A mile contains 5,280 feet, which is also 1,760 yards. To convert miles to feet, multiply by 5,280: 2 miles is 10,560 feet, and half a mile is 2,640 feet. To go from feet to miles, divide by 5,280, so 10,000 feet is about 1.89 miles.
How many feet are in a mile?
The mile used in everyday US distances is the statute mile. NIST lists it as exactly 1,609.344 meters. The international foot is exactly 0.3048 m, and dividing one by the other gives 1,609.344 ÷ 0.3048 = 5,280 feet. Because a yard is 3 feet, that is 5,280 ÷ 3 = 1,760 yards. Inches follow too: 5,280 × 12 = 63,360 inches.
Miles to feet chart
| Miles | Feet | Yards | Meters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8 mile | 660 | 220 | 201.17 |
| 1/4 mile | 1,320 | 440 | 402.34 |
| 1/2 mile | 2,640 | 880 | 804.67 |
| 3/4 mile | 3,960 | 1,320 | 1,207.01 |
| 1 mile | 5,280 | 1,760 | 1,609.34 |
| 2 miles | 10,560 | 3,520 | 3,218.69 |
| 3.1 miles (about 5K) | 16,368 | 5,456 | 4,988.97 |
| 5 miles | 26,400 | 8,800 | 8,046.72 |
| 10 miles | 52,800 | 17,600 | 16,093.44 |
The converters miles to feet, feet to miles, miles to yards and miles to km cover other values, and feet to meters handles the foot on its own.
How do I convert feet to miles?
Divide by 5,280. A few common conversions:
| Feet | Miles (decimal) | Fraction |
|---|---|---|
| 500 ft | 0.095 | about 1/10 |
| 1,000 ft | 0.189 | about 1/5 |
| 2,000 ft | 0.379 | about 3/8 |
| 2,640 ft | 0.5 | 1/2 |
| 5,000 ft | 0.947 | about 19/20 |
| 10,000 ft | 1.894 | about 1 9/10 |
Worked examples
Example 1: a hiking trail in feet
A trail sign says 18,480 feet to the summit. 18,480 ÷ 5,280 = 3.5 miles. The reverse check: 3.5 × 5,280 = 18,480 ✓.
Example 2: elevation against distance
A 12,000-foot distance is 12,000 ÷ 5,280 = 2.27 miles. A path that climbs 500 feet over that distance rises about 500 ÷ 12,000 = 4.2% of its length.
Example 3: a 5K in feet
A 5K race is 5 kilometers, or 5,000 m. 5,000 ÷ 0.3048 = 16,404 feet, which is 16,404.2 ÷ 5,280 = 3.107 miles. Rounding a 5K to 3.1 miles, as in the table above, leaves out about 36 feet (3.107 − 3.1 = 0.007 mi).
Example 4: kilometers to miles for a road sign
A sign shows 50 km. 50 ÷ 1.609344 = 31.07 miles, or 164,042 feet (50,000 ÷ 0.3048).
Example 5: laps on a quarter-mile track
A track lap of a quarter mile is 1,320 feet. To run a mile takes 5,280 ÷ 1,320 = 4 laps; for 3 miles, 12 laps.
What is the difference between the statute mile and the survey mile?
Until the end of 2022, US land surveys sometimes used a slightly different foot, the US survey foot, defined as 0.3048006 m (NIST's approximation). A survey mile, still 5,280 survey feet, measured 1,609.347 m against 1,609.344 m for the statute mile, a difference of about 3 mm per mile. NIST and the National Geodetic Survey set 31 December 2022 as the last day the US survey foot should be used; from 1 January 2023 it is treated as obsolete and the international foot applies, other than for historic and legacy data. Everyday conversions never need the survey values, since a 3 mm gap per mile is invisible in a walk or a drive.
Is a nautical mile the same as a mile?
No. A nautical mile is a separate unit used in sea and air navigation, longer than the 5,280-foot statute mile. The converter nautical miles to miles shows the exact relationship, and the metric vs imperial guide explains why unit names that sound alike can cause real errors.
Quick ways to remember
- 5,280 feet = 1 mile, and 1,760 yards = 1 mile.
- Quarter-mile chunks are 1,320 ft: a quarter, half and three-quarter mile are 1,320, 2,640 and 3,960 ft.
- 1 mile is about 1.6 km, and 1 km is about 0.62 miles; the tape measure guide covers the small end of the same system, the inch.