Data / Rankings / Adult obesity rate / US states

US states by adult obesity rate

West Virginia had the highest adult obesity rate of 51 states in 2017, at 38.1%. Colorado had the lowest, at 22.6%. The median was 31.3% and the figure for the United States was 30.1%. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Highest38.1West Virginia
Lowest22.6Colorado
Median31.351 states
United States30.1History

All states, 2017

CSVChart (SVG)

West VirginiaWest Virginia: 38.1 %38.1MississippiMississippi: 37.3 %37.3OklahomaOklahoma: 36.5 %36.5IowaIowa: 36.4 %36.4AlabamaAlabama: 36.3 %36.3LouisianaLouisiana: 36.2 %36.2ArkansasArkansas: 35 %35KentuckyKentucky: 34.3 %34.3AlaskaAlaska: 34.2 %34.2South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 34.1 %34.1OhioOhio: 33.8 %33.8IndianaIndiana: 33.6 %33.6North DakotaNorth Dakota: 33.2 %33.2TexasTexas: 33 %33NebraskaNebraska: 32.8 %32.8TennesseeTennessee: 32.8 %32.8MissouriMissouri: 32.5 %32.5KansasKansas: 32.4 %32.4MichiganMichigan: 32.3 %32.3North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 32.1 %32.1WisconsinWisconsin: 32 %32South DakotaSouth Dakota: 31.9 %31.9DelawareDelaware: 31.8 %31.8GeorgiaGeorgia: 31.6 %31.6PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 31.6 %31.6MarylandMaryland: 31.3 %31.3IllinoisIllinois: 31.1 %31.1VirginiaVirginia: 30.1 %30.1Rhode IslandRhode Island: 30 %30ArizonaArizona: 29.5 %29.5OregonOregon: 29.4 %29.4IdahoIdaho: 29.3 %29.3MaineMaine: 29.1 %29.1WyomingWyoming: 28.8 %28.8FloridaFlorida: 28.4 %28.4MinnesotaMinnesota: 28.4 %28.4New MexicoNew Mexico: 28.4 %28.4New HampshireNew Hampshire: 28.1 %28.1WashingtonWashington: 27.7 %27.7VermontVermont: 27.6 %27.6New JerseyNew Jersey: 27.3 %27.3ConnecticutConnecticut: 26.9 %26.9NevadaNevada: 26.7 %26.7MassachusettsMassachusetts: 25.9 %25.9New YorkNew York: 25.7 %25.7MontanaMontana: 25.3 %25.3UtahUtah: 25.3 %25.3CaliforniaCalifornia: 25.1 %25.1HawaiiHawaii: 23.8 %23.8District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 23 %23ColoradoColorado: 22.6 %22.6
%. Source: CDC. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2017 (%)Change on 2016
1West Virginia38.1+0.4 pts
2Mississippi37.30 pts
3Oklahoma36.5+3.7 pts
4Iowa36.4+4.4 pts
5Alabama36.3+0.6 pts
6Louisiana36.2+0.7 pts
7Arkansas35-0.7 pts
8Kentucky34.3+0.1 pts
9Alaska34.2+2.8 pts
10South Carolina34.1+1.8 pts
11Ohio33.8+2.3 pts
12Indiana33.6+1.1 pts
13North Dakota33.2+1.3 pts
14Texas33-0.7 pts
15Nebraska32.8+0.8 pts
15Tennessee32.8-2 pts
17Missouri32.5+0.8 pts
18Kansas32.4+1.2 pts
19Michigan32.3-0.2 pts
20North Carolina32.1+0.3 pts
21Wisconsin32+1.3 pts
22South Dakota31.9+2.3 pts
23Delaware31.8+1.1 pts
24Georgia31.6+0.2 pts
24Pennsylvania31.6+1.3 pts
26Maryland31.3+1.4 pts
27Illinois31.1-0.5 pts
28Virginia30.1+1.1 pts
29Rhode Island30+3.4 pts
30Arizona29.5+0.5 pts
31Oregon29.4+0.7 pts
32Idaho29.3+1.9 pts
33Maine29.1-0.8 pts
34Wyoming28.8+1.1 pts
35Florida28.4+1 pts
35Minnesota28.4+0.6 pts
35New Mexico28.4+0.1 pts
38New Hampshire28.1+1.5 pts
39Washington27.7-0.9 pts
40Vermont27.6+0.5 pts
41New Jersey27.3-0.1 pts
42Connecticut26.9+0.9 pts
43Nevada26.7+0.9 pts
44Massachusetts25.9+2.3 pts
45New York25.7+0.2 pts
46Montana25.3-0.2 pts
46Utah25.3-0.1 pts
48California25.1+0.1 pts
49Hawaii23.80 pts
50District of Columbia23+0.4 pts
51Colorado22.6+0.3 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?

West Virginia, with 38.1% in 2017, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest adult obesity rate?

Colorado, with 22.6% in 2017.

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