THE 10 MOST OBESE STATES IN AMERICA

The American obesity epidemic costs the U.S. health care system approximately $173 billion each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition has been tied to a range of other serious health problems – from diabetes and heart disease to cancer and stroke – with some research also showing an association between obesity and a higher risk of death.

Yet the problem stubbornly persists in the U.S.: At least 35% of adults in 22 states in 2022 were obese – defined as having a body mass index of 30 or above – while no state met that threshold a decade ago. Nationally, the median obesity prevalence was nearly 34% in 2022, with 24 states posting a rate higher than that mark and three states where at least 40% of the adult population was considered obese.

As part of the 2024 Best States rankings, U.S. News evaluated adult obesity rates for all 50 states based on self-reported survey data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a partnership between the CDC and state health departments. A state’s obesity rate factors into the public health subcategory of the Best States analysis, which provides insight into the quality of life in a state and informs the best states for health care rankings, as well as the list of the best states in the U.S. overall.

Many of the states with the highest levels of obesity also perform poorly in the public health subcategory, as well as in the overall health care rankings.

These Are the 10 States With the Highest Obesity Rates

State	Obesity Rate
West Virginia	41.3%
Oklahoma	40.3%
Louisiana	40.0%
Mississippi	39.7%
Tennessee	39.1%
Ohio	38.0%
Alabama	37.9%
Indiana	37.9%
Delaware	37.8%
Kentucky	37.8%

Want to know more? You can find where your state falls in the overall rankings, as well as see how your state stacks up against others in areas like health care, infrastructure, crime and corrections and natural environment.

Copyright 2024 U.S. News & World Report

2024-05-07T04:15:38Z dg43tfdfdgfd