Childhood Obesity Rates by State: Ranking from Highest to Lowest

Childhood obesity continues to be a major challenge within the US, and despite our best attempts to tackle the issue, 1 in 5 children and adolescents are affected by it. And although we have several means of collecting the data — to include the Center of Disease Control (CDC), the National Center for Children’s Health (NSCH), and others — rarely does the data point us to one, singular causation.

However, there are several health tools that can be used to examine the issue, and some, like the CDC Data, Trends, and Maps tool (as we’ve used below), can be used to effectively visualize and analyze childhood obesity for any state and/or territory in the United States.

By understanding child obesity, federal agencies, non-profits, and other organizations can forecast future trends, identify socioeconomic needs, reevaluate programs and tax policies, prioritize financial assistance, and effectively measure programs that have a direct effect on childhood health.

Use the data and interactive tool(s) below to explore childhood obesity rates for every state in the U.S. Compare the rates below, see why some states are higher than others, and understand the difference between obese and overweight. Pair the data with other interactive demographic and social tools to explore the issue further.

Childhood Obesity Rates by State

Rank	State	Percent Obese	Percent Overweight
1	Mississippi	23.4	18
2	West Virginia	22.9	16.5
3	Arkansas	22.1	19.8
4	Tennessee	20.9	18.3
5	Kentucky	18.4	17.8
6	Missouri	18.4	16.1
7	Georgia	18.3	18.1
8	Oklahoma	17.6	18.1
9	Alabama	17.2	20.1
10	Iowa	17	15.9
11	Texas	16.9	17.8
12	Ohio	16.8	12.2
13	South Carolina	16.6	16.3
14	Louisiana	16.5	17.8
15	Hawaii	16.4	14.4
16	California	15.9	15.2
17	North Carolina	15.4	16
18	Pennsylvania	15.4	14.5
19	Michigan	15.3	16.1
20	Illinois	15.2	15.5
21	New Mexico	15.2	15.8
22	Delaware	15.1	16.6
23	Kansas	15.1	15.7
24	Maine	14.9	14.8
25	Alaska	14.8	15
26	Virginia	14.8	15.8
27	Oregon	14.5	17
28	Wisconsin	14.5	14.6
29	Connecticut	14.4	14.9
30	Rhode Island	14.3	14.6
31	Massachusetts	14.2	14.8
32	South Dakota	14.1	15.6
33	Florida	14	16.1
34	North Dakota	14	16.5
35	Indiana	13.6	17.3
36	Minnesota	13.4	12.2
37	New York	13.4	16.3
38	Arizona	13.3	17.4
39	Nebraska	13.3	12.8
40	Washington	13.3	15.1
41	Vermont	13.1	13.7
42	Maryland	12.8	15.7
43	New Hampshire	12.7	14
44	Nevada	12.3	16.7
45	Idaho	12.1	12.4
46	New Jersey	11.9	14.7
47	Montana	11.5	13
48	Wyoming	11	14.6
49	Colorado	10.3	11.7
50	Utah	9.8	12.3
	National	15.5	16.1