Health
U.S. Obesity Trends
Trends by State 1985¨C2010 During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. In 2010, no state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30% or more.
The animated map below shows the United States obesity prevalence from 1985 through 2010.
| 2010 State Obesity Rates |
|---|
| State | % | State | % | State | % | State | % |
|---|
| Alabama | 32.2 | Illinois | 28.2 | Montana | 23.0 | Rhode Island | 25.5 |
|---|
| Alaska | 24.5 | Indiana | 29.6 | Nebraska | 26.9 | South Carolina | 31.5 |
|---|
| Arizona | 24.3 | Iowa | 28.4 | Nevada | 22.4 | South Dakota | 27.3 |
|---|
| Arkansas | 30.1 | Kansas | 29.4 | New Hampshire | 25.0 | Tennessee | 30.8 |
|---|
| California | 24.0 | Kentucky | 31.3 | New Jersey | 23.8 | Texas | 31.0 |
|---|
| Colorado | 21.0 | Louisiana | 31.0 | New Mexico | 25.1 | Utah | 22.5 |
|---|
| Connecticut | 22.5 | Maine | 26.8 | New York | 23.9 | Vermont | 23.2 |
|---|
| Delaware | 28.0 | Maryland | 27.1 | North Carolina | 27.8 | Virginia | 26.0 |
|---|
| District of Columbia | 22.2 | Massachusetts | 23.0 | North Dakota | 27.2 | Washington | 25.5 |
|---|
| Florida | 26.6 | Michigan | 30.9 | Ohio | 29.2 | West Virginia | 32.5 |
|---|
| Georgia | 29.6 | Minnesota | 24.8 | Oklahoma | 30.4 | Wisconsin | 26.3 |
|---|
| Hawaii | 22.7 | Mississippi | 34.0 | Oregon | 26.8 | Wyoming | 25.1 |
|---|
| Idaho | 26.5 | Missouri | 30.5 | Pennsylvania | 28.6 | |
|---|
The data shown in these maps were collected through the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), on the basis of self-reported weight and height. Each year, state health departments use standard procedures to collect data through a series of monthly telephone interviews with U.S. adults. Prevalence estimates generated for the maps may vary slightly from those generated for the states by the BRFSS as slightly different analytic methods are used.
