Typical hearing frequency range by age
Quick answer
The nominal range of human hearing is usually quoted as 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, and the population tendency is for the top of that range to fall with age, from the full 20,000 Hz typically reachable under 20 to roughly 8,000 Hz by 70 and over. This is a general pattern, not a test result, and an individual can sit well outside their own age band's typical figure in either direction.
The upper limit of audible frequency falling with age is a well-documented pattern called presbycusis, and the bands below are the rough figures quoted throughout hearing education to describe it. They describe a population tendency across many people in an age group, not a norm any individual is measured against and not a number this page, or any page, can confirm for one specific reader.
Nothing here is a hearing test, and nothing on this site or on any phone app can perform one. A genuine assessment of an individual's hearing requires an audiogram from a licensed audiologist, measured with calibrated equipment in a controlled setting, which is a different thing entirely from reading a typical range off a chart.
Three ranges, not one
The full nominal hearing range runs to 20,000 Hz, but a standard clinical audiogram only tests up to 8,000 Hz, a gap worth keeping straight before reading the age bands below.
| Range name | Low (Hz) | High (Hz) | What it represents | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full nominal hearing range | 20 | 20000 | The commonly quoted outer bounds of human hearing, reached only by young people under ideal conditions. | Convention |
| Standard audiogram range | 125 | 8000 | The seven frequencies a clinical audiogram actually tests. | Published |
| Speech frequency range | 500 | 2000 | The three frequencies averaged for the pure tone average, where most everyday speech energy sits. | Published |
Typical upper frequency limit by age band
The typical upper limit falls from the full 20,000 Hz under 20 to about 8,000 Hz by 70 and over, a decline concentrated almost entirely above the frequencies a standard audiogram tests.
| Age band | Typical upper limit (Hz) | What is typically true at this band |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 20000 | The full nominal range, in ideal conditions. |
| 20 to 29 | 17000 | The very top of the range usually starts to fall away first. |
| 30 to 39 | 16000 | Rarely noticed, because almost nothing in speech lives up there. |
| 40 to 49 | 15000 | Still well above the speech range. |
| 50 to 59 | 12000 | The band where difficulty in background noise is commonly first reported. |
| 60 to 69 | 10000 | High-frequency consonants are the first part of speech affected. |
| 70 and over | 8000 | Around the upper edge of the frequencies a standard audiogram plots. |
How much of the full range is typically retained, by age band
On this population pattern, the typical upper limit at 70 and over sits at about 40 percent of the ceiling reachable under 20.
| Age band | Typical upper limit (Hz) | Percent of the full 20,000 Hz range |
|---|---|---|
| Under 20 | 20000 | 100% |
| 20 to 29 | 17000 | 85% |
| 30 to 39 | 16000 | 80% |
| 40 to 49 | 15000 | 75% |
| 50 to 59 | 12000 | 60% |
| 60 to 69 | 10000 | 50% |
| 70 and over | 8000 | 40% |
Common questions
- At what age does the typical hearing frequency range start to shrink?
- The population pattern shows the very top of the range starting to fall away as early as the 20s, from a full 20,000 Hz under 20 to a typical 17,000 Hz ceiling in the 20s band. It is rarely noticed at that stage because almost nothing in everyday speech happens anywhere near that high a pitch.
- Is losing high-frequency hearing with age the same thing as hearing loss?
- They are related but not identical. This page describes the population tendency for the very top of the audible frequency range to narrow with age. Hearing loss, as described on the decibel-based severity charts elsewhere on this site, is measured across specific frequencies including ones well within the range covered here, and requires an actual audiogram to assess.
- Can a phone app measure my personal hearing frequency range?
- No. Nothing on this site, and no web page or phone app anywhere, can perform an actual hearing test. A real measurement requires calibrated audiometric equipment operated by a trained professional in a controlled setting, because uncalibrated speakers, headphones and background noise all change the result in ways an app cannot correct for.
- Why does a standard audiogram stop at 8,000 Hz if human hearing goes up to 20,000 Hz?
- A standard clinical audiogram is built around the frequencies most relevant to understanding speech, which tops out well below 8,000 Hz for the frequencies averaged into a pure tone score. Testing further up would add little diagnostic value for everyday hearing while adding time and equipment demands, so most of the range described on this page simply falls outside what a routine test measures.
- Does everyone's hearing range shrink at the same rate with age?
- No. The age bands on this page describe a tendency across a large population, and the note attached to them says plainly that an individual can sit well outside their own band's typical figure in either direction. Genetics, noise exposure history, certain medications and general health all affect the rate for any one person.
- What is the practical effect of losing the very top of the frequency range?
- Because almost none of everyday speech lives above roughly 8,000 Hz, losing access to the very top of the nominal range, say from 20,000 Hz down toward 12,000 or 10,000 Hz, is rarely noticeable in conversation on its own. Difficulty following speech in background noise is a different and more commonly reported experience, tied to changes within the lower frequencies a standard audiogram actually tests.
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Last updated 2026-09-17.