Understanding Your Cholesterol Ratio: What's Normal?

A normal total cholesterol level is less than 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL). A desirable level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol is less than 100 mg/dL, while a healthy level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good") cholesterol is 60 mg/dL or higher. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol should be less than 5:1.