by Howard Willman
(as of February 14, 2024)
WR = mark was a World Record; AR = mark was an American Record; ACR = mark was U.S. All-Comers Record; WL = mark was also yearly world leader
i = mark made indoors (if best for year was indoors, outdoor best is also listed)
As 2020’s C19 pandemic took a sledgehammer to meet schedules, Olli Hoare’s 3:53.35 was the slowest U.S.-soil best since ’95.
| View World Best Chart | View American Best Chart | |||||||
| 1954 | 4:00.6 | ACR | Wes | Santee | USA | Compton | 6/04/54 |
| 1955 | 4:00.5 | ACR | Wes | Santee | USA | Austin | 4/02/55 |
| 1956 | 3:58.6 | ACR, =WL | Jim | Bailey | AUS | Los Angeles | 5/05/56 |
| 1957 | 3:58.7 | Don | Bowden | USA | Stockton | 6/01/57 | |
| 1958 | 3:57.8 | ACR | Herb | Elliott | AUS | Los Angeles | 5/16/58 |
| 1959 | 4:02.1 | Ed | Moran | USA | University Park | 5/09/59 | |
| 1960 | 3:58.0 | Jim | Beatty | USA | Modesto | 5/28/60 | |
| 1961 | 3:57.6 | ACR, WL | Dyrol | Burleson | USA | Eugene | 5/24/61 |
| 1962 | 3:56.1 | ACR | Peter | Snell | NZL | Los Angeles | 5/18/62 |
| 1963 | 3:54.9 | ACR, WL | Peter | Snell | NZL | Modesto | 5/25/63 |
| 1964 | 3:56.4i | Tom | O’Hara | USA | Chicago | 3/06/64 | |
| 3:57.4 | Dyrol | Burleson | USA | Eugene | 5/13/64 | ||
| 3:57.4 | Dyrol | Burleson | USA | Compton | 6/05/64 | ||
| 1965 | 3:55.3 | Jim | Ryun | USA | San Diego | 6/27/65 | |
| 1966 | 3:51.3 | WR, ACR | Jim | Ryun | USA | Berkeley | 7/17/66 |
| 1967 | 3:51.1 | WR, ACR | Jim | Ryun | USA | Bakersfield | 6/23/67 |
| 1968 | 3:55.9 | Jim | Ryun | USA | Walnut | 8/10/68 | |
| 1969 | 3:55.9 | WL | Jim | Ryun | USA | Los Angeles | 6/07/69 |
| 1970 | 3:56.3 | WL | Roscoe | Divine | USA | Eugene | 6/05/70 |
| 1971 | 3:54.6 | Mary | Liquori | USA | Philadelphia | 5/16/71 | |
| 1972 | 3:56.0 | Fanie | van Zyl | RSA | Modesto | 5/27/72 | |
| 1973 | 3:53.3 | Dave | Wottle | USA | Eugene | 6/20/73 | |
| 1974 | 3:53.2 | WL | Tony | Waldrop | USA | Philadelphia | 4/27/74 |
| 1975 | 3:53.3 | Rick | Wohlhuter | USA | Wichita | 5/31/75 | |
| 1976 | 3:56.1i | Filbert | Bayi | TAN | New York | 2/27/76 | |
| 3:56.16 | John | Walker | NZL | Philadelphia | 8/04/76 | ||
| 1977 | 3:53.8 | Wilson | Waigwa | KEN | Philadelphia | 4/30/77 | |
| 1978 | 3:53.92 | Steve | Scott | USA | Irvine | 3/25/78 | |
| 1979 | 3:52.6i | Eamonn | Coghlan | IRL | San Diego | 2/16/79 | |
| 3:52.88 | Eamonn | Coghlan | IRL | Stanford | 6/30/79 | ||
| 1980 | 3:52.9i | Eamonn | Coghlan | IRL | Los Angeles | 2/15/80 | |
| 3:53.1 | Steve | Scott | USA | Westwood | 5/11/80 | ||
| 1981 | 3:50.6i | ACR | Eamonn | Coghlan | IRL | San Diego | 2/20/81 |
| 3:52.26 | Steve | Scott | USA | Villanova | 5/30/81 | ||
| 1982 | 3:52.68 | Steve | Scott | USA | Westwood | 5/16/82 | |
| 1983 | 3:49.78i | ACR | Eamonn | Coghlan | IRL | East Rutherford | 2/27/83 |
| 3:52.52 | Eamonn | Coghlan | IRL | Berkeley | 6/12/83 | ||
| 1984 | 3:52.99 | Steve | Scott | USA | Westwood | 5/13/84 | |
| 1985 | 3:52.37i | Eamonn | Coghlan | IRL | East Rutherford | 2/09/85 | |
| 3:52.64 | Sydney | Maree | USA | Villanova | 6/09/85 | ||
| 1986 | 3:52.30i | Frank | O’Mara | IRL | Fayetteville | 1/25/86 | |
| 3:53.29 | Sydney | Maree | USA | Villanova | 6/08/86 | ||
| 1987 | 3:53.42i | Frank | O’Mara | IRL | Providence | 2/01/87 | |
| 3:56.36 | Joaquim | Cruz | BRA | Eugene | 6/06/87 | ||
| 1988 | 3:50.94i | Marcus | O’Sullivan | IRL | East Rutherford | 2/13/88 | |
| 3:53.6 | Steve | Scott | USA | Westwood | 605/88 | ||
| 1989 | 3:51.66i | Marcus | O’Sullivan | IRL | East Rutherford | 2/10/89 | |
| 3:53.57 | Marcus | O’Sullivan | IRL | New York | 7/22/89 | ||
| 1990 | 3:52.02i | Peter | Elliott | GBR | East Rutherford | 2/09/90 | |
| 3:55.33 | Joe | Falcon | USA | New York | 7/29/90 | ||
| 1991 | 3:50.81i | Noureddine | Morceli | ALG | East Rutherford | 2/08/91 | |
| 3:52.74 | Jim | Spivey | USA | New York | 7/20/91 | ||
| 1992 | 3:54.41i | Noureddine | Morceli | ALG | Fairfax | 2/09/92 | |
| 3:58.20 | Saïd | Aouita | MAR | New York | 5/24/92 | ||
| 1993 | 3:54.48 | Marcus | O’Sullivan | IRL | Indianapolis | 6/25/93 | |
| 1994 | 3:55.43i | David | Strang | GBR | Boston | 1/22/94 | |
| 3:56.21 | Bob | Kennedy | USA | Eugene | 6/04/94 | ||
| 1995 | 3:55.33i | Kevin | Sullivan | CAN | Indianapolis | 3/11/95 | |
| 3:55.42 | Christian | Cushing-murray | USA | Eugene | 6/04/95 | ||
| 1996 | 3:50.86 | o-ACR | Noureddine | Morceli | ALG | Atlanta | 5/18/96 |
| 1997 | 3:52.68 | Laban | Rotich | KEN | Eugene | 5/25/97 | |
| 1998 | 3:50.95 | Daniel | Komen | KEN | Eugene | 5/31/98 | |
| 1999 | 3:52.09 | Noah | Ngeny | KEN | Eugene | 5/30/99 | |
| 2000 | 3:51.84 | William | Chirchir | KEN | Eugene | 6/24/00 | |
| 2001 | 3:49.92 | o-ACR | Hicham | El Guerrouj | MAR | Eugene | 5/27/01 |
| 2002 | 3:50.89 | Hicham | El Guerrouj | MAR | Eugene | 5/26/02 | |
| 2003 | 3:50.21 | Bernard | Lagat | KEN | Eugene | 5/24/03 | |
| 2004 | 3:50.85 | Alan | Webb | USA | Eugene | 6/19/04 | |
| 2005 | 3:49.89i | Bernard | Lagat | USA | Fayetteville | 2/11/05 | |
| 3:50.91 | Alex | Kipchirchir | KEN | Eugene | 6/04/05 | ||
| 2006 | 3:51.53 | Bernard | Lagat | USA | Eugene | 5/28/06 | |
| 2007 | 3:48.28 | ACR | Daniel K. | Komen | KEN | Eugene | 6/10/07 |
| 2008 | 3:50.49 | Shadrack | Korir | KEN | Eugene | 6/08/08 | |
| 2009 | 3:48.50 | WL | Asbel | Kiprop | KEN | Eugene | 6/07/09 |
| 2010 | 3:49.75 | Asbel | Kiprop | KEN | Eugene | 7/03/10 | |
| 2011 | 3:49.09 | WL | Haron | Keitany | KEN | Eugene | 6/04/11 |
| 2012 | 3:49.40 | Asbel | Kiprop | KEN | Eugene | 6/02/12 | |
| 2013 | 3:49.48 | Silas | Kiplagat | KEN | Eugene | 6/01/13 | |
| 2014 | 3:47.32 | ACR, WL | Ayanleh | Souleiman | DJI | Eugene | 5/31/14 |
| 2015 | 3:51.10 | WL | Ayanleh | Souleiman | DJI | Eugene | 5/30/15 |
| 2016 | 3:50.63i 3:51.54 |
WL | Matthew Asbel |
Centrowitz Kiprop |
USA KEN |
New York Eugene |
2/20/16 5/28/16 |
| 2017 | 3:49.04 | WL | Ronald | Kwemoi | KEN | Eugene | 5/27/17 |
| 2018 | 3:49.44i 3:49.87 |
Edward Timothy |
Cheserek Cheruiyot |
KEN KEN |
Boston Eugene |
2/09/18 5/26/18 |
|
| 2019 | 3:47.01i 3:50.49 |
WRi | Yomif Timothy |
Kejelcha Cheruiyot |
ETH KEN |
Boston Stanford |
3/03/19 6/30/19 |
| 2020 | 3:53.35 | Olli | Hoare | AUS | Columbia | 8/29/20 | |
| 2021 | 3:47.24 | out ACR, WL | Jakob | Ingebrigtsen | NOR | Eugene | 8/21/21 |
| 2022 | 3:48.47i 3:49.76 |
Josh Jakob |
Kerr Ingebrigtsen |
GBR NOR |
Boston Eugene |
2/27/22 5/28/22 |
|
| 2023 | 3:43.73 | ACR, WL | Jakob | Ingebrigtsen | NOR | Eugene | 9/16/23 |