Are Americans Walking Enough? WeWard’s First-Ever State of Walking Report Reveals Surprising Trends

Walking is one of the easiest, most powerful ways to improve our health, reduce our carbon footprint, and connect with our surroundings. But how much are we really walking, and how do Americans compare to the rest of the world?

To find out, WeWard analyzed walking data from 7.7 million users worldwide (including 1.3 million in the U.S.) between January and June 2025. And the results revealed some surprising differences in walking habits across regions and demographics.

📊 Key Findings at a Glance

• 👟 Women walk less than men: On average, women logged 28% fewer daily steps than men.
• 📱 Age flip: Older adults outpaced Gen Z by 15% more daily steps, potentially linked to differences in screen time.
• 🌍 The U.S. lags globally: Americans ranked second-to-last in daily steps among OECD countries, just ahead of Canada.
• 🗽 New York takes the lead: With an average of 6,947 steps/day, New Yorkers are the most active in the U.S., followed by California, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin.
• ❌ No state meets the goal: Despite 7,000 steps/day being the new benchmark for better health, no U.S. state hit the target, and fewer than half of residents in each state met this goal.

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📈 Exploring Key Drivers

Outside of WeWard data, we also pulled in external research to explore potential underlying drivers of walking disparities between groups, including income, access to green spaces, and screen time behavior. Here’s what we found:

• Older adults walk more on average and spend less time on screens than younger generations.
• Cities with greater access to green space report higher walking activity, though there were a few cities that were exceptions.
• States with higher salaries tend to report a higher daily step count in comparison to those with lower wages.

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🌟 Join the Movement

This report reflects WeWard’s commitment to educating the world about the power of walking, as part of our broader mission to inspire daily movement and promote healthier routines. As our Co-founder & CEO Yves Benchimol shares:

“We’re proud to release this first-of-its-kind report to reveal important truths about the state of physical activity, while spotlighting the unique power of walking. It’s an important milestone in our mission to inspire movement and build healthier, more active communities worldwide.”

📖 You can check out the full report here: Download the State of Walking Report

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