The short answer
The average long jump for a 16-year-old is about 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m) for boys and 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m) for girls, among athletes who compete. A good junior-year jump is over 19 feet for boys and 16 feet 6 inches for girls. Strong juniors jump about 22 feet and 19 feet; the national class is near 24 feet and 20 feet 6 inches.
Key takeaways
- Typical competing 16-year-olds: 16 feet 6 inches to 18 feet 6 inches for boys, 14 feet 6 inches to 16 feet 6 inches for girls
- Junior year is when college jumps coaches start reading Athletic.net marks
- Over 22 feet for a boy or 19 feet for a girl is a state qualifier in most states
- The girls' typical mark has nearly flattened; the boys' is still growing about six inches a year
- An untrained 16-year-old's first measured jump is still 14 to 16 feet 6 inches
What is the average long jump for a 16-year-old?
At 16 a long jump mark becomes a recruiting line. Junior-year distances go on profiles, college jumps coaches sort Athletic.net by grade, and a state qualifying mark is a number with a date attached. Among 16-year-olds who compete, the typical boy jumps about 17 feet 6 inches (5.33 m) and the typical girl about 15 feet 6 inches (4.72 m).
The field is at its widest here. A junior who has jumped for three seasons with a measured approach and a junior who was moved to the pit last month because the team needed a body are both 16, and they are eight feet apart. The tiers put each of them in a row that means something.
Long jump benchmarks at age 16, feet and meters
| Tier at age 16 | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| First measured jump, no approach practice | 14'0" - 16'6" (4.27 - 5.03 m) | 12'0" - 14'6" (3.66 - 4.42 m) |
| Typical (JV or developmental varsity) | 16'6" - 18'6" (5.03 - 5.64 m) | 14'6" - 16'6" (4.42 - 5.03 m) |
| Good (junior scoring at varsity meets) | 19'0" - 21'0" (5.79 - 6.40 m) | 16'6" - 18'0" (5.03 - 5.49 m) |
| Strong (state qualifier range) | 21'6" - 22'6" (6.55 - 6.86 m) | 18'6" - 19'6" (5.64 - 5.94 m) |
| National class for the age | 23'0" - 24'6" (7.01 - 7.47 m) | 20'0" - 21'0" (6.10 - 6.40 m) |
Ages 15, 16 and 17 side by side
The typical boy gains about six inches a year now, and the typical girl a few inches. What still moves is the top: the national-class juniors are within two feet of the best seniors, and the difference from here is strength and approach speed, not growth.
The long jump at 15, 16 and 17
| Level | Age 15 (B / G) | Age 16 (B / G) | Age 17 (B / G) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical | 17'0" / 15'0" | 17'6" / 15'6" | 18'0" / 16'0" |
| Good for the age | 19'3" / 16'9" | 20'0" / 17'3" | 20'6" / 17'9" |
| National class | 23'0" / 20'0" | 23'9" / 20'6" | 24'3" / 21'0" |
Why the strong tier is a range
Published 2026 state qualifying marks for the boys' long jump ran from about 19 feet 1 inch in the smallest classes to over 21 feet 3 inches in the largest; girls from roughly 15 feet 6 inches to 17 feet 6 inches. 'State qualifier' is a range that depends on where you live. Check your own state's list.
Source: Published state association qualifying standards, 2025 and 2026
What is a good long jump for a 16-year-old boy?
Over 19 feet is good and scores at varsity meets. Over 21 feet 6 inches is strong and, in most states, is a qualifying mark or within a few inches of one. The national class is 23 to 24 feet 6 inches, and Division I jumps programs start paying attention around 23 feet by the end of junior year. A junior in the typical 16 feet 6 inches to 18 feet 6 inches band who runs the 100 in the low 12s is leaving two feet on the runway.
What is a good long jump for a 16-year-old girl?
Over 16 feet 6 inches is good for a 16-year-old girl and over 18 feet 6 inches is strong. The national class is 20 to 21 feet, and Division I programs generally look for 19 feet or better by the end of junior year. Because the girls' typical mark has flattened, a junior at 15 feet 6 inches who wants 18 feet is looking at a training change: approach speed, a real penultimate step and a year of strength work.
How these numbers were built
- Population. Athletes with a measured long jump at a school, club or USATF meet, from Athletic.net, MileSplit and USATF Junior Olympic results. A child who has only jumped in PE is usually below the first row.
- Typical band. The middle 50 percent of that population for the age, rounded to six inches.
- Good, strong, national class. Roughly the top 25 percent, top 5 percent and top 0.5 percent of the age. National class is anchored to USATF Junior Olympic final results for the division containing the age.
- Wind. Marks are all-conditions. At youth level almost no results are wind-checked, so a legal-wind table would be smaller and not more useful.
- Feet and meters. Both are given because US school meets measure in feet and inches and USATF and every other country measure in meters.
The junior-year jump
- Approach speed. Juniors who improved their 100m by three tenths over the winter usually added a foot to the jump without touching technique.
- Board accuracy. The strong-tier juniors hit the board within three inches on most jumps. The typical junior fouls a third of the time.
- Penultimate step. The lowered hips on the second-to-last stride are where a 20-foot jumper becomes a 21-foot jumper.
- Film the last four strides and the takeoff. Foot placement, the penultimate and the takeoff angle are visible in one side-on clip, and they are the difference between 19 feet and 21.