the age and state, adding extras can help, like short hills or stairs.