Fact · Typing and writing speed
38words per minute
In Typing.com's survey of full-time workers, male baby boomers were the slowest group by generation and gender, averaging 38 words per minute on a one-minute typing test.
Quote found word for word on the live source, last checked October 19, 2026
In the source's own words
“male baby boomers were the slowest ... averaging only 38 wpm”
The Time Savings of Fast Typists, Typing.com, Typing.com, n.d., Findings on generation and gender.
Open the original- What it measures
- 980 full-time employees who typed on computers at work took a one-minute typing speed and accuracy test on Typing.com. The survey breaks speeds down by generation and gender, and the page does not state the sample size of this subgroup.
- What it does not show
- Computer-literate full-time employees only, recruited online. The test is a one-minute test, not work typing. The survey's average age was 35.6, and baby boomers are a small part of the sample. Baby boomer women are not shown with a figure in this quote.
In the data
A row of Typing Speed Statistics: Average WPM by Group, as Typing.com male baby boomers: 38 words per minute.
- Who
- Office and professional workers
- Task
- Online typing test
- Figure
- Mean
A row of Speech vs Typing Speed: Text Entry Rates Compared, as Typing.com, male baby boomers: 38 words per minute.
- Method
- Computer keyboard
- Who
- Full-time workers who type on computers at work, male baby boomers
- Includes fixing errors
- Not stated
Source
Used to calculate
- In the text entry speed by input method dataset, the 19 published figures for “Computer keyboard” have a median of 51.6 words per minute, ranging from 15 to 163.
- The text entry speed by input method dataset holds 57 data points, each a published figure traced to its source.
- The text entry speed by input method dataset draws on 25 distinct sources.
- In the typing speed on computer keyboards dataset, the 5 published figures for “Office and professional workers” have a median of 54.6 words per minute, ranging from 38 to 61.
- The typing speed on computer keyboards dataset holds 14 data points, each a published figure traced to its source.
- The typing speed on computer keyboards dataset draws on 6 distinct sources.