The report states that among all men, age-adjusted mean height was 176.7 cm for non-Hispanic White men and 175.5 cm for non-Hispanic Black men in 2015–2016. Among women, age-adjusted mean height was 162.3 cm for non-Hispanic White women and 162.4 cm for non-Hispanic Black women in 2015–2016.

This CDC/NCHS report says race and Hispanic origin were reported for five groups: non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic Asian, all Hispanic, and Mexican-American persons. It also notes that the measurements reflect mean height and other body measurements for adults in NHANES.

In each of the five age groups in the age range 18-64 years, white men were taller than black men. The average difference between heights of white and black men aged 18-64 years was about 0.7 inch. At age group 65-74 years, the mean height for black and white men was the same. For women, at age groups 18-24 and 25-34 years, white women were, on the average, 0.25 inch taller than black women. At ages 35-44 years, black women were 0.1 inch taller than white women; at ages 45-54 years, they were 0.2 inch taller; and at ages 65-74 years, they were 0.3 inch taller.

Using objectively measured NHANES data, the study reports adult mean height values of 176.05 cm for Black men and 177.44 cm for White men, and 163.21 cm for Black women and 163.42 cm for White women. These measured values show White adults slightly taller on average in this sample.

CDC describes NHANES as "a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States" and notes that it includes "a physical examination" with measured height and weight. NHANES collects data on "race and Hispanic origin" and provides nationally representative estimates, which are used in published tables of mean height by age, sex, and race/ethnicity, including non-Hispanic White and non-Hispanic Black adults.

We examined the association of child/adolescent socioeconomic position and measured adult height in a diverse cohort. The mean age for females at Wave III was 21.8 and for males 21.9 years. The average measured height for females was 64.3 inches and for males 70.2 inches. Wave III height (mean ± SE) by race/ethnicity for males: White 70.4±0.1 in, Black 70.3±0.1 in, Asian 68.9±0.2 in, Hispanic 68.2±0.4 in, Native American 70.2±0.3 in. For females: White 64.5±0.1 in, Black 64.3±0.1 in, Asian 63.2±0.2 in, Hispanic 62.5±0.4 in, Native American 64.5±0.2 in. Thus, in this nationally based cohort of young adults, average height of Black participants was very slightly lower than that of White participants for both sexes.

Using NHANES data from 2017–2020 for non-Hispanic White (NHW) and non-Hispanic Black (NHB) men, the study gives descriptive anthropometric statistics, including height. In Table 1 the mean height (in inches) is reported as 69.9 [95% CI: 69.7, 70.0] for NHW men and 69.2 [95% CI: 68.9, 69.4] for NHB men. The authors state: "NHW men were slightly taller on average than NHB men" while other body measures such as BMI showed different racial patterns.

Analyzing a combination of historical and modern data, the authors report that in more recent birth cohorts, "Blacks are shorter than Whites" in the United States, even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors. They note that the Black–White height differential is on the order of 1–2 cm among adults, and that this pattern persists across cohorts born in the mid-20th century, suggesting that average adult height is lower among Black Americans than among non-Hispanic White Americans.

Using NHANES anthropometric data for adults aged 20+ in 1999–2018, we document a decline in average measured height in the U.S. population. The decline in adult height ranged from 0.68 ± 0.36 cm among white women to 1.97 ± 0.50 cm among Hispanic men and is statistically significant for most race-sex groups. Racial differences in height persist in the NHANES data, with non-Hispanic whites generally taller than non-Hispanic blacks and other groups. The paper notes that the secular decline in height does not erase pre-existing race and ethnicity height gaps observed in earlier NHANES cycles.

The paper says the height of black men lagged white men by about 1 cm in recent birth cohorts, and that the difference between white and black female heights became more striking in recent NHANES data. It does not support the claim that Black adults are taller on average than non-Hispanic White adults.

This study examines NHANES data to quantify racial differences in adult height. It finds that non-Hispanic White men are on average about 1 cm taller than non-Hispanic Black men, and the gap is somewhat larger among women, with non-Hispanic White women taller than non-Hispanic Black women by nearly 2 cm. The authors attribute these differences to long-standing inequalities in socioeconomic status and childhood health environments.

This NIDDK page summarizes NHANES 2017–2018 data on obesity by race and ethnicity, noting differences between non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Black adults. It reports that "Severe obesity was highest among non-Hispanic Black adults (13.8%), followed by non-Hispanic white adults (9.3%)," and that "Nearly 1 in 2 non-Hispanic Black adults (49.6%) have obesity" compared with "More than 2 in 5 non-Hispanic white adults (42.2%)." Although the page focuses on weight and BMI rather than height, it clarifies that these statistics are derived from the same NHANES surveys that also collect standardized height measurements used in CDC anthropometric reports.

These presentation slides use NHANES data (Hales et al. 2017) to illustrate differences in obesity prevalence by race/Hispanic origin: "Hispanic, Non-Hispanic Asian, Non-Hispanic black, Non-Hispanic white." The graphs show higher obesity prevalence among non-Hispanic Black adults than among non-Hispanic white adults. While height is not directly reported, the slides confirm that the NHANES dataset under discussion includes standardized anthropometric measures such as height and weight for non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Black adults, which are the basis of CDC mean-height reports.

A National Academies report on growth disparities notes that Black children and adolescents in the United States often experience adverse socioeconomic and health conditions that can influence adult stature. It summarizes evidence from NHANES and other surveys indicating that average adult height tends to be slightly lower among Black Americans compared with White Americans, consistent with observed racial/ethnic disparities in early-life nutrition and health.

This methodological study evaluates the accuracy of in-home height and weight measurements in a U.S. survey. The sample description notes that participants were "64% non-Hispanic White; 16% non-Hispanic Black; 12% Hispanic/Latino; 8% other." It reports that the survey used trained interviewers and standard equipment to measure adult height and weight and compares these in-home measures to self-reported values. The authors conclude that measured height and weight are generally reliable across racial/ethnic groups, supporting the use of NHANES-style standardized measurements for comparing mean height between non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Black adults.

The article reports that non-Hispanic Black men in the U.S. are, on average, 5 feet 9.3 inches tall. It gives this as a comparison point for the average height of U.S. men and notes variation by ethnicity.

The article lists average U.S. male heights by race/ethnicity, including Black males at 5 feet 9.1 inches and White males at 5 feet 9.8 inches. This indicates Black men are not taller on average than White men in that dataset.

CDC anthropometric reference tables based on NHANES 2015–2018 show that for adults aged 20 and over, the mean measured height for non-Hispanic white men is just under 5 ft 10 in (about 177 cm), while the mean for non-Hispanic Black men is slightly lower, around 5 ft 9 in (about 175–176 cm). For women, the mean heights of non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic Black adults are very close (around 5 ft 4 in, 162–163 cm), with non-Hispanic Black women marginally taller in some age strata. These values indicate that when combining both sexes, non-Hispanic white adults are not shorter on average than non-Hispanic Black adults in recent NHANES cycles.

Based on CDC anthropometric data, this article lists average adult male height in the U.S. by race: non-Hispanic White men 69.8 inches (177.3 cm), non-Hispanic Black men 69.1 inches (175.6 cm), Hispanic men 66.8 inches (169.7 cm), and non-Hispanic Asian men 66.9 inches (169.9 cm. For women, the article reports non-Hispanic White women at 64.5 inches (163.8 cm) and non-Hispanic Black women at 64.3 inches (163.3 cm). These summarized values show that White adults are slightly taller on average than Black adults, with differences on the order of about 0.7 inch for men and 0.2 inch for women.

A data visualization post summarizing CDC NHANES anthropometric data states: "Among women, Black Americans are actually the tallest group at 5'4.0", slightly edging out White women at 5'3.9"." It attributes the figures to CDC NHANES data on adult height by race/ethnicity. The graphic also shows that among men, "White" adults have a slightly higher average height than "Black" adults, consistent with published CDC NHANES tabulations.

The page lists measured 2015–2018 U.S. averages of 176.7 cm for non-Hispanic White men and 176.0 cm for African American men, and 162.4 cm for non-Hispanic White women and 162.5 cm for African American women. These figures do not show Black adults taller on average than non-Hispanic White adults.

In a discussion thread on average male height in the USA by state, one user writes: "The average height of African Americans is like 176-177cm while for White Americans it's closer to 178-179cm." Another comment states: "Latinos, Asians and to a lesser extent Blacks are shorter on average than white people, especially Northern Europeans. Blacks are not taller than whites FYI."

The post, citing a CDC/NCHS report, states that Asian and Hispanic men have the shortest average body heights, followed by Black men at 176.0 cm and White men at 176.7 cm. For women, it lists Black women at 162.4 cm and White women at 162.3 cm.