Photo by Josh Willink
Article courtesy of Reverse Health.
- Colorado has the most active residents in the U.S., with 84.37% of adults physically active in 2024.
- Vermont and Utah follow closely, with 84.04% and 83.24% of residents active, respectively.
- Mississippi ranks as the least active state, with just 69.36% of adults reporting physical activity.
New research has revealed the U.S. states with the most active residents, with Colorado taking the top spot.
The study, by Reverse Health, experts in weight loss plans for women over 40, analyzed CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data on physical activity rates across U.S. states for 2024, the most recent year available, to identify where residents are the most physically active.
Michigan findings
Michigan lands in the middle of the national ranking, placing 28th overall, with 78.04% of adults reporting physical activity in 2024. While it does not break into the top 10, the state has seen one of the stronger improvements over the past decade, rising 3.54 percentage points from 2014, when 74.5% of residents were active.
Compared with its neighboring states, Michigan sits just behind Wisconsin, which ranks 23rd with an activity rate of 78.27%, but narrowly ahead of Ohio, which places 29th at 77.79%. It also performs better than nearby Illinois, ranked 36th with 76.66% of adults active, and Indiana, which ranks 38th at 75.42%.
The 10 states with the most active residents
| Rank | State | Active in 2014 | Active in 2019 | Active in 2024 | Change 2014 – 2024 |
| 1 | Colorado | 83.6% | 81.3% | 84.37% | +0.77 pp |
| 2 | Vermont | 81.0% | 80.0% | 84.04% | +3.04 pp |
| 3 | Utah | 83.2% | 81.5% | 83.24% | +0.04 pp |
| 4 | Washington | 81.9% | 80.8% | 82.61% | +0.71 pp |
| 5 | Minnesota | 79.8% | 80.1% | 82.52% | +2.72 pp |
| 6 | Alaska | 80.8% | 78.3% | 81.85% | +1.05 pp |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 80.7% | 78.3% | 81.44% | +0.74 pp |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 79.9% | 73.6% | 81.18% | +1.28 pp |
| 9 | Oregon | 83.5% | 76.1% | 81.00% | -2.50 pp |
| 10 | Montana | 80.4% | 80.3% | 80.90% | +0.50 pp |
Colorado ranks first, with 84.37% of adults reporting physical activity in 2024. This is up 0.77 percentage points from 2014, when 83.6% of residents were active, and up 3.07 percentage points from 2019, when the figure stood at 81.3%.
Vermont follows in second place, with 84.04% of adults physically active. The state has seen one of the strongest long-term improvements among the most active states, rising by 3.04 percentage points since 2014 and 4.04 percentage points since 2019.
Utah places third, with 83.24% of residents active in 2024. While this is only a small increase of 0.04 percentage points from 2014, activity levels have risen by 1.74 percentage points since 2019.
Washington ranks fourth, with 82.61% of adults reporting physical activity, up 0.71 percentage points from 2014 and 1.81 percentage points from 2019.
Minnesota rounds out the top five at 82.52%, marking a 2.72 percentage point rise since 2014 and a 2.42 percentage point increase since 2019.
Alaska ranks sixth, with 81.85% of adults active in 2024, up 1.05 percentage points from 2014 and 3.55 percentage points from 2019. New Hampshire follows in seventh at 81.44%, rising 0.74 percentage points since 2014 and 3.14 percentage points since 2019.
Massachusetts places eighth, with 81.18% of residents active. This is up 1.28 percentage points from 2014 and a sharp 7.58 percentage points from 2019, when the state recorded an activity rate of 73.6%.
Oregon ranks ninth, with 81% of adults physically active in 2024. However, it is the only state in the top 10 to record a decline compared with 2014, falling by 2.5 percentage points from 83.5%, although activity levels have still risen by 4.9 percentage points since 2019.
Montana completes the top 10, with 80.9% of residents active. This is up 0.5 percentage points from 2014 and 0.6 percentage points from 2019.
The 10 states with the least active residents
| Rank | State | Active in 2014 | Active in 2019 | Active in 2024 | Change 2014 – 2024 |
| 1 | Mississippi | 68.4% | 62.3% | 69.36% | +0.96 pp |
| 2 | West Virginia | 71.3% | 68.8% | 71.32% | +0.02 pp |
| 3 | Arkansas | 69.4% | 68.8% | 71.47% | +2.07 pp |
| 4 | Kentucky | 71.8% | 67.2% | 72.03% | +0.23 pp |
| 5 | Alabama | 72.4% | 68.5% | 72.35% | -0.05 pp |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 71.7% | 66.0% | 72.35% | +0.65 pp |
| 7 | Louisiana | 70.5% | 68.1% | 72.39% | +1.89 pp |
| 8 | Delaware | 75.1% | 73.4% | 74.81% | -0.29 pp |
| 9 | Texas | 72.4% | 72.8% | 74.87% | +2.47 pp |
| 10 | Florida | 76.3% | 73.5% | 75.04% | -1.26 pp |
At the other end of the ranking, Mississippi has the lowest physical activity rate in the country, with just 69.36% of adults active in 2024. This is up 0.96 percentage points from 2014, when 68.4% of residents were active, and up 7.06 percentage points from 2019, when the figure stood at 62.3%.
West Virginia ranks second-lowest, with 71.32% of residents active in 2024. This is almost unchanged from 2014, rising by just 0.02 percentage points, although activity levels have increased by 2.52 percentage points since 2019.
Arkansas has the third-lowest activity rate, with 71.47% of adults active. Despite this, the state has recorded a 2.07 percentage point increase since 2014 and a 2.67 percentage point rise since 2019.
Kentucky ranks fourth-lowest, with 72.03% of adults physically active in 2024, up 0.23 percentage points from 2014 and 4.83 percentage points from 2019. Alabama follows closely, with 72.35% of residents active, slightly down 0.05 percentage points from 2014 but up 3.85 percentage points from 2019.
Oklahoma also records an activity rate of 72.35%, placing it among the least active states. This is up 0.65 percentage points from 2014 and 6.35 percentage points from 2019.
Louisiana ranks seventh-lowest, with 72.39% of residents active in 2024, up 1.89 percentage points from 2014 and 4.29 percentage points from 2019. Delaware follows at 74.81%, down 0.29 percentage points from 2014 but up 1.41 percentage points from 2019.
Texas places ninth among the least active states, with 74.87% of adults physically active. This marks a 2.47 percentage point rise since 2014 and a 2.07 percentage point increase since 2019.
Florida completes the bottom 10, with 75.04% of residents active in 2024, down 1.26 percentage points from 2014 but up 1.54 percentage points from 2019.
Matt Jones, Head of Nutrition for Reverse Health, commented on the findings: “Physical activity is often spoken about in terms of intense workouts or dramatic fitness transformations, but the data shows how important regular movement is at a population level.
“What stands out is that the most active states are not just slightly ahead. In Colorado and Vermont, more than eight in ten adults are physically active, compared with fewer than seven in ten in Mississippi. That gap can have a real impact on long-term health, especially when it comes to mobility, weight management, cardiovascular health and quality of life.
“It is also interesting to see how much some states have recovered since 2019. Mississippi still ranks last overall, but its activity rate has risen by more than seven percentage points over the past five years, while Oklahoma and Massachusetts have also seen notable increases.
“For women over 40, this is particularly important because the body can respond differently to exercise, weight loss and muscle maintenance than it did in earlier adulthood. Hormonal changes, a slower metabolism and busier daily routines can all make it harder to stay active, but they also make movement even more valuable.
“The good news is that activity does not need to mean spending hours in the gym. Walking more, adding short strength sessions, stretching regularly or building movement into daily routines can all make a difference. The key is consistency, especially for people who are trying to support their health in a realistic and sustainable way.”
Source:
CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
Methodology:
Reverse Health looked at CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data to compare physical activity rates across U.S. states. The analysis ranked states by the share of adults who reported being physically active in 2024, the latest year available, and also compared figures from 2014 and 2019.
Note: Tennessee was excluded from the final ranking as there was no available 2024 physical activity data in the source.
| Rank | State | Active in 2014 | Active in 2019 | Active in 2024 | Change 2014 – 2024 |
| 1 | Colorado | 83.6% | 81.3% | 84.37% | +0.77 pp |
| 2 | Vermont | 81.0% | 80.0% | 84.04% | +3.04 pp |
| 3 | Utah | 83.2% | 81.5% | 83.24% | +0.04 pp |
| 4 | Washington | 81.9% | 80.8% | 82.61% | +0.71 pp |
| 5 | Minnesota | 79.8% | 80.1% | 82.52% | +2.72 pp |
| 6 | Alaska | 80.8% | 78.3% | 81.85% | +1.05 pp |
| 7 | New Hampshire | 80.7% | 78.3% | 81.44% | +0.74 pp |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 79.9% | 73.6% | 81.18% | +1.28 pp |
| 9 | Oregon | 83.5% | 76.1% | 81.00% | -2.50 pp |
| 10 | Montana | 80.4% | 80.3% | 80.90% | +0.50 pp |
| 11 | Maryland | 78.6% | 76.6% | 80.50% | +1.90 pp |
| 12 | North Carolina | 76.8% | 73.7% | 79.81% | +3.01 pp |
| 13 | California | 78.3% | 77.6% | 79.27% | +0.97 pp |
| 14 | Idaho | 81.3% | 76.2% | 79.27% | -2.03 pp |
| 15 | Connecticut | 79.4% | 76.5% | 79.25% | -0.15 pp |
| 16 | Wyoming | 77.9% | 75.4% | 79.03% | +1.13 pp |
| 17 | Hawaii | 80.4% | 75.6% | 78.70% | -1.70 pp |
| 18 | Maine | 80.3% | 69.9% | 78.65% | -1.65 pp |
| 19 | South Dakota | 78.8% | 70.0% | 78.61% | -0.19 pp |
| 20 | Nebraska | 78.7% | 73.1% | 78.36% | -0.34 pp |
| 21 | New Mexico | 76.7% | 74.6% | 78.33% | +1.63 pp |
| 22 | North Dakota | 78.7% | 72.0% | 78.31% | -0.39 pp |
| 23 | Wisconsin | 78.8% | 76.8% | 78.27% | -0.53 pp |
| 24 | South Carolina | 74.7% | 71.2% | 78.25% | +3.55 pp |
| 25 | Iowa | 77.4% | 73.5% | 78.21% | +0.81 pp |
| 26 | Arizona | 78.8% | 75.9% | 78.16% | -0.64 pp |
| 27 | Virginia | 76.5% | 74.7% | 78.13% | +1.63 pp |
| 28 | Michigan | 74.5% | 74.6% | 78.04% | +3.54 pp |
| 29 | Ohio | 75.1% | 71.7% | 77.79% | +2.69 pp |
| 30 | Kansas | 76.2% | 72.9% | 77.55% | +1.35 pp |
| 31 | Pennsylvania | 76.7% | 74.4% | 77.33% | +0.63 pp |
| 32 | New Jersey | 76.7% | N/A | 77.23% | +0.53 pp |
| 33 | Rhode Island | 77.5% | 73.5% | 77.05% | -0.45 pp |
| 34 | Georgia | 76.4% | 72.1% | 77.00% | +0.60 pp |
| 35 | Nevada | 77.5% | 74.2% | 76.78% | -0.72 pp |
| 36 | Illinois | 76.1% | 74.4% | 76.66% | +0.56 pp |
| 37 | New York | 74.1% | 72.8% | 76.03% | +1.93 pp |
| 38 | Indiana | 73.9% | 69.1% | 75.42% | +1.52 pp |
| 39 | Missouri | 75.0% | 69.4% | 75.36% | +0.36 pp |
| 40 | Florida | 76.3% | 73.5% | 75.04% | -1.26 pp |
| 41 | Texas | 72.4% | 72.8% | 74.87% | +2.47 pp |
| 42 | Delaware | 75.1% | 73.4% | 74.81% | -0.29 pp |
| 43 | Louisiana | 70.5% | 68.1% | 72.39% | +1.89 pp |
| 44 | Oklahoma | 71.7% | 66.0% | 72.35% | +0.65 pp |
| 45 | Alabama | 72.4% | 68.5% | 72.35% | -0.05 pp |
| 46 | Kentucky | 71.8% | 67.2% | 72.03% | +0.23 pp |
| 47 | Arkansas | 69.4% | 68.8% | 71.47% | +2.07 pp |
| 48 | West Virginia | 71.3% | 68.8% | 71.32% | +0.02 pp |
| 49 | Mississippi | 68.4% | 62.3% | 69.36% | +0.96 pp |