Typing Speed Percentile — Where Do You Rank?
Knowing your WPM is useful. Knowing where that WPM ranks among all adult typists is more useful. A score of 55 WPM sounds middling on its own — but it places you above roughly half of all adult computer users. A score of 80 WPM sounds modest next to competitive typing leaderboards — but it puts you in the top 10% globally. This page gives you the full typing speed percentile picture: overall rankings, breakdowns by age group and profession, and how to use FastTypings to track your exact position.
Typing Speed Percentile Table (Overall)
The following table shows estimated percentile rankings for the general adult population typing standard English prose on a QWERTY keyboard. These estimates reflect the broader adult population — including people who never take dedicated typing tests — not just users of typing test websites.
* These figures are estimates. The 50th percentile (median) for active typing test users on dedicated platforms is approximately 65–75 WPM — higher than the general population median because users self-select toward faster typists.
How to Read This Table
The percentile tells you what percentage of the general adult population types slower than you. So if you type at 77 WPM, you are at approximately the 90th percentile — meaning you type faster than roughly 90% of adults and slower than the remaining 10%.
Practical interpretation guide:
- Under 38 WPM (bottom 25%): Below average. Most office roles require at least 40 WPM. Focused practice of 2–3 weeks can move you into the average range.
- 38–52 WPM (25th–50th percentile): Average adult. Functional for everyday use; some office roles require improvement. A few weeks of touch-typing practice will push you into the above-average range.
- 52–63 WPM (50th–75th percentile): Above average. You qualify for most professional typing roles and are a comfortable, efficient typist in daily work.
- 63–77 WPM (75th–90th percentile): Fast. You are in the upper quarter of all adult typists. Senior admin, data entry, and journalism roles are well within reach.
- 77–90 WPM (90th–95th percentile): Expert. Top 5–10% globally. You are faster than the vast majority of even professional typists.
- 90–120 WPM (95th–99th percentile): Near-elite. You are entering competitive typing territory. Fewer than 5% of adults reach this range.
- Above 120 WPM (99th+ percentile): Elite. World-class typist. Represents 1 in 100 adults or fewer in the general population.
Typing Speed Percentile by Age Group
Speed varies significantly by age. The following table shows estimated median (50th percentile) and fast (90th percentile) speeds by age bracket. All figures are estimates for English-language QWERTY typing.
* Age-group estimates. Actual distributions vary considerably. Touch typists in all age groups tend to perform 20–30 WPM above these medians.
Typing Speed Percentile by Profession
Profession is one of the strongest predictors of typing speed — stronger than age in most cases. The following shows estimated median speeds by occupation. Your percentile within the general population will differ from your percentile within your professional peer group.
* Professional median estimates. High variance within all groups. Figures represent typical observed ranges, not precise survey data.
How to Find Your Exact Percentile on FastTypings
FastTypings calculates your live WPM and accuracy during every race and timed test. Here is how to use it to benchmark your percentile:
- Take the standard 60-second test on the home page. This gives you a baseline WPM under timed conditions — the same format used by most employer typing assessments.
- Compare your score to the table above. Find your WPM in the percentile table to see where you rank in the general adult population.
- Race against bots. FastTypings bot difficulty settings map to approximate WPM targets (e.g., a "hard" bot set to 70 WPM lets you see in real time whether you can maintain pace with the 80th percentile).
- Track over time. Your results are stored in session so you can see whether your percentile is moving. A consistent improvement of 2–3 WPM per week over a month is a typical and healthy trajectory for active learners.
- Use the leaderboard to see where you rank among FastTypings users specifically — a separate, more competitive reference point than the general population table above.
Why Typing Percentiles Are Skewed on Testing Platforms
If you have used other typing test platforms, you may have noticed that their "percentile" scores often feel discouraging — even a 70 WPM score might rank you at the 60th or 65th percentile. This is because typing test users self-select: the people who seek out online typing tests are generally already interested in improving their speed, so the user base skews significantly faster than the general adult population.
The population-level percentiles in the table above are a more accurate representation of where you stand relative to all adults. A score of 70 WPM in the general adult population is approximately the 80th–83rd percentile — a meaningfully better position than platform-specific rankings suggest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentile is 50 WPM?
50 WPM places you roughly at the 48th–52nd percentile — right at the median for adult typists. This means you type faster than approximately half of all adults and slower than the other half. It is a functional speed for everyday use but below the professional standard of 60 WPM.
What percentile is 70 WPM?
70 WPM puts you approximately at the 80th–83rd percentile — faster than roughly 80% of adult typists. It is solidly above the professional baseline of 60 WPM and qualifies you for most administrative and data entry roles.
What percentile is 100 WPM?
100 WPM is approximately the 97th–98th percentile — elite level, faster than roughly 97% of all adult typists. Fewer than 2–3% of the general adult population type this fast. On dedicated typing test platforms (where users self-select toward faster typists), 100 WPM is roughly the 85th–90th percentile of active users.
Are typing speed percentiles the same on typing test sites vs the general population?
No — they are quite different. People who seek out typing tests are, on average, faster than the general population because they are already interested in typing speed. The 50th percentile on a typing test platform is typically 65–75 WPM, while the 50th percentile for all adults including those who never take tests is closer to 44–52 WPM. FastTypings shows your rank among its user base, which skews toward more practiced typists.
How accurate are these typing speed percentile estimates?
These figures are estimates derived from aggregated data from multiple typing test platforms and published studies on office worker typing speeds. They should be treated as directional benchmarks, not precise statistics. The exact percentile for a given WPM varies depending on the population sampled, the test methodology, and the language tested. English-language tests on standard QWERTY keyboards are the basis for these figures.
Ready to find your exact WPM and see where you rank? The FastTypings test takes 60 seconds and shows your score instantly. No signup required — just type and see your percentile.
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