Average Typing Speed: WPM Benchmarks by Age and Job

Words per minute (WPM) is the standard measure of typing speed. One "word" in typing tests equals five characters, including spaces.

Knowing where you stand helps set realistic goals—without comparing yourself to competition typists or inflated marketing claims.

What is the average typing speed?

There is no single official figure, and results depend heavily on who is tested and how. ~40 WPM is commonly quoted for the general adult population. Research samples give a sense of the spread:

• A 2007 study of 60 undergraduates found an average of only 33 net WPM (Keith & Ericsson, 2007, as cited in Feit et al., 2016)
• A motion-capture study of 30 everyday typists measured speeds from 34 to 79 WPM (Feit et al., CHI 2016)
• An analysis of 168,000+ online typing-test participants reported a mean of about 52 WPM. That sample skewed young and practised—72% had taken a typing course (Dhakal et al., 2018)

Takeaway: if you type near 40 WPM, you are close to typical. Near 55 WPM with good accuracy, you are ahead of most everyday users.

Typing speed tiers

These tiers are a rough guide, not research categories:

Level	Typical WPM	Notes
Beginner	20–30	Common for new learners
Average adult	35–45	General population
Office worker	45–60	Regular email and docs
Proficient	60–75	Comfortable professional pace
Advanced	75–90+	Heavy writers, some specialists
Competition	100+	Rare; not a useful everyday target

Always pair WPM with accuracy. A fast score full of errors is not productive typing.

Speed by age (approximate)

Published age-by-age norms are scarce, so treat these as rough guides. Children learning to type often start at 10–25 WPM. Teenagers who type daily frequently reach 30–50 WPM with self-taught habits.

Adults who use keyboards regularly commonly land in the 45–65 WPM range. Age matters less than years of practice once someone is a daily computer user.

A 2022 study of about 1,300 French university students (mostly AZERTY keyboard users) split participants by performance. The most proficient third averaged about 80 WPM at 88% accuracy; the least proficient third averaged about 54 WPM at 79%. The authors note that their short-sentence task may have boosted speeds (Pinet et al., 2022).

Speed by profession (typical ranges)

These are illustrative bands, not strict requirements:

• General office / admin: 45–60 WPM
• Customer support / chat: 50–65 WPM
• Programmers (prose): 50–70 WPM; code often slower due to symbols
• Journalists / writers: 60–80 WPM
• Data entry / transcription: 60–80+ WPM with very high accuracy
• Court reporting (stenography): specialised hardware; not comparable to QWERTY

Job postings sometimes list minimums (e.g. 45 or 60 WPM). Treat those as screening tools, not ceilings.

Touch typing vs hunt-and-peck averages

Marketing materials sometimes claim hunt-and-peck typists average 20 WPM and touch typists 60 WPM. Research is more nuanced. In a Vanderbilt study, touch typists averaged about 80 WPM and self-taught typists about 72 WPM with the keyboard in view. Touch typists kept their speed and accuracy when the keyboard was hidden; self-taught typists did not (Logan, Vanderbilt 2016).

How to measure your speed honestly

1. Use the same test conditions each time (duration, language, keyboard)
2. Run three attempts; record the median, not the best fluke
3. Note accuracy % alongside WPM
4. Retest monthly while training

Test yourself: take our speed test.

Improving from average to proficient

Many learners reach 50–60 WPM after roughly 8–12 weeks of structured practice, though this varies widely. Keys to improvement:

• Home row discipline
• Accuracy-first lessons on courses
• Techniques in how to type faster

FAQ

Is 40 WPM slow?

No—it is close to the commonly quoted population average. Many people function fine at 40 WPM for light computer use.

What is a good typing speed for a job?

50–60 WPM at 95%+ accuracy satisfies most office roles. Data-heavy roles may want higher.

Do mobile typing scores count?

Not directly. A study of more than 37,000 volunteers found an average of about 36 WPM on phones—roughly 70% of desktop speeds (Palin et al., 2019). Compare desktop tests only with other desktop tests.

Improve your WPM: start touch typing training today.