Data / Rankings / Adult obesity rate / US states

US states by adult obesity rate

Louisiana had the highest adult obesity rate of 51 states in 2015, at 36.2%. Colorado had the lowest, at 20.2%. The median was 29.8% and the figure for the United States was 28.9%. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Highest36.2Louisiana
Lowest20.2Colorado
Median29.851 states
United States28.9History

All states, 2015

CSVChart (SVG)

LouisianaLouisiana: 36.2 %36.2AlabamaAlabama: 35.6 %35.6MississippiMississippi: 35.6 %35.6West VirginiaWest Virginia: 35.6 %35.6KentuckyKentucky: 34.6 %34.6ArkansasArkansas: 34.5 %34.5KansasKansas: 34.2 %34.2OklahomaOklahoma: 33.9 %33.9TennesseeTennessee: 33.8 %33.8MissouriMissouri: 32.4 %32.4TexasTexas: 32.4 %32.4IowaIowa: 32.1 %32.1South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 31.7 %31.7NebraskaNebraska: 31.4 %31.4IndianaIndiana: 31.3 %31.3MichiganMichigan: 31.2 %31.2North DakotaNorth Dakota: 31 %31IllinoisIllinois: 30.8 %30.8GeorgiaGeorgia: 30.7 %30.7WisconsinWisconsin: 30.7 %30.7South DakotaSouth Dakota: 30.4 %30.4North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 30.1 %30.1OregonOregon: 30.1 %30.1MaineMaine: 30 %30PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 30 %30AlaskaAlaska: 29.8 %29.8OhioOhio: 29.8 %29.8DelawareDelaware: 29.7 %29.7VirginiaVirginia: 29.2 %29.2WyomingWyoming: 29 %29MarylandMaryland: 28.9 %28.9New MexicoNew Mexico: 28.8 %28.8IdahoIdaho: 28.6 %28.6ArizonaArizona: 28.4 %28.4FloridaFlorida: 26.8 %26.8NevadaNevada: 26.7 %26.7WashingtonWashington: 26.4 %26.4New HampshireNew Hampshire: 26.3 %26.3MinnesotaMinnesota: 26.1 %26.1Rhode IslandRhode Island: 26 %26New JerseyNew Jersey: 25.6 %25.6ConnecticutConnecticut: 25.3 %25.3VermontVermont: 25.1 %25.1New YorkNew York: 25 %25UtahUtah: 24.5 %24.5MassachusettsMassachusetts: 24.3 %24.3CaliforniaCalifornia: 24.2 %24.2MontanaMontana: 23.6 %23.6HawaiiHawaii: 22.7 %22.7District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 22.1 %22.1ColoradoColorado: 20.2 %20.2
%. Source: CDC. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2015 (%)Change on 2014
1Louisiana36.2+1.3 pts
2Alabama35.6+2.1 pts
2Mississippi35.6+0.1 pts
2West Virginia35.6-0.1 pts
5Kentucky34.6+3 pts
6Arkansas34.5-1.4 pts
7Kansas34.2+2.9 pts
8Oklahoma33.9+0.9 pts
9Tennessee33.8+2.6 pts
10Missouri32.4+2.2 pts
10Texas32.4+0.5 pts
12Iowa32.1+1.2 pts
13South Carolina31.7-0.4 pts
14Nebraska31.4+1.2 pts
15Indiana31.3-1.4 pts
16Michigan31.2+0.5 pts
17North Dakota31-1.2 pts
18Illinois30.8+1.5 pts
19Georgia30.7+0.2 pts
19Wisconsin30.7-0.5 pts
21South Dakota30.4+0.6 pts
22North Carolina30.1+0.4 pts
22Oregon30.1+2.2 pts
24Maine30+1.8 pts
24Pennsylvania30-0.2 pts
26Alaska29.8+0.1 pts
26Ohio29.8-2.8 pts
28Delaware29.7-1 pts
29Virginia29.2+0.7 pts
30Wyoming29-0.5 pts
31Maryland28.9-0.7 pts
32New Mexico28.8+0.4 pts
33Idaho28.6-0.3 pts
34Arizona28.4-0.5 pts
35Florida26.8+0.6 pts
36Nevada26.7-1 pts
37Washington26.4-0.9 pts
38New Hampshire26.3-1.1 pts
39Minnesota26.1-1.5 pts
40Rhode Island26-1 pts
41New Jersey25.6-1.3 pts
42Connecticut25.3-1 pts
43Vermont25.1+0.3 pts
44New York25-2 pts
45Utah24.5-1.2 pts
46Massachusetts24.3+1 pts
47California24.2-0.5 pts
48Montana23.6-2.8 pts
49Hawaii22.7+0.6 pts
50District of Columbia22.1+0.4 pts
51Colorado20.2-1.1 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage of adults aged 18 and over with obesity, defined as a body mass index of 30 or more calculated from self-reported height and weight. Crude prevalence, not age-adjusted.

United States: CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a telephone survey. Self-reported measurements give lower figures than measured surveys such as NHANES. The national figure pools respondents from the 50 states and DC; a state that did not meet BRFSS data standards in a year (California, Mississippi and Nevada in 2025) has no value and is left out of that year's national figure. Territories are not included. The series starts in 2011, when BRFSS changed its weighting and added cell phones, so earlier estimates are not comparable.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the states are compared on one definition. Equal values share a rank.

How to cite

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (hn4x-zwk7), percent of adults aged 18 years and older who have obesity, total. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/hn4x-zwk7.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid%3D%27Q036%27+AND+stratificationid1%3D%27OVERALL%27+AND+datavaluetypeid%3D%27VALUE%27. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

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Questions

Which state has the highest adult obesity rate?

Louisiana, with 36.2% in 2015, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest adult obesity rate?

Colorado, with 20.2% in 2015.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (hn4x-zwk7), percent of adults aged 18 years and older who have obesity, total. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

US states: more rankings