Average Typing Speed by
Age and Profession

One of the most common questions people ask after taking a typing test is: how does my score compare to others? Understanding the benchmarks for different age groups and professions helps you set meaningful, realistic goals and put your current speed into proper perspective.

The Global Average

The average typing speed for an adult is approximately 40 words per minute. This figure is consistent across multiple large-scale studies and represents someone who uses a keyboard regularly but has not undergone specific typing training. If you are at or above this mark, you are already performing at the global average for everyday computer users.

Typing Speed by Profession

Different professions have fundamentally different typing demands. Administrative assistants and secretaries typically type between 60 and 75 WPM, as their work involves continuous document creation and correspondence throughout the day. Journalists and professional writers often reach 70 to 90 WPM, because their productivity is directly tied to how quickly they can capture ideas in written form. Software developers average around 50 to 70 WPM, though they type far more varied characters including symbols and brackets. Court reporters and stenographers represent the extreme end of the spectrum, routinely exceeding 200 WPM using specialized chorded keyboards.

Typing Speed by Age Group

Students in secondary school typically average 30 to 45 WPM, with those who use computers heavily often reaching 50 WPM or above. University students tend to average 45 to 60 WPM, driven by the sheer volume of writing that academic life demands. Working adults in their twenties and thirties who use computers daily commonly average 50 to 70 WPM, representing the peak of most people's typing development. Interestingly, typing speed tends to remain relatively stable through the forties and into the fifties for regular computer users, as accumulated experience and muscle memory offset any slight decline in fine motor speed.

What Is Considered Fast?

Reaching 60 WPM places you solidly above the global average and qualifies you for most professional typing requirements. Reaching 80 WPM puts you in the top 25 percent of all typists. Above 100 WPM, you are in elite territory — fewer than 5 percent of typists sustain this speed with high accuracy. The current world record for typing speed on a standard QWERTY keyboard stands above 200 WPM.

Setting Your Personal Target

Rather than comparing yourself to world records, set a practical target based on your profession and daily workload. For most office workers and students, 60 WPM with 95 percent accuracy is a highly practical goal that will produce a noticeable improvement in daily productivity. For writers and content creators, pushing to 80 WPM is a worthwhile investment that can realistically save one to two hours of work time every single week.