Resting Heart Rate Chart for Women by Age
A normal resting heart rate for women is 60 to 100 bpm at any adult age. In CDC data on 6,852 U.S. women, the average sat at 73 to 76 bpm, and the middle half of women landed between about 64 and 82 bpm.
The chart below comes from the CDC's resting pulse rate reference data, built from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2008. It's one of the few sources that reports resting heart rate for women by age with full percentiles instead of a single "normal" range. The "middle 50%" column shows where the central half of women landed, from the 25th to the 75th percentile.
| Age | Average | Median | Middle 50% of Women | Lowest 5% Below |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–39 | 76 bpm | 74 bpm | 66–82 bpm | 57 bpm |
| 40–59 | 73 bpm | 71 bpm | 64–79 bpm | 56 bpm |
| 60–79 | 73 bpm | 70 bpm | 64–78 bpm | 56 bpm |
| 80+ | 73 bpm | 71 bpm | 64–77 bpm | 56 bpm |
Data from CDC National Health Statistics Reports No. 41.
The American Heart Association uses the same 60 to 100 bpm range for every adult, measured while sitting or lying down, calm, and feeling well. That range is wide enough to cover a marathoner and someone who hasn't exercised in years, which is why the percentiles tell you more than the range does.
How a Woman's Resting Heart Rate Changes With Age
It barely changes. The CDC average drops from 76 bpm in the 20 to 39 group to 73 bpm from age 40 on, then holds steady into the 80s.
That 3-beat drop is small, and the middle 50% band stays in nearly the same place from 40 to 80. Age is a much bigger factor for maximum heart rate than for resting heart rate. So if your resting number climbs by 10 bpm between 45 and 55, don't write it off as aging. Something else changed, and it's worth finding out what.
Wearable data lines up with the CDC numbers. A 2020 study in PLOS ONE tracked daily resting heart rate in 92,457 Fitbit users and found that 95% of women sat between 53 and 82 bpm. Women ran higher than men in every age group. The same study found that 2 people's "normal" can differ by as much as 70 bpm, so your own trend over weeks says more than any chart.
One detail matters when you compare your number to the CDC chart. Those readings were taken seated, in an exam setting, after about 4 minutes of quiet rest, with a 30-second count doubled. A reading taken in bed right after you wake up tends to run lower. If your watch says 64 and the chart says the average woman sits at 73, part of that gap is the measuring method.
Why Women's Resting Heart Rates Run Higher Than Men's
Women's resting heart rates run about 3 to 5 bpm higher than men's because the average female heart is smaller and pumps less blood per beat. A smaller stroke volume means more beats per minute to move the same blood at rest.
According to Cleveland Clinic, an adult male heart weighs about 25% more than a female heart on average. Cleveland Clinic puts the average resting heart rate at 79 bpm for adult women and 74 bpm for adult men. In the CDC data, women's average was significantly higher than men's in every age group under 80. The medians show the same gap: 74 vs. 69 bpm from 20 to 39, and 70 to 71 vs. 67 to 68 bpm from 40 on.
This matters most when you compare your number with a male partner's or a training buddy's. Sitting a few beats above a male partner doesn't mean you're less fit. For the men's side of this data, see what is a good resting heart rate for men.
What Is a Good Resting Heart Rate for a Woman?
For most women, a resting heart rate in the 50s is excellent, the 60s are good, the 70s are average, and 80 or higher leaves room to improve. Here's how each band lines up against the CDC data for U.S. women.
| Resting HR | Category | Where It Falls Among U.S. Women |
|---|---|---|
| Under 50 bpm | Athlete | Lower than about 95% of women. Usually seen in endurance-trained women |
| 50–59 bpm | Excellent | Lower than at least 3 in 4 women, and under 56 is lower than about 95% |
| 60–69 bpm | Good | Below the median at every age |
| 70–79 bpm | Average | Around the median, up to about the top quarter |
| 80+ bpm | Below average | Higher than about 3 in 4 women aged 40 and up |
Categories match the site's resting heart rate calculator. Percentile positions come from the CDC reference data above.
The calculator's bands are the same for men and women, and women sit a few beats higher on average. So a woman at 72 bpm lands in "average" while sitting close to the middle of other women. Within the 70s, a woman is in a slightly better spot relative to her peers than a man with the same number. The bands still give you a useful target. Lower within the normal range tends to track with better fitness, and a 2016 meta-analysis of 46 studies and 1.2 million people found that each 10 bpm increase in resting heart rate came with a 9% higher risk of death from any cause.
For how resting heart rate works across the whole population, including children, see what is a good resting heart rate by age and fitness level.
How Your Cycle, Pregnancy, and Menopause Change Your Number
Your resting heart rate rises slightly around ovulation and the week after, rises much more during pregnancy, and can feel less predictable around menopause. Those shifts are normal, and knowing about them keeps you from misreading your own trend.
The Menstrual Cycle
According to Cleveland Clinic, heart rate increases slightly during ovulation and the week after, then decreases slightly during your period and the week after. If you track your resting heart rate daily, expect a gentle rise and fall across each cycle.
The practical fix is to compare like with like. A reading from the week after ovulation shouldn't be judged against a reading from the week of your period. A 7-day or monthly average, which most wearables report, smooths the cycle out. If your watch shows your resting heart rate up 3 beats this week, check where you are in your cycle before you blame your training.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy raises resting heart rate on its own. Cleveland Clinic notes that the amount of blood your heart pumps goes up by 30% to 50% during pregnancy, and resting heart rate typically climbs to as much as about 90 bpm. That's an expected change, and your fitness hasn't dropped. It also means training zones built from a pre-pregnancy resting heart rate stop fitting. Safe heart rate for exercise during pregnancy covers what to do instead.
Perimenopause and Menopause
Cleveland Clinic notes that heart palpitations are common during the transition to menopause and can start early in perimenopause. A pounding or fluttering heartbeat can make your resting number feel unreliable for a stretch. Keep measuring the same way, at the same time of day, and watch the weekly average instead of single readings. If palpitations come with chest pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness, talk with your doctor.
Does Exercise Lower a Woman's Resting Heart Rate?
Yes. Endurance training, strength training, and a mix of both all lowered resting heart rate in women in a large meta-analysis, by roughly 2 to 4 bpm compared with women who didn't train.
A 2018 meta-analysis in the Journal of Clinical Medicine pooled 191 studies and 12,952 participants. In women, endurance training lowered resting heart rate by 3.4 bpm, strength training by 2.2 bpm, and combined endurance and strength programs by 3.8 bpm. The strength and combined results were significant in women but not in men. The researchers also found bigger drops in people who started with a higher resting heart rate.
A 3-beat drop sounds modest. It's an average, though, and people starting from a higher number tended to drop further. If your resting heart rate sits in the high 70s or 80s, steady aerobic work gives you the most room to move it. 2 to 3 sessions a week of Zone 2 training, at a pace where you can still hold a conversation, is a good place to start, and lifting on other days helps too. For the full list of what moves this number, including sleep, stress, and caffeine, see 7 ways to lower your resting heart rate.
When Should a Woman See a Doctor About Her Resting Heart Rate?
Call your doctor if your resting heart rate is often above 100 bpm, if it's often below 60 bpm and you don't train for endurance, or if any reading comes with chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fainting.
That guidance comes from Cleveland Clinic, which advises calling a provider when resting heart rate is often above 100 and telling a provider when it's often below 60. A resting rate above 100 is classified as tachycardia. Below 60 is classified as bradycardia, though the AHA notes it's common in athletes whose hearts don't need to work as hard. The AHA also advises telling your doctor when your heart rate has been running slower or faster than usual for you, which is where tracking your own baseline pays off.
A resting rate in the high 70s or 80s isn't an emergency, but it's worth paying attention to over time. In the Women's Health Initiative, researchers followed 129,135 postmenopausal women with no history of heart problems for an average of 7.8 years. Women with resting heart rates above 76 bpm were significantly more likely to have a heart attack or die of coronary disease than women at 62 bpm or below. The link held after accounting for physical activity, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking, and alcohol. The researchers also noted that resting heart rate predicted risk less strongly than smoking or diabetes, so treat it as 1 signal among several.
How to Measure Your Resting Heart Rate Accurately
Measure it in the morning, before you get out of bed, and count for a full 60 seconds. Repeat for 3 mornings and average the results.
- Stay lying down. Sitting up or standing raises your heart rate before you've done anything.
- Find your pulse. Place 2 fingers on the thumb side of your wrist or beside your windpipe. Skip your thumb, since it has a pulse of its own.
- Count for 60 seconds. Shorter counts multiplied up add rounding error.
- Average 3 mornings. A single bad night of sleep can skew a reading by several beats.
- Note your cycle phase. When you compare readings month to month, compare the same phase, or use a weekly average.
A wearable's overnight or 7-day average works well for spotting trends. If it disagrees with your manual count by more than a few beats, trust a few mornings of manual counts over a single automated reading.
How to Turn Your Resting Heart Rate Into Training Zones
Pair your resting heart rate with a women-specific max heart rate estimate in the Karvonen formula. For a 45-year-old woman, swapping 220 minus age for the Gulati formula moves her Zone 2 range down by 6 to 7 bpm.
The Karvonen formula builds your zones from your heart rate reserve (HRR), the gap between your maximum and resting heart rates. Your resting number is half the input. The other half is max heart rate. In 2010, cardiologist Martha Gulati and colleagues published a women-specific formula in Circulation, based on exercise tests in 5,437 healthy women aged 35 and older. Their data showed women reach a lower peak heart rate than the traditional formula predicts. At age 50, 220 minus age gives 170 bpm, while the Gulati formula gives 162.
Target HR = Resting HR + (Intensity% × (Max HR − Resting HR))
- 220 minus age: Max HR = 220 − 45 = 175 bpm, HRR = 175 − 64 = 111 bpm
- Zone 2 (60–70% HRR) = 64 + (0.60–0.70 × 111) = 131–142 bpm
- Gulati: Max HR = 206 − (0.88 × 45) = 166 bpm, HRR = 166 − 64 = 102 bpm
- Zone 2 (60–70% HRR) = 64 + (0.60–0.70 × 102) = 125–135 bpm
Those 6 to 7 beats matter on an easy run or ride. If she builds her zones from 220 minus age, the top of her "Zone 2" sits at 142 bpm, which can push her above the aerobic pace she's aiming for. Use the Gulati formula calculator to get your max heart rate. Then enter it as a custom max HR in the Karvonen calculator along with your resting heart rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a normal resting heart rate for women by age?
For adult women of any age, 60 to 100 bpm is normal. In CDC data, the average was 76 bpm for women aged 20 to 39 and 73 bpm for every group from 40 to 80 and older. The middle half of women sat between about 64 and 82 bpm.
What is the average resting heart rate for a 50-year-old woman?
In CDC reference data, women aged 40 to 59 averaged 73 bpm, with a median of 71 bpm. The middle half of women in that group sat between 64 and 79 bpm.
Is a resting heart rate of 80 normal for a woman?
Yes, 80 bpm is within the normal 60 to 100 range. It's higher than about 3 in 4 women aged 40 and up, which usually points to low aerobic fitness, poor sleep, stress, caffeine, or alcohol. Regular aerobic exercise tends to bring it down over a few months.
Is a resting heart rate of 55 good for a woman?
Yes. A resting heart rate of 55 bpm is lower than about 95% of U.S. women in CDC data and usually reflects strong aerobic fitness. It's only a concern if it comes with dizziness, fainting, or unusual fatigue, or if you don't exercise regularly and it's a new change.
Does your resting heart rate change during your period?
Slightly. According to Cleveland Clinic, heart rate dips a little during your period and the week after, and rises a little around ovulation and the week after. Compare readings from the same point in your cycle, or use a weekly average.
Why is my resting heart rate higher than my husband's?
Women average about 3 to 5 bpm higher than men at rest, because the average female heart is smaller and pumps less blood per beat. A few beats of difference doesn't mean either of you is less fit.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Talk with a physician before starting a new exercise program, especially during pregnancy, and see one promptly if your resting heart rate is often above 100 bpm or comes with chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or fainting.