Low-frequency arterial pressure oscillations (Mayer waves) have been proposed as an index of vascular sympathetic outflow. However, cross-sectional differences in these pressure oscillations may not reflect different levels of sympathetic nervous outflow in humans. Three groups of healthy subjects with characteristically different sympathetic nervous outflow were studied: young females ( n = 10, 18–28 yr), young males ( n = 11, 18–29 yr), and older males ( n = 13, 60–72 yr). Average R-R interval, arterial pressures, and systolic pressure variability at the Mayer wave frequency (0.05–0.15 Hz) did not differ among the three groups. Diastolic pressure Mayer wave variability was similar in young females vs. young males (39 ± 10 vs. 34 ± 5 mmHg2) and lower in older males vs. young males (14 ± 2 mmHg2; P < 0.05). In contrast, muscle sympathetic activity was lowest in young females (892 ± 249 total activity/min) and highest in older males (3,616 ± 528 total activity/min; both P < 0.05 vs. young males: 2,505 ± 285 total activity/min). Across the three groups, arterial pressure Mayer wave variability did not correlate with any index of sympathetic activity. Our results demonstrate that arterial pressure Mayer wave amplitude is not a surrogate measure of vascular sympathetic outflow.