Top 10 Most Obese States in America 2023 – 2025

Most Obese States in America

Which are the most obese states and the least in America today?

According to the latest Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the obesity epidemic continues unabated in the United States.

The BRFSS conducts close to half a million health-related telephone surveys every year in all 50 states.

The BRFSS is a project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Based on the results of the latest BRFSS in 2023, the CDC still has no clue how to beat adult obesity.

What state has the most obese population?

West Virginia takes the top spot, with an adult obesity rate of 41.2%.

Close behind are Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana, each with obesity rates of 40% or higher.

Nearly 4 out of 10 adults in these states are obese.

Note: The definition of obesity is 30 pounds or more than your ideal body weight for your height, or a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or above.

Are you obese?

Find out with a body composition scale.

The Top 10 Most Obese States in the USA

According to the latest BRFSS data from 2023, the states with the highest obesity rates in the United States are:

1. West Virginia – 41.2%​

2. Mississippi – 40.1%​

3. Arkansas – 40.0%​

4. Louisiana – 39.1%​

5. Kentucky – 38.1%​

6. Alabama – 38.0%​

7. Oklahoma – 37.9%​

8. Indiana – 37.7%​

9. Iowa – 37.4%​

10. Ohio – 37.1%​

These states report adult obesity rates ranging from approximately 37% to over 41%.​

Ten Least Obese States in the U.S.

According to the 2023 BRFSS data, the ten states (including the District of Columbia) with the lowest adult obesity rates are:​

1. District of Columbia – 24.7%

2. Colorado – 25.1%

3. Hawaii – 25.9%

4. Massachusetts – 26.4%

5. California – 26.8%

6. New Jersey – 27.1%

7. New York – 27.6%

8. Vermont – 28.0%

9. Connecticut – 28.3%

10. Montana – 28.7%​

While the District of Columbia has the lowest obesity rate at 24.7%, it’s important to note that even in these states, obesity remains a significant public health concern.​

However, that is still nothing to rave about, as Japan has an obesity rate of 4%. ²

The Trendline is Upward in All States

According to a 2017 report by Consumer Protect, the state with the highest obesity rate is West Virginia, with a reported 38.1% of the state being obese. 

Hispanics and non-Hispanic blacks had the highest prevalence of obesity, at 47.0% and 46.8%, respectively.

West Virginia also has the highest diabetes rate in the United States.

Mississippi has the second-highest obesity rate at 37.3% and also has the shortest life expectancy among all of the states at 74.7 years. – worldpoulationreview.com

Most Obese States Map

Risks of Overweight and Obesity

The dangers of obesity are not worth pretending there is no problem.

For example, ignoring your weight increase over the years makes you more vulnerable to:

• Heart disease – obesity rates closely mimic cardiovascular disease rates across the country.
• Wherever you find the highest obesity rates, you also see the highest heart disease rates. 

• Type 2 diabetes – the same holds for type 2 diabetes, which can have extremely catastrophic results, such as limb amputation and loss of vision.
• Type 2 diabetes can be reversed permanently.
• Various types of cancer
• High blood pressure
• Depression – antidepressants can do more harm than good.
• Achieve a healthy weight for your height, and you might not need antidepressants to lift your mood.

Are you Suffering from being Overweight or Obese?

You might be the life of the party, but deep inside, you are sick of being overweight or obese.

The difference between being overweight and obese is only 5 pounds.

That’s right; you are overweight if your weight is 25 pounds or more than your ideal weight.

Moreover, you are obese if you are 30 pounds or more over your ideal weight.

A person can spend most of their workweek as overweight and obese on the weekend.

Childhood Obesity Trends

It is not only U.S. adults who are fatter than ever.

American childhood obesity rates have increased over the last 50 years as well.

In the 1970s, only 5 percent of youth ages 2 – 19 were obese.

Today, that statistic has skyrocketed to 18.5 percent.

The Simplest Solution

There is a solution to the worldwide obesity epidemic.

There are two parts:

Real food – your body transforms if you follow this one simple rule.

Eat real food.

Also, avoid processed food as much as possible.

Real food means food that is not manufactured or processed.

Here are some examples of clean eating:

• asparagus
• broccoli
• cauliflower
• mushrooms
• beets
• carrots
• spinach
• watercress
• bok choy
• potatoes
• sweet potatoes
• squash
• beans
• lentils
• tofu
• eggs
• chicken
• fish
• berries
• apples
• cherries
• meat
• quinoa
• buckwheat groats or kasha

Physical activity – you need to start moving, at least walking for 30 minutes daily.

If you are 25 pounds overweight, you are only 5 pounds away from obesity.

All you have to do is start walking for weight loss or do another physical activity for 30 minutes a day, for example:

• Body Composition Exercises
• Calisthenics exercises
• Compound exercises for weight loss
• Swimming
• Golf
• Tennis
• Biking
• Elliptical
• Treadmill

Most Obese States – Wrapping Up

There is not one state whose obesity rate trend line is declining.

How is that possible?

Hundreds of new diet books are published every year, yet no one seems to have the answer.

There are over 98 million obese adults ages 20 and over in the United States.

This total does not include the number of adults ages twenty and over who are overweight.

For 50 years, the rate of overweight and obesity has been climbing to unprecedented heights.

Sometimes, a solution is not seen because it is too simple.

If you want to die as young as possible, then keep ignoring the problem.

However, if you are willing to listen to someone else who has been obese and stumbled onto a simple solution, keep reading.

Your obesity is not your fault.

For two simple reasons:

#1. You grew up on processed foods

You seem most naturally drawn to refined foods, such as pop tarts, pizza, hot dogs, cheese doodles, snicker bars, potato chips, pretzels, M&Ms, cookies, muffins, cake, and pies.

What do they all have in common?

They are all manufactured in factories.

#2. Modern American life is seated

Once you leave high school or college, you rarely move for the rest of your life.

After you get your first job, you sit most of the day in your car, on the bus or train, and at your desk for another forty years or more.

The government and diet books have been at it for half a century, and the results are frankly catastrophic.

In the 1970s, 22% of Americans were obese, and today it is nearly doubled.

What’s Next

How can you protect yourself and your children?

I was in the same situation as you.

However, I stumbled onto a system that works.

It is such a simple fitness plan that it is difficult to believe.

Most average Americans are 20 pounds overweight, and if you are obese, if you can learn how to lose 20 pounds, you can be free of obesity forever.

Even if you live in the most obese states in the US, you can buck the trend and look and feel better than you ever thought possible.

All you have to do is follow these five simple steps to lose 20 pounds in 3 months.

The Hashi Mashi Diet + Training system is a straightforward beginner fitness plan.

Take your life in your hands, and you do not need to suffer from obesity any longer.

You can lose 20 or 30 pounds over 3 to 4 months.

That is not a ridiculous amount of time.

Also, if you need to lose 100 pounds, you can do that in a year.

No matter what you do, the year passes, so why not use the time to become the healthiest and fittest version of yourself possible?

Your next steps are:

• Get a free body transformation guide below
• Use this diet + minimal exercise plan to lose 20 pounds in 3 months

Getting fitter is not rocket science; invest in yourself starting today, even if you live in one of the most obese states.

Related Posts:

• Crush Obesity and Transform Your Body Starting Today
• The 7 Best Core Exercises for Older Adults + Workout
• The Top 15 Weight Loss Tips That Actually Work
• Obese Man Ditched These 3 Common Habits and Lost 75 Pounds in 6 Months
• Just Eat Real Food: The Secret Sauce for Weight Loss
• The Obesity Code Summary Can Spark Your Weight Loss Success

Footnotes

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2023.

² The state of obesity in the United States – stateofobesity.org