For an intermediate swimmer, the average time to swim 500 yd is 07:42 for men and 08:07 for women.
A good 500 yd time is 07:42 for men and 08:07 for women. This is the average 500 yd time across all ages. Compare your 500 yd time by age and ability below.
For an intermediate swimmer, the average time to swim 500 yd is 07:42 for men and 08:07 for women.
| Swimming Level | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 11:55 | 13:12 |
| Novice | 09:37 | 10:16 |
| Intermediate | 07:42 | 08:07 |
| Advanced | 06:11 | 06:33 |
| Elite | 05:02 | 05:26 |
Time: Finish time for the full distance (seconds below a minute, otherwise mm:ss or hh:mm:ss).
| Swimming Level | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 02:36.5 | 02:53.2 |
| Novice | 02:06.1 | 02:14.7 |
| Intermediate | 01:41.0 | 01:46.5 |
| Advanced | 01:21.2 | 01:26.0 |
| Elite | 01:06.0 | 01:11.3 |
100m: Average pace per 100 metres, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
| Swimming Level | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 02:23.1 | 02:38.4 |
| Novice | 01:55.3 | 02:03.2 |
| Intermediate | 01:32.4 | 01:37.3 |
| Advanced | 01:14.2 | 01:18.6 |
| Elite | 01:00.3 | 01:05.2 |
100yd: Average pace per 100 yards, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
A good 500 yd time is 07:42 for men. This is the average time across all ages.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 14:50 | 11:57 | 09:35 | 07:42 | 06:15 | 05:06.13 |
| 15 | 12:08 | 09:47 | 07:50 | 06:18 | 05:07 | 04:05.76 |
| 20 | 11:55 | 09:37 | 07:42 | 06:11 | 05:02 | - |
| 25 | 12:03 | 09:43 | 07:47 | 06:15 | 05:05 | - |
| 30 | 12:21 | 09:57 | 07:58 | 06:24 | 05:12 | - |
| 35 | 12:40 | 10:12 | 08:11 | 06:34 | 05:20 | - |
| 40 | 13:01 | 10:30 | 08:25 | 06:45 | 05:29 | - |
| 45 | 13:25 | 10:49 | 08:40 | 06:58 | 05:39 | - |
| 50 | 13:47 | 11:06 | 08:54 | 07:09 | 05:49 | - |
| 55 | 14:05 | 11:21 | 09:06 | 07:18 | 05:56 | - |
| 60 | 14:30 | 11:41 | 09:22 | 07:31 | 06:07 | - |
| 65 | 15:07 | 12:11 | 09:46 | 07:51 | 06:22 | - |
| 70 | 15:52 | 12:47 | 10:15 | 08:14 | 06:41 | - |
| 75 | 16:56 | 13:39 | 10:56 | 08:47 | 07:08 | - |
| 80 | 18:23 | 14:50 | 11:53 | 09:32 | 07:45 | - |
| 85 | 20:31 | 16:33 | 13:15 | 10:39 | 08:39 | - |
| 90 | 23:40 | 19:05 | 15:17 | 12:17 | 09:59 | - |
Time: Finish time for the full distance (seconds below a minute, otherwise mm:ss or hh:mm:ss).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 03:14.6 | 02:36.9 | 02:05.7 | 01:41.0 | 01:22.1 | 01:07.0 |
| 15 | 02:39.2 | 02:08.3 | 01:42.8 | 01:22.6 | 01:07.1 | 00:53.8 |
| 20 | 02:36.5 | 02:06.2 | 01:41.1 | 01:21.2 | 01:06.0 | - |
| 25 | 02:38.1 | 02:07.4 | 01:42.1 | 01:22.0 | 01:06.7 | - |
| 30 | 02:42.0 | 02:10.6 | 01:44.6 | 01:24.0 | 01:08.3 | - |
| 35 | 02:46.2 | 02:13.9 | 01:47.3 | 01:26.2 | 01:10.1 | - |
| 40 | 02:50.9 | 02:17.7 | 01:50.4 | 01:28.7 | 01:12.1 | - |
| 45 | 02:56.0 | 02:21.9 | 01:53.7 | 01:31.3 | 01:14.2 | - |
| 50 | 03:00.8 | 02:25.8 | 01:56.8 | 01:33.8 | 01:16.3 | - |
| 55 | 03:04.8 | 02:29.0 | 01:59.3 | 01:35.9 | 01:17.9 | - |
| 60 | 03:10.2 | 02:33.4 | 02:02.9 | 01:38.7 | 01:20.2 | - |
| 65 | 03:18.4 | 02:39.9 | 02:08.1 | 01:42.9 | 01:23.7 | - |
| 70 | 03:28.2 | 02:47.8 | 02:14.5 | 01:48.0 | 01:27.8 | - |
| 75 | 03:42.2 | 02:59.1 | 02:23.5 | 01:55.3 | 01:33.7 | - |
| 80 | 04:01.4 | 03:14.6 | 02:35.9 | 02:05.2 | 01:41.8 | - |
| 85 | 04:29.3 | 03:37.1 | 02:53.9 | 02:19.7 | 01:53.6 | - |
| 90 | 05:10.6 | 04:10.4 | 03:20.6 | 02:41.1 | 02:11.0 | - |
100m: Average pace per 100 metres, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 02:58.0 | 02:23.5 | 01:54.9 | 01:32.3 | 01:15.1 | 01:01.2 |
| 15 | 02:25.6 | 01:57.4 | 01:34.0 | 01:15.5 | 01:01.4 | 00:49.2 |
| 20 | 02:23.1 | 01:55.4 | 01:32.4 | 01:14.2 | 01:00.3 | - |
| 25 | 02:24.5 | 01:56.5 | 01:33.3 | 01:15.0 | 01:01.0 | - |
| 30 | 02:28.1 | 01:59.4 | 01:35.7 | 01:16.9 | 01:02.5 | - |
| 35 | 02:31.9 | 02:02.5 | 01:38.1 | 01:18.8 | 01:04.1 | - |
| 40 | 02:36.3 | 02:06.0 | 01:40.9 | 01:21.1 | 01:05.9 | - |
| 45 | 02:41.0 | 02:09.7 | 01:43.9 | 01:23.5 | 01:07.9 | - |
| 50 | 02:45.3 | 02:13.3 | 01:46.8 | 01:25.8 | 01:09.7 | - |
| 55 | 02:49.0 | 02:16.2 | 01:49.1 | 01:27.7 | 01:11.3 | - |
| 60 | 02:54.0 | 02:20.2 | 01:52.3 | 01:30.3 | 01:13.4 | - |
| 65 | 03:01.4 | 02:26.2 | 01:57.1 | 01:34.1 | 01:16.5 | - |
| 70 | 03:10.4 | 02:33.5 | 02:02.9 | 01:38.8 | 01:20.3 | - |
| 75 | 03:23.2 | 02:43.8 | 02:11.2 | 01:45.4 | 01:25.7 | - |
| 80 | 03:40.7 | 02:57.9 | 02:22.5 | 01:54.5 | 01:33.1 | - |
| 85 | 04:06.3 | 03:18.5 | 02:39.0 | 02:07.8 | 01:43.9 | - |
| 90 | 04:44.0 | 03:48.9 | 03:03.4 | 02:27.3 | 01:59.8 | - |
100yd: Average pace per 100 yards, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
A good 500 yd time is 08:07 for women. This is the average time across all ages.
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 15:38 | 12:10 | 09:37 | 07:46 | 06:26 | 05:13.45 |
| 15 | 13:32 | 10:32 | 08:19 | 06:43 | 05:34 | 04:28.71 |
| 20 | 13:19 | 10:21 | 08:11 | 06:36 | 05:29 | - |
| 25 | 13:37 | 10:35 | 08:22 | 06:45 | 05:36 | - |
| 30 | 13:56 | 10:50 | 08:34 | 06:55 | 05:44 | - |
| 35 | 14:16 | 11:05 | 08:46 | 07:05 | 05:52 | - |
| 40 | 14:32 | 11:18 | 08:56 | 07:13 | 05:59 | - |
| 45 | 14:47 | 11:30 | 09:05 | 07:20 | 06:05 | - |
| 50 | 15:16 | 11:52 | 09:23 | 07:35 | 06:17 | - |
| 55 | 15:46 | 12:16 | 09:41 | 07:50 | 06:30 | - |
| 60 | 16:16 | 12:39 | 10:00 | 08:05 | 06:42 | - |
| 65 | 17:00 | 13:14 | 10:27 | 08:27 | 07:00 | - |
| 70 | 18:01 | 14:00 | 11:04 | 08:56 | 07:25 | - |
| 75 | 19:15 | 14:58 | 11:50 | 09:33 | 07:55 | - |
| 80 | 20:53 | 16:15 | 12:50 | 10:22 | 08:36 | - |
| 85 | 23:34 | 18:19 | 14:29 | 11:42 | 09:42 | - |
| 90 | 27:04 | 21:03 | 16:38 | 13:26 | 11:09 | - |
Time: Finish time for the full distance (seconds below a minute, otherwise mm:ss or hh:mm:ss).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 03:25.2 | 02:39.6 | 02:06.1 | 01:41.9 | 01:24.5 | 01:08.6 |
| 15 | 02:57.6 | 02:18.1 | 01:49.1 | 01:28.2 | 01:13.1 | 00:58.8 |
| 20 | 02:54.7 | 02:15.9 | 01:47.4 | 01:26.7 | 01:11.9 | - |
| 25 | 02:58.7 | 02:18.9 | 01:49.8 | 01:28.7 | 01:13.6 | - |
| 30 | 03:02.8 | 02:22.2 | 01:52.3 | 01:30.7 | 01:15.3 | - |
| 35 | 03:07.1 | 02:25.5 | 01:55.0 | 01:32.9 | 01:17.1 | - |
| 40 | 03:10.8 | 02:28.4 | 01:57.2 | 01:34.7 | 01:18.5 | - |
| 45 | 03:14.0 | 02:30.9 | 01:59.2 | 01:36.3 | 01:19.9 | - |
| 50 | 03:20.3 | 02:35.8 | 02:03.1 | 01:39.4 | 01:22.5 | - |
| 55 | 03:26.9 | 02:40.9 | 02:07.2 | 01:42.7 | 01:25.2 | - |
| 60 | 03:33.5 | 02:46.1 | 02:11.2 | 01:46.0 | 01:27.9 | - |
| 65 | 03:43.2 | 02:53.6 | 02:17.1 | 01:50.8 | 01:31.9 | - |
| 70 | 03:56.4 | 03:03.8 | 02:25.2 | 01:57.3 | 01:37.3 | - |
| 75 | 04:12.6 | 03:16.4 | 02:35.2 | 02:05.4 | 01:44.0 | - |
| 80 | 04:34.1 | 03:33.2 | 02:48.5 | 02:16.1 | 01:52.9 | - |
| 85 | 05:09.2 | 04:00.4 | 03:10.0 | 02:33.5 | 02:07.3 | - |
| 90 | 05:55.3 | 04:36.3 | 03:38.3 | 02:56.4 | 02:26.3 | - |
100m: Average pace per 100 metres, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
| Age | Beginner | Novice | Intermediate | Advanced | Elite | NR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 03:07.7 | 02:26.0 | 01:55.3 | 01:33.2 | 01:17.3 | 01:02.7 |
| 15 | 02:42.4 | 02:06.3 | 01:39.8 | 01:20.6 | 01:06.9 | 00:53.7 |
| 20 | 02:39.7 | 02:04.2 | 01:38.2 | 01:19.3 | 01:05.8 | - |
| 25 | 02:43.4 | 02:07.1 | 01:40.4 | 01:21.1 | 01:07.3 | - |
| 30 | 02:47.2 | 02:10.0 | 01:42.7 | 01:23.0 | 01:08.8 | - |
| 35 | 02:51.1 | 02:13.1 | 01:45.2 | 01:24.9 | 01:10.5 | - |
| 40 | 02:54.4 | 02:15.7 | 01:47.2 | 01:26.6 | 01:11.8 | - |
| 45 | 02:57.4 | 02:18.0 | 01:49.0 | 01:28.1 | 01:13.1 | - |
| 50 | 03:03.2 | 02:22.4 | 01:52.6 | 01:30.9 | 01:15.4 | - |
| 55 | 03:09.2 | 02:27.1 | 01:56.3 | 01:33.9 | 01:17.9 | - |
| 60 | 03:15.3 | 02:31.9 | 02:00.0 | 01:36.9 | 01:20.4 | - |
| 65 | 03:24.1 | 02:38.7 | 02:05.4 | 01:41.3 | 01:24.0 | - |
| 70 | 03:36.1 | 02:48.1 | 02:12.8 | 01:47.3 | 01:29.0 | - |
| 75 | 03:51.0 | 02:59.6 | 02:21.9 | 01:54.6 | 01:35.1 | - |
| 80 | 04:10.7 | 03:15.0 | 02:34.0 | 02:04.4 | 01:43.2 | - |
| 85 | 04:42.7 | 03:39.9 | 02:53.7 | 02:20.3 | 01:56.4 | - |
| 90 | 05:24.9 | 04:12.7 | 03:19.6 | 02:41.3 | 02:13.8 | - |
100yd: Average pace per 100 yards, shown in minutes and seconds (mm:ss.s).
| Beginner | Faster than 5% of swimmers. |
|---|---|
| Novice | Faster than 20% of swimmers. |
| Intermediate | Faster than 50% of swimmers. |
| Advanced | Faster than 80% of swimmers. |
| Elite | Faster than 95% of swimmers. |
Strength Level introduced these exact Beginner-to-Elite percentile boundaries in 2015. See how the standards evolved.
Our 500 yd swim time standards are based on results submitted by Swimming Level users. We will continue to update them as more community data becomes available. See our standards timeline.
| Community results | 10,133 |
|---|---|
| Community users | 5,692 |
| Data start | |
| Data cutoff | |
| Model generated |
Qualifying results are retained after checks for implausible data, duplicates, and unusual or automated submission patterns. Learn more about qualifying results.
The old average finish time for 500 yd was 08:51 across all ages and genders, 08:35 for men (now 11.4% faster) and 09:13 for women (now 13.7% faster).
| Level | Previous | Current | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 13:39 | 11:55 | -12.6% |
| Novice | 10:53 | 09:37 | -11.6% |
| Intermediate | 08:35 | 07:42 | -10.2% |
| Advanced | 06:46 | 06:11 | -8.5% |
| Elite | 05:23 | 05:02 | -6.7% |
| Level | Previous | Current | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 13:57 | 13:12 | -5.4% |
| Novice | 11:24 | 10:16 | -9.9% |
| Intermediate | 09:13 | 08:07 | -12.0% |
| Advanced | 07:28 | 06:33 | -12.2% |
| Elite | 06:06 | 05:26 | -10.8% |
We created these previous standards on and last updated them (see archive.org).
| Record | Age Category | Name | Time | Date | Age | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NR | 10 & Under | Gabriel Brown | 05:06.13 | 2026 | - | USAS |
| NR | 15-16 | Luka Mijatovic | 04:05.76 | 2026 | - | USAS |
| Record | Age Category | Name | Time | Date | Age | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NR | 10 & Under | Kayla Han | 05:13.45 | 2019 | - | USAS |
| NR | 15-16 | Katie Ledecky | 04:28.71 | 2014 | - | USAS |
The Swimming Level Calculator can show your exact level of swimming performance at any age.