Healthy looking woman checking her weight on a scale. Image Credit: Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Blend Images/Getty Images

Based on average U.S. women's body weights and heights, women in the United States weigh more than they should. An estimated 64 percent of American women are overweight or obese, according to Weight-Control Information Network. A woman's height, frame size and amount of lean body mass determine her ideal body weight.

Average Weight and Height

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the average body weight for adult women ages 20 and older in the United States is 166.2 pounds. The average U.S. woman's height is 5 feet 3.8 inches tall. Based on body mass index and desirable body weight formulas, the average woman in the nation -- who is about 5-foot-4 -- weighs more than her desirable body weight. This increases her risk for developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease.

Average BMI

The average body mass index for U.S. women is on the high end of the overweight range. A review published in February 2012 in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" reports that the age-adjusted average U.S. woman's BMI is 28.7. PubMed Health notes that BMIs of 25 to 29.9 are classified as overweight, and BMIs 30 and above are obese, meaning the average U.S. woman falls just shy of being in the obese category.

Average Waist Circumference

In the United States, the average woman's waist circumference is 37.5 inches, according to the CDC. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute reports that women with waist circumferences greater than 35 inches have higher risks for developing type-2 diabetes and heart disease.

Desirable Body Weights