Why steps per mile varies
Steps per mile is simply the total distance (160,934.4 cm) divided by your step length. Step length — half of a full stride — is tightly correlated with height. Male stride multipliers tend to be slightly higher than female multipliers at equivalent heights, reflecting average biomechanical differences in hip width, gait pattern, and leg-to-torso ratio. These differences are modest (around 5%) but measurable across large populations.
Pace is the dominant variable. Slow walking (< 2.5 mph) typically uses about 41% of height as stride for men and 39% for women. Brisk walking and running progressively lengthen the stride as a proportion of height. A man of 175 cm jogging will take about 1,000 fewer steps per mile than he does at a slow walk.