Average Typing Speed by Age
Typing speed varies a lot depending on your age — and comparing yourself to people in your own age group is more useful than comparing yourself to all adults. A 12-year-old typing at 25 WPM is doing well for their age. A 30-year-old at the same speed has room to improve.
This guide covers the average typing speed for every age group, what counts as good for your specific age, what the numbers mean for job applications, and how each generation types differently.
Quick summary:
- The average adult types at 40 WPM with around 92% accuracy
- Typing speed peaks between ages 25 and 34, then gradually slows down
- Most employers require a minimum of 40 WPM — which the average adult barely meets
- Daily practice matters more than age when it comes to how fast you type
Average Typing Speed by Age Group — Full Table
| Age Group | Average WPM | Accuracy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 to 12 | 15–25 WPM | 80–85% | Learning stage — hunt and peck is typical |
| 13 to 17 | 30–45 WPM | 85–90% | Speed improves quickly with school and social media use |
| 18 to 24 | 42–50 WPM | 90–94% | Enters workforce with higher speeds than past generations |
| 25 to 34 | 44–52 WPM | 92–95% | Peak years — highest average of any age group |
| 35 to 44 | 42–50 WPM | 92–95% | Slight decline but experience helps maintain speed |
| 45 to 54 | 38–46 WPM | 91–94% | Moderate decline in raw speed |
| 55 to 64 | 34–42 WPM | 90–93% | Speed drops but accuracy often holds up well |
| 65 and above | 28–36 WPM | 88–92% | Motor speed declines but accuracy is often maintained |
Average Typing Speed by Age — Chart
What is a Good Typing Speed for Your Age?
Children (Ages 6 to 12)
The average child types between 15 and 25 WPM. At this age, most children are still learning the keyboard and use hunt-and-peck to find each key. Typing at 25 to 30 WPM is considered very good for a child in this age range.
The goal at this stage is not raw speed — it is learning where the keys are and building the habit of looking at the screen instead of the keyboard. Children who develop good typing habits at 8 to 10 years old have a real advantage when they enter the workforce.
Teenagers (Ages 13 to 17)
The average teenager types between 30 and 45 WPM. This is the age group where typing speed improves fastest — driven by heavy use of messaging apps, social media, and school assignments on keyboards.
A teenager typing at 45 WPM or above is performing at the level of a typical adult office worker. Is 70 WPM good for a 17-year-old? Yes — 70 WPM at 17 is genuinely fast and puts that person well ahead of most adults in the workplace.
Young Adults (Ages 18 to 24)
The average young adult types between 42 and 50 WPM. This age group has grown up with keyboards and touchscreens and tends to enter the workforce with higher speeds than previous generations at the same age.
This is also the age group most likely to be applying for entry-level jobs that require a typing test. At 42 to 50 WPM, the average young adult is right at the employer minimum — which means many will fail a typing test if they do not specifically prepare.
Peak Years (Ages 25 to 34)
Typists in this age group reach 44 to 52 WPM on average — the highest of any group. This reflects a combination of years of keyboard experience, professional work habits, and physical dexterity that has not yet begun to decline.
People who develop proper touch typing technique in their 20s tend to maintain high speeds well into their 40s and 50s.
Middle Age (Ages 35 to 54)
Average speed stays relatively stable between 38 and 50 WPM for this age group, with a gradual decline through the 50s. Many office workers in this range type faster than these averages because professional keyboard use builds speed over time.
The key point: for people who type regularly at work, age has much less impact than for people who type casually. A 50-year-old who has typed for 8 hours a day for 20 years will consistently outperform a 30-year-old who types occasionally.
Older Adults (Ages 55 to 64)
Average speed drops to 34 to 42 WPM. Reaction time and fine motor speed begin to decline more noticeably in this range. However, accuracy often stays high — experienced typists tend to lose speed before they lose precision.
Many people in this age group who are re-entering the workforce find that 15 to 20 minutes of focused daily practice for four to six weeks brings their speed back to a competitive level.
Seniors (Ages 65 and Above)
Average speed ranges from 28 to 36 WPM. Motor speed declines naturally, but accuracy often holds up better than raw speed suggests. Seniors who type regularly for email or correspondence often score higher than these averages.
For job applicants in this age group, the good news is that many government and public sector roles require only 35 to 40 WPM — achievable with focused practice even for typists who have not typed competitively before.
What is Gen Z Typing?
Gen Z typing is a hybrid style common among people born between 1997 and 2012. This generation learned to type in an era of touchscreens and instant messaging before traditional keyboard training became standard in schools.
The result is a distinctive typing pattern:
- Fewer than 10 fingers used — typically 6 to 8, often skipping the pinky entirely
- No consistent home row position — hands move freely rather than returning to ASDF/JKL
- Fast for short bursts — many Gen Z typists reach 60 to 75 WPM on short tests
- Lower endurance — speed often drops significantly on longer sustained tests
This style works well for messaging and social media, but it creates challenges on employer typing assessments, which test sustained performance over 3 to 5 minutes on a full-size desktop keyboard. Many Gen Z job applicants who type quickly on a laptop or phone are surprised to find their score drops on an official assessment.
Average Typing Speed vs What You Need for a Job
The averages above are for the general population — not people who have specifically practiced for a job test. Here is how age averages compare to common job requirements:
| Job Role | Required WPM | Age groups that typically meet this |
|---|---|---|
| 911 Dispatcher | 35–45 WPM | 18 and above on average |
| Government Clerk | 40 WPM | 18 to 64 on average |
| Customer Service | 35–50 WPM | 18 to 54 on average |
| Admin Assistant | 50–60 WPM | Requires above-average speed for most age groups |
| Data Entry | 45–65 WPM | Requires above-average speed for most age groups |
| Legal Secretary | 60–75 WPM | Requires significant practice for all age groups |
| Medical Transcriptionist | 65–80 WPM | Well above average for all age groups |
The average adult in most age groups barely meets the minimum for general office and government roles. Specialized roles require speeds well above what most people reach through casual typing alone.
If your current speed is at or below the average for your age group, two to four weeks of focused daily practice is enough to get you above the employer threshold for most entry-level roles.
WPM to CPM — Characters Per Minute
Some job postings list typing requirements in characters per minute (CPM) rather than words per minute. The conversion is simple — one word equals five characters in the standard formula.
| WPM | CPM (approximate) |
|---|---|
| 30 WPM | 150 CPM |
| 40 WPM | 200 CPM |
| 50 WPM | 250 CPM |
| 60 WPM | 300 CPM |
| 70 WPM | 350 CPM |
| 80 WPM | 400 CPM |
Use our WPM to KPH Calculator to convert your score for data entry roles that measure keystrokes per hour.
How to Improve Your Speed at Any Age
No matter what age group you are in, the approach to improvement is the same:
Start with accuracy, not speed. Slow down until your error rate drops below 3%, then gradually increase your pace. Errors are harder to unlearn than they are to prevent.
Practice daily in short sessions. Fifteen minutes every day produces faster gains than one-hour sessions twice a week. Muscle memory builds through repetition over time, not through volume.
Use the right test format. If your job test is 5 minutes, practice 5-minute tests — not 1-minute sprints. Endurance is a separate skill from raw speed and must be built specifically.
Match your content to your goal. Generic passages do not prepare you for job-specific content. Use the practice tests below that match the role you are applying for.
Start Practicing Now
Test your current speed and track your progress week by week.
By duration:
| Duration | Practice Test | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Minute | 1 Minute Typing Test | Quick daily baseline check |
| 3 Minutes | 3 Minute Typing Test | Building endurance |
| 5 Minutes | 5 Minute Typing Test | Employer standard length |
| 10 Minutes | 10 Minute Typing Test | Advanced endurance |
By job role:
| Job Role | Practice Test |
|---|---|
| 911 Dispatcher | 911 Dispatcher Typing Test |
| Data Entry | Data Entry Typing Test |
| Government Clerk | Federal Government Typing Test |
| Admin Assistant | Admin Assistant Typing Test |
| All Job Roles | All Typing Tests by Job Role |
Calculate your score:
- Net WPM Calculator — your actual employer score after error deductions
- WPM to KPH Calculator — convert for data entry roles
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on your age group. Children aged 6 to 12 average 15 to 25 WPM — so 30 WPM is excellent at that age. Teenagers average 30 to 45 WPM. Adults between 18 and 54 average 38 to 52 WPM, with the peak in the 25 to 34 group. For job applications, the goal is not your age average — it is the employer minimum of 40 WPM for most roles, which requires deliberate practice for many age groups.
Yes — 70 WPM at 17 is genuinely fast. The average teenager types between 30 and 45 WPM, so 70 WPM places a 17-year-old well above average for their age and ahead of most adult office workers. At 70 WPM, a 17-year-old meets the typing requirement for virtually every entry-level job that requires a typing test.
The average 12-year-old types between 20 and 30 WPM. A 12-year-old typing at 35 WPM or above is well above average for their age. At this stage, the priority should be learning correct finger placement and touch typing technique rather than chasing speed — good technique at 12 pays off for decades.
The average 10-year-old types between 15 and 22 WPM. Many 10-year-olds are still in the early stages of learning the keyboard and use hunt-and-peck to find each key. A 10-year-old typing at 25 WPM with reasonable accuracy is doing very well for their age. The focus at this stage should be on learning the home row and building the habit of not looking at the keyboard.
Yes — 120 WPM is extremely fast by any measure. It places you in the top 1% of all typists. The average adult types at 40 WPM, so 120 WPM is three times the average. Very few job roles require 120 WPM — most professional typing roles cap their requirements at 65 to 80 WPM.
Gen Z typing uses 6 to 8 fingers without a consistent home row position — a style developed by people who learned on touchscreens before keyboards. It works well for messaging and short bursts, and many Gen Z typists reach 60 to 75 WPM this way. However, it tends to plateau earlier than touch typing and can be unreliable on sustained employer tests taken on full-size desktop keyboards.