What is a good blood pressure?
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A good blood pressure is under 120/80 on the US chart, averaged over a week. Lower is fine as long as you have no symptoms. If you feel dizzy or faint, call a doctor.
The US chart
The US guideline puts a good number in the lowest band.
| Average, clinic | US (AHA and ACC) |
|---|---|
| Under 120 and under 80 | Normal |
| 120 to 129 and under 80 | Elevated |
| 130 to 139 or 80 to 89 | Stage 1 hypertension |
| 140 or higher or 90 or higher | Stage 2 hypertension |
If your two numbers land in different bands, the higher band is your category. You can test any pair on the checker or see it on the chart.
Why lower is better, up to a point
Researchers pooled data on about one million adults and found no level where the risk of vascular death stopped going down, at least down to 115/75. For people aged 40 to 69, every 20 points (mmHg) higher systolic (the top number), or 10 higher diastolic (the bottom number), came with about double the rate of death from heart disease and stroke. Below 115/75, the researchers had little evidence either way.
The treatment goals in the guidelines are higher than that. The 2025 US guideline sets a goal under 130/80 and encourages under 120/80 for most adults. It makes exceptions for pregnancy, limited life expectancy and institutional care. Set your own goal with your doctor.
Home and clinic averages
The categories are meant for an average, since a single measurement doesn’t tell you much and pressure moves through the day. The US table treats 130/80 at home the same as 130/80 in a clinic.
To get your own average, measure at home morning and evening for a week, then enter the numbers in the home average tool.
When a low number is a problem
Low usually means under 90/60, and many people at that level don’t notice anything. If you get dizzy, faint, confused or have blurry vision, call a doctor. There’s more on what is too low.
If you have chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, weakness, numbness, vision change or trouble speaking, call emergency services, whatever the number.
5 sources
- American Heart Association, blood pressure category chart, checked 2026heart.org
- Brown C, Clark D, Jones DW, Updates in the 2025 AHA/ACC Hypertension Guideline, Current Hypertension Reports, 2026pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Prospective Studies Collaboration (Lewington S et al.), Lancet, 2002pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Low Blood Pressure, checked 2026nhlbi.nih.gov
- 2017 ACC/AHA guideline table of corresponding office, home and ambulatory values, as reproduced in Guidelines Made Simple, 2017acc.org
