SnapCalorieBurn — free MET-based calorie calculators
Walking one mile burns 65–115 calories depending on weight. Simple reference table plus pace and terrain factors.
Walking one mile burns approximately 65–115 calories for most adults, with body weight being the dominant factor.
One mile is approximately 2,000 steps for most people and takes about 15–20 minutes at a moderate pace. It's a practical distance that can be walked during a short break, as part of an errand, or as a warm-up before other exercise. The "calories per mile" metric is particularly useful because it's relatively consistent regardless of walking speed.
Running one mile burns a similar total number of calories as walking it — roughly 80–120 calories — but in half the time. The common myth that running burns "more calories per mile" is mostly incorrect; the per-mile burn is similar, but the per-minute burn is dramatically higher for running.
Tracking your daily walking in miles gives you a simple calorie estimate. If you walk 3 miles daily (about 6,000 steps), you burn approximately 200–350 extra calories. That's a meaningful contribution to your daily energy expenditure without any dedicated workout time.
Direct answer: 1 mile (1.6 km) of walking burns an estimated 84–147 calories, depending on body weight (180 lb / 82 kg: ~116 kcal). Intensity assumed: Moderate (3 mph) (MET 3.5). This is an estimate, not a measurement.
| Body weight | Calories burned |
|---|---|
| 130 lb (59 kg) | ~84 cal |
| 155 lb (70 kg) | ~99 cal |
| 180 lb (82 kg) | ~116 cal |
| 205 lb (93 kg) | ~132 cal |
| 230 lb (104 kg) | ~147 cal |
Example: At MET 3.5, a 180 lb (82 kg) person doing approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) of walking burns approximately 116 calories: 3.5 × 82 × 0.40 h ≈ 116 kcal.
There is no single universal calorie figure for this activity. At 180 lb (82 kg) and the same 24 minutes:
| Style / effort | MET | Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Slow (under 2 mph) | 2 | ~66 cal |
| Brisk (3.5 mph) | 4.3 | ~141 cal |
| Fast (4 mph) | 5 | ~164 cal |
| Power walking (4.5+ mph) | 7 | ~230 cal |
An estimated 84–147 calories, depending on body weight. A 180 lb (82 kg) person burns about 116 kcal, calculated as MET 3.5 × 82 kg × 0.40 hours.
About 4.8 kcal per minute for a 180 lb (82 kg) person, or 1.4 kcal per kilogram of body weight across the whole session.
Because the MET formula scales directly with body mass: a 130 lb person burns about 84 kcal here versus 147 kcal for a 230 lb person — a 75% spread for the identical session.
Not by much. For a fixed distance the energy cost is dominated by moving your body mass, so a 180 lb person lands near 116 kcal either way. A faster pace raises the calories per minute but shortens the session.
From the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference database of measured MET intensities for physical activities. Every figure on this page uses that value in the formula Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours).
They are estimates from population averages, not measurements. Individual results commonly land within about ±15% of the figure shown; actual intensity and pace, body composition and fitness, terrain and technique all shift the real number. The values are gross calories, so they include the energy you would have burned at rest.
Open the walking calorie calculator to enter your own weight, intensity and duration.