About Odds of One

What this site does

Odds of One turns official US population statistics into simple calculators. You choose a set of preferences, such as an age range, a minimum height or a minimum income, and the calculator estimates what share of US adults meet all of them at once. The tools work the same way whether you are looking for a man or a woman.

Viral standards calculators are fun, but many of them do not show where their numbers come from. We wanted a version where every figure can be traced back to a published government table, so the result is something you can check rather than take on trust.

Where the numbers come from

Every statistic on this site comes from a public source published by a US government agency, mainly the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Census Bureau. We do not invent, survey or estimate figures of our own. If a number cannot be sourced from an official table, we leave that feature out. The full list of sources and the way they are combined is on the methodology page.

Our principles

• Sourced, not guessed. Each dataset is stored with the name of its source table so it can be checked and updated.
• Equal treatment. Every tool covers men and women in the same way, with the same filters and the same tone.
• Neutral results. Results describe numbers. They are not a judgment of anyone's worth, and they are never meant to insult any group.
• Private by design. The calculators run in your browser. We do not ask for your name and we do not store your answers. See the privacy policy for details.

What the results are and are not

The results are statistical estimates for the US adult population. They are useful for perspective and for conversation. They are not dating, financial or medical advice, and they cannot tell you anything about a specific person.

How the site is funded

The tools are free to use. The site is supported by display advertising. Advertisers have no say in the data, the method or the results.

Who makes the calculators

The calculators are built and maintained by the Odds of One data team. The team runs the data pipeline that turns CDC and Census Bureau tables into the numbers you see here, and reviews each release when the agencies publish new data.

Every dataset is rebuilt from the agencies' own files by a script, and the obesity figures are checked against the numbers NCHS publishes. The methodology page lists every source table.

Get in touch

Found an error in a figure, or know of a better source? We want to hear about it. Visit the contact page or email hello@oddsofone.com.