Article courtesy of Feel30.
- West Virginia has the highest obesity rate in the US, with 41.2% of adults classified as obese.
- Mississippi has the second-highest obesity rate in the country, at 40.1%.
- Michigan comes in at 15th, with 35.4% of all adults being classed as obese.
According to a new study, West Virginia has the highest adult obesity rate in the US.
Hormone health clinic, Feel30, has analyzed data from the CDC to determine which states have the highest rates of obesity among adults. They also looked at which races and ethnicities have the highest rates of obesity. Kentucky and Pennsylvania were omitted from this study as there was insufficient data.
Michigan’s Findings
Michigan takes 15th on the list, with an adult obesity prevalence rate of 35.4%.
States with the highest rates of obesity – Full 10
| Rank | State | Percentage of adults with obesity |
| 1. | West Virginia | 41.2 |
| 2. | Mississippi | 40.1 |
| 3. | Arkansas | 40 |
| 4. | Louisiana | 39.9 |
| 5. | Alabama | 39.2 |
| 6. | Oklahoma | 38.7 |
| =7. | Indiana | 37.8 |
| =7. | Iowa | 37.8 |
| 8. | Tennessee | 37.6 |
| 9. | Nebraska | 36.6 |
| 10. | Ohio | 36.4 |
West Virginia has the highest rate of obesity in the US, with an overall prevalence rate of 41.2%.
Obesity is most prevalent among the non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native adults in the state, with 48.9% prevalence.
Mississippi has the second-highest rate of obesity in the US, with an overall prevalence rate of 40.1%.
Obesity is most prevalent in non-Hispanic black adults, with a 47.1% prevalence rate.
Third on the list is Arkansas, with an obesity prevalence rate of 40%.
Obesity is most prevalent among the non-Hispanic black community, with a rate of 48.2%.
Louisiana has the fourth-highest rate of obesity in the country, with an overall prevalence rate of 39.9%.
Obesity is most prevalent among the non-Hispanic black community, with a rate of 47.1%.
Rounding out the top five is Alabama, with an overall prevalence rate of 39.2%.
Obesity is most prevalent among the non-Hispanic black community, with a rate of 49.6%.
Colorado has the lowest rate of obesity in the country, with a prevalence rate of 24.9%. This is followed by Hawaii (26.1%) and Massachusetts (27.4%).
Anneliese Cadena, Lead Nurse Practitioner at Feel30, commented on these findings,
“According to the CDC, 39.2% of men and 41.3% in the US are obese. Many factors contribute to obesity, such as diet, lack of physical activity, socioeconomic factors, and genetics, to name a few. Obesity rates have increased over time, but we may see a slight decrease in the years to come due to the increased use of weight loss medications.
“This data shows that obesity is more prevalent in the southern and midwestern states, with it being more common in the non-Hispanic black community.”
Sources:
CDC, CDC – National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Methodology:
- 1) This study uses data from the CDC to rank each US state based on the overall obesity prevalence in its population.
- 2) The race and ethnicity with the highest prevalence of obesity was also calculated for each state.
- 3) Kentucky and Pennsylvania were omitted from the study due to insufficient data.
States with the highest rates of obesity – Full ranking
| Rank | State | Percentage of adults with obesity |
| 1. | West Virginia | 41.2 |
| 2. | Mississippi | 40.1 |
| 3. | Arkansas | 40 |
| 4. | Louisiana | 39.9 |
| 5. | Alabama | 39.2 |
| 6. | Oklahoma | 38.7 |
| =7. | Indiana | 37.8 |
| =7. | Iowa | 37.8 |
| 8. | Tennessee | 37.6 |
| 9. | Nebraska | 36.6 |
| 10. | Ohio | 36.4 |
| =11. | Illinois | 36 |
| =11. | South Carolina | 36 |
| =11. | South Dakota | 36 |
| =12. | Kansas | 35.9 |
| =12. | Wisconsin | 35.9 |
| 13. | Delaware | 35.7 |
| 14. | North Dakota | 35.6 |
| 15. | Michigan | 35.4 |
| =16. | Missouri | 35.3 |
| =16. | New Mexico | 35.3 |
| 17. | Alaska | 35.2 |
| 18. | Georgia | 35 |
| 19. | Texas | 34.4 |
| 20. | Virginia | 34.3 |
| 21. | Maryland | 34.1 |
| 22. | North Carolina | 34 |
| 23. | Oregon | 33.6 |
| =24. | Minnesota | 33.3 |
| =24. | Wyoming | 33.3 |
| 25. | New Hampshire | 32.8 |
| 26. | Maine | 32.6 |
| 27. | Arizona | 31.9 |
| 28. | Rhode Island | 31.6 |
| 29. | Idaho | 31 |
| 30. | Nevada | 30.8 |
| 31. | Washington | 30.6 |
| 32. | Montana | 30.5 |
| 33. | Utah | 30.2 |
| 34. | Florida | 30.1 |
| 35. | Connecticut | 29.4 |
| 36. | New Jersey | 28.9 |
| 37. | Vermont | 28.8 |
| 38. | New York | 28 |
| 39. | California | 27.7 |
| 40. | Massachusetts | 27.4 |
| 41. | Hawaii | 26.1 |
| 42. | Colorado | 24.9 |