How we calculate every number

Reviewed October 30, 2026

Resting pulse percentiles

Source: Ostchega Y, Porter KS, Hughes J, Dillon CF, Nwankwo T. Resting pulse rate reference data for children, adolescents, and adults: United States, 1999–2008. National Health Statistics Reports No. 41. NCHS, 2011. During 1999–2008 NHANES examined 49,114 people; 47,610 had a usable pulse reading. The report then left out anyone with a current infection, a medicine that affects heart rate, pregnancy, an irregular pulse or abnormal thyroid tests. The remaining reference sample is 35,302 people: 14,200 adults aged 20 and over and 21,102 children and teens. Every percentile on this site comes from that reference sample (Tables 1–3 of the report).

Pulse was taken after about 4 minutes of seated rest: at the wrist for 30 seconds and doubled from age 5, by stethoscope for younger children.

Your percentile: the report publishes 11 points (1st, 2.5th, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th, 97.5th, 99th) for 12 age groups. We place your number on a straight line between the two published points around it and round down to a whole number, so a sentence never claims more than the table shows. Above the 99th point we write “>99”; below the lowest point, “<1” (or the lowest published point). “Higher than about N in 100” means about N in 100 people in that age group had a lower resting pulse.

Ranges and formulas

Adult resting range 60–100 BPM, target heart rate 50–70% (moderate) and 70–85% (vigorous) of 220 − age: American Heart Association. Target Heart Rates Chart.
Maximum heart rate 208 − 0.7 × age: Tanaka H, Monahan KD, Seals DR. Age-predicted maximal heart rate revisited. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2001;37(1):153–156.
Maximum heart rate 207 − 0.7 × age: Gellish RL, et al. Longitudinal modeling of the relationship between age and maximal heart rate. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(5):822–829.
Heart rate reserve (Karvonen): zone = resting + % × (maximum − resting) — Karvonen MJ, Kentala E, Mustala O. The effects of training on heart rate: a longitudinal study. Ann Med Exp Biol Fenn. 1957;35(3):307–315.
Five zones at 50/60/70/80/90% of maximum: a common fitness convention, not an AHA standard.
Counting: 15 seconds × 4 (Mayo Clinic. Heart rate: What’s normal? (Expert answers).) or 30 seconds × 2 (as in NHANES).

Rounding

All BPM results are rounded to the nearest whole beat. The same code produces the numbers in the page text, the tables and the interactive tools, so they always match.

Limits

The reference data is from 1999–2008, describes people in the United States at rest, and excludes people on heart-rate medicines. It cannot tell you whether your heart is healthy. See the medical disclaimer.