Calories burned walking a mile
Walking one mile at 3.5 mph and 150 pounds takes about 17 minutes and gives about 93 calories using Compendium entry 17200 for brisk walking at 4.8 MET. The number changes with speed and body weight.
Calculate from distance and speed
Estimated calories 93
Estimated minutes 17.1
This is the Compendium formula's estimate for the selected walking entry.
From miles to minutes to calories
- Minutes for one mile = 60 divided by miles per hour.
- Calories = MET x body weight in kilograms x hours.
For more than one mile, multiply the minutes per mile by the distance. Hours = minutes divided by 60. Convert pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2046, since 1 kg = 2.2046 lb.
The Compendium unit conversions give 1 MET = 1 kcal/kg/hr. At 150 pounds, body weight is about 68.04 kg. A mile at 3.5 mph takes 17.1 minutes, giving about 93 calories with 4.8 MET. The calculator rounds only the displayed result to whole calories.
The seven walking entries used here
These descriptions and MET values come from the 2024 Adult Compendium walking list, checked 2026-10-07.
| Code | MET | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 17152 | 2.8 | Walking, 2.0 to 2.4 mph, level, slow pace, firm surface |
| 17170 | 3.0 | Walking, 2.5 mph, firm, level surface |
| 17190 | 3.8 | Walking, 2.8 to 3.4 mph, level, moderate pace, firm surface |
| 17200 | 4.8 | Walking, 3.5 to 3.9 mph, level, brisk, firm surface, walking for exercise |
| 17220 | 5.5 | Walking, 4.0 to 4.4 mph (6.4 to 7.1 km/h), level, firm surface, very brisk pace |
| 17230 | 7.0 | Walking, 4.5 to 4.9 mph, level, firm surface, very, very brisk |
| 17231 | 8.5 | Walking, 5.0 to 5.5 mph (8.8 to 8.9 km/h), level, firm surface |
Entry 17151 is left out because it gives only an upper speed bound, so minutes per mile cannot be calculated, and it does not specify a firm surface.
The km/h wording in entry 17231 is reproduced as printed by the Compendium.
One mile across speeds and body weights
Range entries are shown at the slow and fast end of the range. Each row uses the listed mph and the same MET value throughout that entry's range.
| Code | MET | mph used | Minutes for 1 mile | 120 lb (54.43 kg) | 150 lb (68.04 kg) | 180 lb (81.65 kg) | 210 lb (95.26 kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17152 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 30.0 | 76 | 95 | 114 | 133 |
| 17152 | 2.8 | 2.4 | 25.0 | 64 | 79 | 95 | 111 |
| 17170 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 24.0 | 65 | 82 | 98 | 114 |
| 17190 | 3.8 | 2.8 | 21.4 | 74 | 92 | 111 | 129 |
| 17190 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 17.6 | 61 | 76 | 91 | 106 |
| 17200 | 4.8 | 3.5 | 17.1 | 75 | 93 | 112 | 131 |
| 17200 | 4.8 | 3.9 | 15.4 | 67 | 84 | 100 | 117 |
| 17220 | 5.5 | 4.0 | 15.0 | 75 | 94 | 112 | 131 |
| 17220 | 5.5 | 4.4 | 13.6 | 68 | 85 | 102 | 119 |
| 17230 | 7.0 | 4.5 | 13.3 | 85 | 106 | 127 | 148 |
| 17230 | 7.0 | 4.9 | 12.2 | 78 | 97 | 117 | 136 |
| 17231 | 8.5 | 5.0 | 12.0 | 93 | 116 | 139 | 162 |
| 17231 | 8.5 | 5.5 | 10.9 | 84 | 105 | 126 | 147 |
Two, three and five miles at 3.0 mph
This comparison uses entry 17190 at 3.8 MET. The selected 3.0 mph is inside its 2.8 to 3.4 mph range and takes 20 minutes a mile.
| Miles | Minutes | 120 lb | 150 lb | 180 lb | 210 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 40 | 138 | 172 | 207 | 241 |
| 3 | 60 | 207 | 259 | 310 | 362 |
| 5 | 100 | 345 | 431 | 517 | 603 |
Resting energy is part of the estimate
The Compendium uses a fixed resting rate of 3.5 ml/kg/min for 1 MET. A MET value is a multiple of that rate, so it includes resting energy.
Its corrected METs explanation says the Compendium was not developed to determine an individual's precise energy cost. Standard MET values are not corrected for age, body mass and sex. The adult edition covers ages 19 to 59.
When the starting point is a step count
A distance calculation starts with miles and mph. For a count instead, the steps to miles calculator converts steps to distance, while the steps to calories calculator starts a calorie estimate from steps.
The count-based tables cover 5,000 steps and 10,000 steps. The guide on how many steps a day to walk addresses the daily step question.
Other activity calculations appear in the swimming calorie calculator and the page on calories burned doing sit-ups. For a daily energy calculation, there is the TDEE calculator.
Food entries in TrueCal
TrueCal offers free manual calorie logging with daily and weekly views. Pro includes macros and food logging by typed description, voice, photo and barcode. Nutrition results are estimates and can be wrong.
Questions about miles and MET ranges
Why can a faster mile give fewer calories within a speed range?
Each speed range has one MET value. At its faster end, a mile takes less time. With body weight and MET held constant, fewer hours give fewer calories in this formula.
Why show both ends of each walking range?
The Compendium assigns the same MET value across the stated range. Showing its slow and fast ends makes the change in minutes per mile visible without choosing one speed for the whole range.
Does this table include treadmill walking?
No. The Compendium lists treadmill walking separately. This page uses the seven level, firm-surface walking entries with stated speeds.