Average Typing Speed by Profession: Where Do You Rank?
I spent a few hours pulling numbers from typing test datasets, BLS occupational reports, and a couple of 2026 industry surveys. The results are messier than most “average typing speed” articles admit — because averages hide more than they reveal.
The Short Version
The global average for adults is roughly 40 WPM with about 92% accuracy. That’s the number most sources agree on, and it’s lower than you’d expect. Most people who sit at a computer all day are not fast typists.
Here’s what the data actually looks like across professions:
| Profession | Average WPM | Accuracy | What the data says |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical transcriptionist | 80–100 | 98–99% | Highest of any standard keyboard role. Specialized vocabulary gets automated fast. |
| Legal secretary/paralegal | 65–85 | 99% | Long documents, formatting-heavy. Legal terminology improves speed by ~15% over time. |
| Journalist/writer | 60–80 | 95–97% | Bursts of fast composition punctuated by thinking pauses. Speed tracks thinking speed for most working writers. |
| Data entry clerk | 60–80 | 97–99% | Often measured in KPH (keystrokes per hour). Hiring floor is usually 35–45 WPM at 95%+ accuracy. |
| Software developer | 50–70 (prose) / 30–50 (code) | 95–97% | Prose speed is normal; code is slower because of symbols and thinking pauses. See our programmer typing guide. |
| Executive assistant | 60–75 | 97–98% | Senior EAs supporting C-suite often hit 70+ WPM. Speed matters more here than in most office roles. |
| Customer support (chat) | 50–65 | 95–97% | Macros inflate effective WPM. Raw speed without templates is lower. |
| Administrative assistant | 55–70 | 97–98% | Moderate. Enough for email and scheduling, not a high-speed role. |
| Office worker (general) | 40–55 | 92–95% | The “average office worker” number most people cite. |
| Teacher/academic | 45–65 | 95–97% | Less daily typing than office workers. |
| Student | 35–55 | 90–95% | Wide range based on age and typing exposure. |
| Casual computer user | 35–40 | 85–90% | Hunt-and-peck territory. |
Why These Numbers Are Messy
A few things worth knowing:
The data is self-selected. People who take online typing tests are not a random sample. They’re people who care about their typing speed, which biases the numbers upward. The “real” average for all adults is probably closer to 35–40 WPM.
Profession is a stronger predictor than age. A 50-year-old transcriptionist will outpace a 25-year-old marketing manager every time. The transcriptionist has spent years typing under time pressure. The marketing manager spends her time in meetings.
Accuracy matters more than raw speed for most roles. A data entry clerk typing 70 WPM at 88% accuracy spends significant time correcting errors. The same clerk typing 62 WPM at 97% accuracy actually completes more work per hour. This is why employers in data entry and transcription set accuracy floors (95–99%) alongside speed minimums.
The Accuracy Trap
Here’s a concrete way to think about it. Say you’re a data entry clerk:
- Fast version: 70 WPM, 88% accuracy = ~62 effective WPM after corrections
- Slow version: 62 WPM, 97% accuracy = ~60 effective WPM, but way fewer corrections
The slow version is actually comparable in output, and the corrections in the fast version are frustrating and break flow. A 95%+ accuracy rate is the real target — speed follows naturally as your muscle memory develops.
The Programmer Exception
Software developers are an interesting case. They type 50–70 WPM on prose, but only 30–50 WPM on actual code. The reason is simple: code is full of symbols, brackets, and thinking pauses. A developer typing 80 WPM on plain text might score 40–55 WPM on real code, and that’s normal.
A Microsoft Research study found that doubling typing speed from 40 to 80 WPM only improved overall developer productivity by 2–3%. The bottleneck is thinking, not typing. If you want to go deeper, we wrote about this.
How to Find Your Baseline
- Take a typing test under consistent conditions — same time of day, same text type
- Note your accuracy — anything below 95% means you should slow down
- Use the keyboard heatmap to see which keys you mistype most
- Practice 10 minutes daily — three weeks typically produces a 10–15 WPM improvement
Ready to find your number? Take the free typing test — no signup required.
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