Average height for a 2-year-old boy
At exactly 2 years old, the median boy in the US is 2'10" (86.5 cm) tall, according to the CDC growth charts. Half of 2-year-old boys are between 2'9" and 2'11", and about 9 in 10 fall between 2'8" and 3'0½".
Height percentiles for 2-year-old boys
CDC 2000 stature-for-age chart, at 2 years 0 months.
| Percentile | Height | cm | in |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | 2'7½" | 79.9 | 31.5 |
| 5th | 2'8" | 80.7 | 31.8 |
| 10th | 2'8½" | 82.0 | 32.3 |
| 25th | 2'9" | 84.1 | 33.1 |
| 50th (median) | 2'10" | 86.4 | 34.0 |
| 75th | 2'11" | 88.8 | 35.0 |
| 90th | 3'0" | 90.9 | 35.8 |
| 95th | 3'0½" | 92.2 | 36.3 |
| 97th | 3'0½" | 93.0 | 36.6 |
What’s typical at 2 for boys
Between 2 and 3, the median boy grows about 3½ in (8.5 cm) — from 2'10" to 3'1½".
A median 2-year-old boy has reached about 49% of the CDC's median adult height for men (5'9½"), so roughly 35½ in (90.4 cm) of growth is still typical from here.
This is the steady stretch of childhood: growth runs at a fairly even pace and most boys track along the same percentile line year after year. Puberty, and the growth spurt that comes with it, is still years away — boys typically start between 9 and 14.
How to read a percentile
A percentile compares a child with others of the same age and sex on the CDC 2000 growth charts — the same L, M and S values a pediatrician’s chart is drawn from, and where every number on this page comes from. The 50th percentile is the median: half of boys that age are shorter and half are taller. The 5th and 95th bracket the middle 90%.
Pediatricians care less about the number than the line. A child who stays near the same percentile year after year is growing normally, whatever that percentile is — a steady 15th is healthier than a 60th that has just dropped from the 90th. Crossing two of the major lines, or sitting below the 3rd, is the usual cue to have a pediatrician take a look. None of this is medical advice.
How tall will a 2-year-old boy be as an adult?
Height at 2 is one input. The calculator combines it with both parents’ heights and puberty timing to give the range adult height will most likely land in — free, no account.
Try the height calculatorThe MaxHeight app shows the number inside that range and sharpens it as you log — free to download on the App Store.
Source: CDC 2000 growth charts, stature-for-age LMS parameters (statage.csv). Adult figures: NHANES 2015–2018. MaxHeight is not affiliated with or endorsed by the CDC.