What did 2025 look like in steps? We investigated 👀

In our second State of Walking Report, WeWard analyzed the daily movement patterns of nearly 15 million walkers worldwide, including more than 3 million in the U.S., offering one of the most comprehensive looks yet at how, where, and why people move.

🔎 Here’s what we found:

• American women walk about 26% less than men, highlighting a persistent gender gap in daily movement.
• Young adults walk nearly 13% less than mid-age adults, making Gen Z the least active generation in step count.
• New York was the only U.S. state to surpass the ~7,000-step daily benchmark, with an average of just over 7,000 steps.
• The U.S. ranked near the bottom among OECD countries in daily steps, ahead of only Canada.

Taken together, the data points to a clear reality: most Americans are still not moving enough, with roughly 63% walking fewer than 7,000 steps per day, a threshold linked to meaningful health benefits.

🚶 What shapes how much we walk?

Beyond step counts, the report also explored the strongest predictors of daily movement across health, economic, and environmental factors: 

📊 More walking is associated with longer life expectancy and higher average income.‍

📊 Less walking aligns with higher diabetes and obesity rates.‍

📊 Urbanization, transportation, and green space matter.

🖼️ The bigger picture

Our findings clearly indicate that walking is more than a personal habit. It’s a public-health behavior shaped by infrastructure, policy, environment, and everyday living conditions. Environments designed for movement consistently produce healthier, more active populations, underscoring a powerful opportunity: if we want healthier societies, we must build environments that make walking the easy, obvious choice.

Where does your city fall in the rankings?

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