Most Obese and Overweight States in the US

Obesity continues to affect every state within the US, and despite our best attempts to tackle the issue, over 32 percent of men and 34 percent of women are considered obese by BMI (Body Mass Index) standards. And although we have several means of collecting the data — to include the Center of Disease Control (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) — 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 Prevalence and Trends Data tool (as we’ve used below), can be used to effectively visualize and analyze adult obesity for any state and/or territory in the United States.

By understanding 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 overall health.

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

Most Obese States (All States, DC, and Territories)

Rank	State	Obese (BMI 30.0 – 99.8)	Overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9)	Normal Weight (BMI 18.5-24.9)	Underweight (BMI 12.0-18.4)
1	West Virginia	40.7%	32.1%	25.6%	1.6%
2	Alabama	40.4%	31.0%	26.9%	1.8%
3	Kentucky	40.3%	31.3%	25.9%	2.5%
4	Oklahoma	39.6%	32.1%	26.4%	1.9%
5	Mississippi	39.2%	33.1%	25.8%	1.9%
6	Arkansas	38.9%	31.3%	27.9%	1.9%
7	South Dakota	38.6%	33.2%	27.0%	1.2%
8	Louisiana	38.5%	32.1%	27.4%	2.0%
9	Ohio	37.5%	32.9%	28.1%	1.5%
10	Missouri	37.4%	31.3%	29.9%	1.4%
11	Iowa	36.3%	33.9%	28.1%	1.7%
12	Indiana	36.2%	32.9%	29.1%	1.8%
13	Kansas	36.1%	34.0%	28.4%	1.5%
14	South Carolina	36.0%	34.1%	28.0%	1.9%
15	North Carolina	35.9%	32.3%	30.4%	1.4%
16	Texas	35.9%	33.5%	28.7%	1.9%
17	Puerto Rico	35.8%	35.9%	26.7%	1.6%
18	Nebraska	35.7%	34.7%	28.1%	1.5%
19	New Mexico	35.1%	34.9%	28.0%	2.0%
20	North Dakota	35.1%	34.6%	28.5%	1.9%
21	Tennessee	35.1%	35.8%	26.8%	2.2%
22	Virgin Islands	35.1%	29.8%	32.0%	*
23	Michigan	34.2%	33.5%	30.0%	2.3%
24	Maryland	34.1%	33.5%	30.8%	1.6%
25	Illinois	33.9%	33.8%	30.6%	1.7%
26	Georgia	33.8%	33.8%	30.4%	2%
27	Virginia	33.8%	33.5%	30.6%	2.1%
28	Delaware	33.5%	33.9%	30.6%	2.1%
29	Alaska	33.4%	34.1%	31.2%	1.3%
30	Wisconsin	33.3%	34.1%	30.7%	2.0%
31	Pennsylvania	32.9%	31.9%	33.8%	1.3%
32	Guam	32.4%	31.8%	33.5%	2.4%
33	Minnesota	32.2%	34.3%	31.9%	1.7%
34	Wyoming	32.2%	36.9%	29.5%	1.5%
35	Maine	31.8%	32.8%	33.4%	2.1%
36	Idaho	31.7%	35.6%	31.1%	1.7%
37	Montana	31.6%	34.4%	32.2%	1.8%
38	Nevada	31.5%	35.4%	31.1%	2.0%
39	Arizona	31.4%	36.3%	30.1%	2.2%
40	Utah	31.1%	33.4%	33.5%	2.0%
41	Oregon	30.6%	34.0%	33.5%	1.9%
42	New Hampshire	30.5%	34.4%	32.5%	2.6%
43	Connecticut	30.3%	34.5%	32.2%	3.0%
44	Rhode Island	30.3%	35.3%	32.5%	1.9%
45	New York	28.8%	34.1%	34.7%	2.4%
46	Vermont	28.8%	31.1%	37.4%	2.6%
47	Washington	28.7%	34.9%	34.6%	1.8%
48	New Jersey	28.0%	36.4%	33.8%	1.7%
49	California	27.6%	36.0%	34.1%	2.2%
50	Massachusetts	27.0%	33.0%	37.7%	2.3%
51	Hawaii	25.9%	34.8%	37.0%	2.3%
52	District of Co	25.1%	30.9%	42.6%	1.4%
53	Colorado	25.0%	35.1%	37.5%	2.3%
	Average	33.5%	33.7%	30.9%	1.9%

Obesity by State Facts

• Obesity is a national epidemic which causes a low quality of life, mental health issues, and higher medical costs.
• If your BMI is greater or equal to 30 then you are considered obese.
• Because obese individuals incur higher medical costs, obesity places a significant financial burden on the US medical care system.
• Non-Hispanic black women and Hispanics have the highest rate of obesity.
• The top 5 most obese states include West Virginia, Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Mississippi (but keep in mind there is a margin of error).
• Medical complication of obesity include sleep apnea, lung disease, liver disease, gallstones, cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, pancreatitis, abnormal periods, infertility, arthritis, inflamed veins (sometimes with blood clots), and gout.
• While obesity is directly caused by eating too much and a lack of physical activity, there are multiple factors that affect obesity. Those factors include: (1) societal and community changes, (2) lack of access to inexpensive, healthy food, (3) food deserts, (4) too much sugar in our diets, (5) difference in regional diets, (6) frequent advertising and consumption of foods that are high in sugar, fat, and salt, (7) lack of parks or recreational facilities nearby, (8) car dependency instead of walking, and (9) lack of physical education in schools.

Most Obese States by Gender

Location	Male Obesity	Female Obesity
Alabama	38%	41.6%
Alaska	32.3%	34.9%
Arizona	31.1%	31.6%
Arkansas	38.7%	38.6%
California	26.5%	28.7%
Colorado	24.5%	25.8%
Connecticut	30.1%	30.7%
Delaware	31.7%	36.1%
District of Columbia	20.7%	28.6%
Georgia	32%	35.8%
Hawaii	28.4%	21.4%
Idaho	31.4%	31.8%
Illinois	33.6%	34.7%
Indiana	34.4%	38.2%
Iowa	36.3%	36.5%
Kansas	35.5%	36.6%
Kentucky	39.8%	40.9%
Louisiana	36%	41.2%
Maine	31.6%	32.2%
Maryland	33.3%	35.4%
Massachusetts	27.7%	27%
Michigan	33.9%	34.9%
Minnesota	33.6%	31.1%
Mississippi	36.7%	41.4%
Missouri	37.8%	36.6%
Montana	31.7%	31.9%
Nebraska	36.8%	35%
Nevada	33.1%	29.4%
New Hampshire	33.3%	27.8%
New Jersey	28.8%	27.5%
New Mexico	33.5%	35.6%
New York	28.4%	29.8%
North Carolina	34.1%	37.9%
North Dakota	37.1%	33.1%
Ohio	36.4%	39.1%
Oklahoma	39.8%	39%
Oregon	29.7%	31.1%
Pennsylvania	34%	32.6%
Rhode Island	30.9%	29.2%
South Carolina	33.8%	38.3%
South Dakota	39.7%	37%
Tennessee	32.8%	37.1%
Texas	35.6%	36.6%
Utah	30.5%	31.4%
Vermont	29%	29%
Virginia	33.6%	34.9%
Washington	28.3%	29.3%
West Virginia	39.4%	41.8%
Wisconsin	33.3%	34.5%
Wyoming	32.4%	31.5%
Guam	36%	30.7%
Puerto Rico	34.3%	37.5%
Virgin Islands	25.7%	44.5%
Average Obesity	32.97 (men)	34.06 (women)

What Can be Done to Tackle Obesity?

• Individuals, states, and the U.S. government can promote healthier eating.
• Individuals can replace sugary drinks with water.
• Individuals can limit screen time and replace it with physical activity.
• Individuals, states, and the U.S. government can promote change within communities through community initiatives.
• Individuals can work with local, state, and federal initiatives to reduce obesity.
• Individuals, states, and the U.S. government can create additional recreational opportunities.
• Communities can advocate for quality physical education.
• Communities can support local, healthy food initiatives and reduce healthy food barriers.
• Individuals, states, and the U.S. government can reduce car dependency and promote/build infrastructure that supports cyclist and walkers.

Obesity Maps and Tools