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Blood Test Tracker

Total Cholesterol by age and sex

What’s typical for total cholesterol 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 191, middle half 169 to 213, middle 90% 140 to 252 mg/dL. Usual range up to 199.

Median (half are lower)
191 mg/dL
Middle half of people
169 to 213
Middle 90% of people
140 to 252
Usual range a lab prints
up to 199

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

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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 Total Cholesterol 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

Total Cholesterol 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
18–291,697113122132147167187212229246
30–391,519123132143162179200224239250
40–491,541132140151169191213239252267
50–591,643133146159180204232260277291
60–691,933125137152175201228257275293
70–791,086124134145165196224257270289
80+587120128138157186215240262275
All adults10,006122132143164187215243262278

Men

Total Cholesterol 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
18–291,652111119129146165190220238255
30–391,311127136146164189214241256272
40–491,315123137152173198226258273284
50–591,434119125139163192219251265285
60–691,817111118132152180207235254272
70–791,137102112122139167195219234252
80+56599111120136155185209232241
All adults9,231115122134155181210239256273

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.

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 Total Cholesterol by age, in mg/dL
WhoUsual range
2–19up to 169 mg/dL
20+up to 199 mg/dL

Sources: NHLBI / Pediatrics, Quest Diagnostics (via Fullscript), Labcorp, Mayo Clinic Laboratories (Extended Catalog copy), ARUP Laboratories, MedlinePlus (National Library of Medicine), NHLBI / National Institutes of Health, European Heart Journal (joint EAS/EFLM statement, also in Clinical Chemistry)