Yards Per Carry Calculator

Yards per carry (YPC) is a football statistic that measures the average number of rushing yards a running back gains on each carry attempt. It is one of the most widely used metrics to evaluate a ball carrier's efficiency and effectiveness in the running game.

The formula is simple: YPC = Total Yards ÷ Number of Carries. For example, if a running back gains 120 yards on 20 carries, their YPC is 6.0. A higher YPC generally indicates a more efficient rusher.

In the NFL, a YPC of 4.0 is generally considered the baseline for an adequate rusher. A YPC of 5.0 or above is considered excellent, while anything consistently above 6.0 is elite. College and high school averages tend to be higher due to differences in competition level.

A single long breakaway run can significantly inflate a player's YPC average, making it less representative of their typical performance. The Adjusted YPC (excluding the longest run) gives a cleaner picture of consistency and is useful for comparing backs over a stretch of carries.

The Target YPC section lets you set a desired yards-per-carry goal and see exactly how many yards you need to gain over your upcoming carries to reach that average. It accounts for your current total yards, current carries, target YPC, and the number of additional carries you plan to use.

The preset options (Change-of-pace back, Committee RB, Lead back, Workhorse) represent typical carry distributions at each role. Selecting one auto-fills the number of carries field so you can quickly model YPC scenarios without entering numbers manually.

YPC is a useful starting point, but sample size matters. A back with 5 carries and 40 yards has the same YPC as one with 200 carries and 1,600 yards, but the larger sample is far more meaningful. Always consider total carries, game context, and offensive line quality alongside YPC.

In the context of rushing, yes — yards per carry and yards per attempt refer to the same metric. However, 'yards per attempt' is also used for passing statistics (total passing yards divided by pass attempts), so be sure to clarify the context when using either term.