Skip to content
Blood Test Tracker

Non-HDL-C by age and sex

What’s typical for Non-HDL-C at every adult age, from a U.S. government health survey of 19,237 people, next to the usual ranges labs print.

NHANES 2015–2016, 2017–March 2020 (pre-pandemic), August 2021–August 202319,237 adultsAI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review

What’s typical at one age

Pick a sex and an age to see the spread among U.S. adults like that, and type a result to see where it falls.

U.S. women aged 40–49

1,541 people in NHANES, 2015–2016, 2017–March 2020 (pre-pandemic), August 2021–August 2023.

Women aged 40–49, 1,541 people: median 133, middle half 108 to 157, middle 90% 85 to 198 mg/dL. Usual range up to 129.

Median (half are lower)
133 mg/dL
Middle half of people
108 to 157
Middle 90% of people
85 to 198
Usual range a lab prints
up to 129

Shaded: the middle 90% and middle half of people. Dark line: the median. The bracket above: the usual range.

Nothing you type here leaves your browser.

Across adult life

NHANES describes the US civilian, non-institutionalized population, not a 'healthy' reference group. People with disease, on medication, fasting or not (except fasting-subsample markers), smokers and so on are all included. A percentile says where a value sits among Americans of that sex and age, not whether it is normal.

How Non-HDL-C varies with age in the U.S.Shaded: middle 90% and middle 50% of people. Line: the median. mg/dL. Point at any age, or focus the chart and use the arrow keys, to read both sexes in words.

Use the left and right arrow keys to read each age. Shift moves five years.

Reference data derived from CDC/NCHS National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), cycles 2015-2016, 2017-March 2020 (pre-pandemic), August 2021-August 2023. Analysis by bloodtesttracker.com; not endorsed by CDC, NCHS or HHS.

Every percentile

Download this table (CSV)

The 25th percentile means a quarter of people in that group had a lower result. In mg/dL. A dash means too few people were measured for the survey to publish that number.

Women

Non-HDL-C percentiles for U.S. women by age, in mg/dL, NHANES 2015–2016, 2017–March 2020 (pre-pandemic), August 2021–August 2023
AgePeople2.5th5th10th25thMedian75th90th95th97.5th
18–291,69760677790108130155173195
30–391,519667584102123144169185196
40–491,541788594108133157182198212
50–591,643738596120142171198221233
60–691,933738193114138165192213229
70–791,086697688104131158189215231
80+58764718097122151178195208
All adults10,006677686104128155183201220

Men

Non-HDL-C percentiles for U.S. men by age, in mg/dL, NHANES 2015–2016, 2017–March 2020 (pre-pandemic), August 2021–August 2023
AgePeople2.5th5th10th25thMedian75th90th95th97.5th
18–291,65260677794115142176195209
30–391,311728396117141168195212227
40–491,3157889105125150181210227239
50–591,434708092114142169202223247
60–691,817667283105130156184202219
70–791,13758647291116141169187202
80+56558647387103130160175190
All adults9,231657385105132162192211227

About these numbers

  • NHANES describes the US civilian, non-institutionalized population, not a 'healthy' reference group. People with disease, on medication, fasting or not (except fasting-subsample markers), smokers and so on are all included. A percentile says where a value sits among Americans of that sex and age, not whether it is normal.
  • Assays differ between labs and between NHANES cycles. Values from a commercial lab can sit a few percent higher or lower than NHANES for the same blood. Earlier cycles were bridged to the 2021-2023 method with NCHS equations where NCHS recommends it.
  • Age 80 and over is top-coded at 80 in public NHANES files, so the 80+ cell mixes everyone 80 and older.
  • 2021-2023 (cycle L) had a 25.7% exam response rate and no race/income oversampling; NCHS advises caution when combining it with earlier cycles.
  • Derived: LBXTC - LBDHDD.

Reference data derived from CDC/NCHS National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), cycles 2015-2016, 2017-March 2020 (pre-pandemic), August 2021-August 2023. Analysis by bloodtesttracker.com; not endorsed by CDC, NCHS or HHS.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data. Hyattsville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015-2016, 2017-March 2020 (pre-pandemic), August 2021-August 2023. https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/

How we use survey data

The usual range at every age

The reference range labs print, for each age group. Ranges differ a little between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against.

Use the left and right arrow keys to step through the age groups. Every range is also in the table below.

Usual range of Non-HDL-C by age, in mg/dL
WhoUsual range
2–19up to 119 mg/dL
20+up to 129 mg/dL

Sources: NHLBI / Pediatrics, Quest Diagnostics (via Fullscript), Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Extended Catalog copy), MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), Mayo Clinic, NHLBI / National Institutes of Health, ARUP Laboratories, Circulation (Nguyen, Ahmad, Navar), Life (MDPI), Quest Diagnostics, European Society of Cardiology / European Atherosclerosis Society, JACC: Asia, European Heart Journal (joint EAS/EFLM statement, also in Clinical Chemistry), NHS England Accelerated Access Collaborative