One mile is 5,280 feet, 1,760 yards or exactly 1,609.344 meters. To picture it, imagine four measured laps of a standard 400-meter track, then another 9.344 meters. At a constant 3 mph, covering one mile takes 20 minutes.
This guide uses the ordinary international statute mile used for US road distances. A mile describes length: you can measure it along a straight road, a winding path or a loop. The route's shape does not change the total distance traveled.
Breaking a mile into quarters makes the distance easier to picture:
Start 1/4 mile 1/2 mile 3/4 mile 1 mile
|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
0 feet 1,320 2,640 3,960 5,280
Labeled schematic, not a scale drawing.
Each interval is 1,320 feet, or 402.336 meters. Two intervals make half a mile: 2,640 feet or 804.672 meters.
An out-and-back route can also total one mile. Travel half a mile from your starting point, then return along the same route. Walking one mile out and one mile back would total two miles instead.
If you use a map, check whether its number describes the route length or the direct separation between two points. A destination one mile away in a straight line may require a longer trip around streets or obstacles.
World Athletics describes the standard outdoor track as a 400-meter track. Using its measured 400-meter route:
1,609.344 ÷ 400 = 4.02336 laps
Four laps total 1,600 meters, leaving 9.344 meters, approximately 30.66 feet, to reach a mile. Four laps are a useful approximation, but they are not exactly one mile.
Use the track's marked distances or a measured course. Circling an outer lane from a common starting point covers a longer path around the bends; do not assume every lane is 400 meters per complete circuit.
A quarter mile is also slightly longer than 400 meters: 402.336 meters. That small difference adds up across four quarters.
The NFL specifies a complete field length of 360 feet, including the two end zones. Comparing lengths end to end:
5,280 ÷ 360 = 14⅔ complete field lengths
That is fourteen full lengths plus another 240 feet. This comparison uses distance along the field's length, not field area.
If you count only the 100 yards between goal lines, each segment is 300 feet, so a mile equals 17.6 goal-line-to-goal-line lengths. Both comparisons can be correct; they use different endpoints.
City blocks are less dependable as a universal reference because block lengths vary. Use a measured local block if you want to turn the distance into a familiar neighborhood route.
NIST's conversion table gives the international mile as 1,609.344 meters.
| Distance | Feet | Meters | Kilometers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ¼ mile | 1,320 | 402.336 | 0.402336 |
| ½ mile | 2,640 | 804.672 | 0.804672 |
| ¾ mile | 3,960 | 1,207.008 | 1.207008 |
| 1 mile | 5,280 | 1,609.344 | 1.609344 |
A mile is 609.344 meters longer than a kilometer, or about 60.9% longer. A kilometer is therefore shorter than a mile.
For another useful benchmark, 500 meters is about 0.310686 miles. A mile contains approximately 3.219 distances of 500 meters.
The figures in the table are exact conversions of the stated mile fractions. Values described as “about” or “approximately” are rounded.
Distance alone cannot determine travel time. With a constant speed and no stops, use:
Time in minutes = distance in miles ÷ speed in mph × 60
| Assumed constant speed | Calculated time for one mile |
|---|---|
| 2 mph | 30 minutes |
| 2.5 mph | 24 minutes |
| 3 mph | 20 minutes |
| 4 mph | 15 minutes |
These are example speeds, not a claim about how fast everyone walks. Crossings, pauses, slopes and surface conditions can change the time.
To make a personal reference, measure a familiar one-mile route and time your own trip. The result will be more useful for that route than treating one of the example times as a guarantee.
There is no universal number of steps in a mile either. For a hypothetical average step length of 2.5 feet, the calculation is 5,280 ÷ 2.5 = 2,112 steps. Different step lengths give different totals.
Not on a measured 400-meter route. Four laps are 1,600 meters, which is 9.344 meters short of a mile.
It is half the distance shown in the diagram: 2,640 feet or 804.672 meters. On the measured 400-meter route, that is two laps plus 4.672 meters.
Measured vertically, a mile is still 5,280 feet or 1,609.344 meters. Direction changes how you experience the distance, not the conversion.
No. A mile measures length. A square mile measures area—for example, a square with sides one mile long. Do not use an area comparison as though it were a route length.
It is a separation of 5,280 feet if the measurement is direct. The actual walking or driving route may be longer. Check the route distance when planning a trip.