Blood Pressure Chart

How this calculator works

A blood pressure reading is two numbers. The top one, systolic, is the pressure in your arteries when the heart squeezes; the bottom one, diastolic, is the pressure between beats. Both are in millimeters of mercury, mm Hg.

This blood pressure calculator places the pair on the 2017 American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association chart, the one US doctors use. The rule that trips people up: the higher of the two readings decides the category. A 124/84 is stage 1 hypertension because of the 84.

How to take a reading the calculator can trust

The AHA's measurement statement sets the routine:

• Sit quietly for 5 minutes first. Back supported, feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed, bladder empty.
• No caffeine, exercise or smoking in the 30 minutes before. No talking during the reading.
• Bare upper arm, cuff at heart level, arm resting on a table.
• Take two readings one minute apart and write down both.
• Morning (before pills and breakfast) and evening, for 7 days, then average everything.

Why one reading means little: pressure moves 10 to 20 points across a normal day with stress, a full bladder or a flight of stairs. The guideline treats hypertension as a pattern across visits, confirmed by home readings. Home readings run a little lower; a home average of 135/85 corresponds to about 140/90 in the office.

How to read your result

What is a normal blood pressure? Below 120 and below 80. The 2017 guideline lowered the bar for high blood pressure numbers from 140/90 to 130/80, so a 130/80 blood pressure that was "prehypertension" a decade ago is now stage 1. By the CDC's count, 48 percent of US adults meet that definition or take medication for it, and only about one in four has it under control.

Blood pressure chart by age: what US guidelines actually say

The honest answer to the most searched question on this page: the ACC/AHA guideline does not set different categories by age. A 72-year-old and a 32-year-old are read off the same table, and the target for most adults is below 130/80. Rising pressure with age is common, not harmless.

What changes with age is the average: systolic drifts upward as arteries stiffen, while diastolic tends to peak in the 50s and then fall. The CDC's national survey shows how many people cross the 130/80 line:

Europe reads the numbers a little differently: the 2024 European Society of Cardiology guideline keeps hypertension at 140/90 but adds an "elevated" band of 120 to 139 over 70 to 89, where treatment depends on overall risk.

Blood pressure ranges for women and men

The chart is identical for both sexes. Before 60, hypertension is more common in men; after 60 the gap closes as women's risk rises after menopause. Pregnancy has its own thresholds and belongs with an obstetric clinician.

Where the number misleads

White-coat and masked hypertension

A 145/92 in the exam room and 122/78 at home is white-coat hypertension, the reason the guideline asks for home readings before starting medication. The reverse, masked hypertension, is a normal clinic reading with a high home average; it carries the risk of the higher number.

Wrist cuffs and cuff size

Wrist monitors read high or low unless the wrist sits exactly at heart level; the AHA recommends an upper-arm cuff. Size matters as much: a cuff too small reads high, sometimes by 10 points or more. Standard cuffs fit about 9 to 17 inches around the upper arm; larger arms need an extra-large cuff. Check any monitor at validatebp.org, the American Medical Association's list of independently validated devices.

Irregular heartbeat

Automatic cuffs assume a steady rhythm. With atrial fibrillation or frequent skipped beats they can be far off or refuse to read; average three readings and tell your clinician the monitor flagged an irregular beat.

When to call 911

Above 180 and/or above 120 with chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness or weakness, vision change or trouble speaking is an emergency: call 911, do not drive yourself. The same reading with no symptoms: rest 5 minutes and measure again; if still that high, contact your clinician the same day.

What to do with it

1. Normal: check once a year, or each season if a parent had hypertension; it is one line in our retirement checklist for your body.
2. Elevated or stage 1: run the 7-day home protocol and bring the average to your next appointment. At stage 1 without other risk factors, the guideline starts with lifestyle change, not pills.
3. How to lower blood pressure without a prescription: sodium toward 1,500 mg a day, the DASH eating pattern, weight loss if you carry extra, less alcohol and regular movement. A 10-minute walk after each meal is an easy start.
4. Stage 2: book a visit now. Most people at this level need medication alongside the lifestyle work.
5. Already on medication: keep measuring at home and ask before adding supplements, since potassium and some herbal products interact with blood pressure drugs; we cover which ones have evidence in supplements worth taking after 50.