West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas are the U.S. states with the highest percentage of their population who are obese. The states with the lowest percentage of their population who are obese include Colorado, Hawaii, and Massachusetts. Obesity in the United States Obesity is a growing problem in many countries around the world, but the United States has the highest rate of obesity among all OECD countries. The prevalence of obesity in the United States has risen steadily over the previous two decades, with no signs of declining. Obesity in the U.S. is more common among women than men, and overweight and obesity rates are higher among African Americans than any other race or ethnicity. Causes and health impacts Obesity is most commonly the result of a combination of poor diet, overeating, physical inactivity, and a genetic susceptibility. Obesity is associated with various negative health impacts, including an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, certain types of cancer, and diabetes type 2. As of 2022, around 8.4 percent of the U.S. population had been diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is currently the eighth leading cause of death in the United States.

In 2021-2022, Mississippi topped the ranking of states with the highest share of children/adolescents between 6 and 17 years of age who were obese. This statistic illustrates the obesity rates among children/adolescents between 6 and 17 years of age in the United States in 2021-2022, by state.

In 2023, Black adults had the highest obesity rates of any race or ethnicity in the United States, followed by American Indians/Alaska Natives and Hispanics. As of that time, around ** percent of all Black adults were obese. Asians/Pacific Islanders had by far the lowest obesity rates. Obesity in the United States Obesity is a present and growing problem in the United States. An astonishing ** percent of the adult population in the U.S. is now considered obese. Obesity rates can vary substantially by state, with around ** percent of the adult population in West Virginia reportedly obese, compared to ** percent of adults in Colorado. The states with the highest rates of obesity include West Virginia, Mississippi, and Arkansas. Diabetes Being overweight and obese can lead to a number of health problems, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Being overweight or obese is one of the most common causes of type 2 diabetes, a condition in which the body does not use insulin properly, causing blood sugar levels to rise. It is estimated that just over ***** percent of adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for ***** percent of all deaths.

The adult obesity rate, or the percentage of the county population (age 18 and older*) that is obese, or has a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or greater than 30 [kg/m2], is illustrative of a serious health problem, in Champaign County, statewide, and nationally.

The adult obesity rate data shown here spans from Reporting Years (RY) 2015 to 2024. Champaign County’s adult obesity rate fluctuated during this time, peaking in RY 2022. The adult obesity rates for Champaign County, Illinois, and the United States were all above 30% in RY 2024, but the Champaign County rate was lower than the state and national rates. All counties in Illinois had an adult obesity rate above 30% in RY 2024, but Champaign County's rate is one of the lowest among all Illinois counties.

Obesity is a health problem in and of itself, and is commonly known to exacerbate other health problems. It is included in our set of indicators because it can be easily measured and compared between Champaign County and other areas.

This data was sourced from the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute’s and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. Each year’s County Health Rankings uses data from the most recent previous years that data is available. Therefore, the 2024 County Health Rankings (“Reporting Year” in the table) uses data from 2021 (“Data Year” in the table). The survey methodology changed in Reporting Year 2015 for Data Year 2011, which is why the historical data shown here begins at that time. No data is available for Data Year 2018. The County Health Rankings website notes to use caution if comparing RY 2024 data with prior years.

*The percentage of the county population measured for obesity was age 20 and older through Reporting Year 2021, but starting in Reporting Year 2022 the percentage of the county population measured for obesity was age 18 and older.

Source: University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2024. www.countyhealthrankings.org.

In 2023, approximately ** percent of men in West Virginia were obese, the highest share of any state in the United States. This statistic presents the states with the highest share of men who were obese with a body mass index (BMI) of ** or higher in the U.S. in 2023.

Obesity has become a major concern for health officials in the United States. Rates of obesity are higher than ever before and as a result, consequential medical conditions have arisen in those who suffer from obesity; while at the same time, medical expenses are skyrocketing for these same individuals. In this study, I analyze regional trends in the United States of both obesity rates and walkability in 74 cities in the United States. After analyzing the data and constructing visual representations, I found that the Northeast region of the US is most walkable, while the Southeast and Southwestern regions are the least walkable. In regards to obesity rates, I found that the West had the lowest obesity rates in both 2010 and 2013, while the Midwest and the Southeast had a high obesity rate in both 2010 and 2013. Additionally, the Northeastern US had a high obesity rate in 2013.

Obesity rates for each Census Tract in Allegheny County were produced for the study “Developing small-area predictions for smoking and obesity prevalence in the United States." The data is not explicitly based on population surveys or data collection conducted in Allegheny County, but rather estimated using statistical modeling techniques. In this technique, researchers applied the obesity rate of a demographically similar census tract to one in Allegheny County to compute an obesity rate.

Support for Health Equity datasets and tools provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) through their Health Equity Initiative.

National Obesity Percentages by State. Explanation of Field Attributes:Obesity - The percent of the state population that is considered obese from the 2015 CDC BRFSS Survey.

In 2022, the U.S. states with the highest rates of obesity among women were Tennessee, Louisiana, and Mississippi. At that time, almost ** percent of women in Tennessee were considered obese. The states with the highest rates of obesity among men are West Virginia, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Obesity: Women vs. men As of 2023, women in the United States had slightly higher rates of obesity than men. At that time, around **** percent of women were considered obese, compared to **** percent of men. Rates of obesity among both men and women are higher in the United States than any other OECD country, with high-calorie diets, often from fast food and sugary drinks, and large food portion sizes being partly to blame. In 2024, the mean self-reported weight among men in the United States was *** pounds, while women reported weighing an average of *** pounds. Which state is the most obese? As of 2023, West Virginia had the highest prevalence of adult obesity in the United States, with around ** percent of the population considered obese. Following West Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, had some of the highest rates of obesity in the country. Colorado had the lowest share of adults who were obese at that time, but still, ********* of adults in the state were obese. West Virginia is also the state with the highest prevalence of obesity among high school students, with ** percent of high schoolers considered obese in 2021. Obesity in childhood is associated with obesity as adults, as well as mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

Layers in this service includes: Birth, Cancer, Hospitalization Discharge, Mortality and STI Rates, as well as Demographics.

Historical dataset showing U.S. obesity rate by year from N/A to N/A.

Percentage of adults who are obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher.

United States Overweight or Obese Population was up 0.4points in 2019, compared to the previous year.

In 2019, Prevalence of Overweight in Tuvalu increased 0.6points from a year earlier.

Youth (8th, 10th and 12th grade) obesity and overweight rate from Washington State Healthy Youth Survey (HYS). The Healthy Youth Survey (HYS) is a collaborative effort of the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Department of Health, the Health Care Authority - Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, and Liquor and Cannabis Board.

Overview: This dataset combines publicly available data on obesity rates, poverty rates, and median household income for all 50 U.S. states from 2019 to 2023. It also includes calculated regional averages based on U.S. Census Bureau-defined regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, and West).

Use Cases - Public health research - Data visualization projects - Socioeconomic analysis - ML models exploring health + income

Sources - CDC BRFSS – Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps (2019–2023) - U.S. Census Bureau – SAIPE Datasets (2019–2023)

Tableau Dashboard View the interactive Tableau dashboard:
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/geo.montes/viz/ObesityPovertyandIncomeintheU_S_2019-2023/Dashboard1#2

Created by Geo Montes, Informatics major at UT Austin

In Mississippi, over ***** out of ten adults were reported to be either overweight or obese in 2018, making it the leading U.S. state that year. Other prominent states, in terms of overweight and obesity, included Arkansas in ******, Oklahoma in *******, and Louisiana in ***** place.

Corpulence per state

When it comes to obesity, specifically, percentages were still very high for certain states. Almost forty percent of West Virginia’s population was obese in 2018. Colorado, Hawaii, and California were some of the healthier states that year, with obesity rates between ** and ** percent. The average for the country itself stood at just over ** percent.

Obesity-related health problems

Being obese can lead to various health-related complications, such as diabetes and diseases of the heart. In 2017, almost ** people per 100,000 died of diabetes mellitus in the United States. In the same year, roughly *** per 100,000 Americans died of heart disease. While the number of deaths caused by heart disease has decreased significantly over the past sixty to seventy years, it is still one of the leading causes of death in the country.

Historical dataset showing Central America obesity rate by year from N/A to N/A.

Historical dataset showing Latin America & Caribbean obesity rate by year from N/A to N/A.

The Student Weight Status Category Reporting System (SWSCR) collects weight status category data (underweight, healthy weight, overweight or obese, based on BMI-for-age percentile). The dataset includes separate estimates of the percent of students overweight, obese and overweight or obese for all reportable grades within the county and/or region and by grade groups (elementary and middle/high). The rates of overweight and obesity reported are percentages based on counts of students in selected grades (Pre-K, K, 2, 4, 7, 10) reported to the NYSDOH. Because these rates reflect a broad range of factors that vary by school district, to make comparisons about observed differences in the rates of obesity and overweight between school districts requires the use of multivariate statistics. County, regional and statewide estimates will only be provided biennially, District estimates will be updated annually. For more information check out http://www.health.ny.gov/prevention/obesity/, see our Instruction Guide on How to Create Visualizations https://health.data.ny.gov/api/assets/6490BDA9-AE4D-406F-BA5A-703793526B9F or go to the "About" tab.