MAP SO HARD

Obesity

States with the Highest Obesity Rates

#1 = most obese

Source
CDC Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity (DNPAO)
Period
2024
Last updated
CDC · 2024
Map of all 50 U.S. states ranked: States with the Highest Obesity Rates
States with the Highest Obesity Rates (2024)

Full ranking — all 50 states

Sort by rank, state, or value. Ranks are ordinal (1 = highest by this metric). Ties are broken alphabetically by state name.

All 50 U.S. states ranked. Sortable by rank, state, or value.
1stWest Virginia41.4%
2ndMississippi40.4%
3rdLouisiana39.2%
4thAlabama38.9%
5thArkansas38.9%
6thIndiana38.4%
7thKansas37.6%
8thNebraska37.6%
9thTennessee37.6%
10thWisconsin37.4%
11thKentucky37.2%
12thSouth Dakota37%
13thOhio36.9%
14thNorth Dakota36.8%
15thOklahoma36.8%
16thDelaware36.6%
17thIowa36.6%
18thMichigan36.1%
19thTexas35.6%
20thGeorgia35.4%
21stMissouri34.6%
22ndSouth Carolina34.6%
23rdNew Mexico34.5%
24thNorth Carolina34.5%
25thIllinois34.2%
26thNevada34.2%
27thPennsylvania34.2%
28thAlaska34%
29thOregon33.5%
30thArizona33.3%
31stMaine33.2%
32ndIdaho32.7%
33rdMaryland32.7%
34thWyoming32.5%
35thMinnesota32.3%
36thVirginia32.3%
37thConnecticut32%
38thWashington31.5%
39thNew Hampshire31.1%
40thRhode Island31.1%
41stMontana31%
42ndUtah31%
43rdFlorida29.6%
44thNew York29.5%
45thCalifornia29.1%
46thVermont29%
47thNew Jersey27.7%
48thHawaii27%
49thMassachusetts27%
50thColorado25%

Per-row source notes (including any single-year exceptions) are shown on wider screens.

Methodology

This map ranks all 50 states by the share of adults with obesity, defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. The data come from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the long-running, state-representative telephone survey of U.S. adults, via its Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity program (question Q036).

Values are self-reported height and weight, which research shows can slightly understate true obesity, but BRFSS applies a consistent methodology across every state, so the state-to-state comparison is sound. #1 is the highest obesity rate. We use the most recent year available for each state; where a state has no value for the latest year, we use its most recent prior year and disclose it on the page (Tennessee uses its 2023 value).

The ranking and presentation are ours; the percentages are CDC's published estimates, shown with their source and year.

Note: CDC BRFSS (DNPAO), adult obesity BMI>=30 (Q036), 2024 (state value is 2023, latest available)

Ranks are ordinal (1 = highest by this metric). Ties are broken alphabetically by state name.

Source & data

Source: CDC Nutrition, Physical Activity & Obesity (DNPAO)

License: Public domain (U.S. Government work)

By MAP SO HARD

Reviewed by MAP SO HARD editorial

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