Data / Rankings / Adult obesity rate / US states

US states by adult obesity rate

Mississippi had the highest adult obesity rate of 51 states in 2020, at 39.7%. Colorado had the lowest, at 24.2%. The median was 31.9% and the figure for the United States was 31.9%. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Highest39.7Mississippi
Lowest24.2Colorado
Median31.951 states
United States31.9History

All states, 2020

CSVChart (SVG)

MississippiMississippi: 39.7 %39.7West VirginiaWest Virginia: 39.1 %39.1AlabamaAlabama: 39 %39LouisianaLouisiana: 38.1 %38.1IndianaIndiana: 36.8 %36.8KentuckyKentucky: 36.6 %36.6DelawareDelaware: 36.5 %36.5IowaIowa: 36.5 %36.5ArkansasArkansas: 36.4 %36.4OklahomaOklahoma: 36.4 %36.4South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 36.2 %36.2TexasTexas: 35.8 %35.8TennesseeTennessee: 35.6 %35.6OhioOhio: 35.5 %35.5KansasKansas: 35.3 %35.3MichiganMichigan: 35.2 %35.2GeorgiaGeorgia: 34.3 %34.3MissouriMissouri: 34 %34NebraskaNebraska: 34 %34North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 33.6 %33.6South DakotaSouth Dakota: 33.2 %33.2North DakotaNorth Dakota: 33.1 %33.1IllinoisIllinois: 32.4 %32.4WisconsinWisconsin: 32.3 %32.3VirginiaVirginia: 32.2 %32.2AlaskaAlaska: 31.9 %31.9PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 31.5 %31.5IdahoIdaho: 31.1 %31.1MaineMaine: 31 %31MarylandMaryland: 31 %31ArizonaArizona: 30.9 %30.9New MexicoNew Mexico: 30.9 %30.9MinnesotaMinnesota: 30.7 %30.7WyomingWyoming: 30.7 %30.7CaliforniaCalifornia: 30.3 %30.3Rhode IslandRhode Island: 30.1 %30.1New HampshireNew Hampshire: 29.9 %29.9ConnecticutConnecticut: 29.2 %29.2NevadaNevada: 28.7 %28.7UtahUtah: 28.6 %28.6MontanaMontana: 28.5 %28.5FloridaFlorida: 28.4 %28.4OregonOregon: 28.1 %28.1WashingtonWashington: 28 %28New JerseyNew Jersey: 27.7 %27.7New YorkNew York: 26.3 %26.3VermontVermont: 26.3 %26.3HawaiiHawaii: 24.5 %24.5MassachusettsMassachusetts: 24.4 %24.4District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 24.3 %24.3ColoradoColorado: 24.2 %24.2
%. Source: CDC. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2020 (%)Change on 2019
1Mississippi39.7-1.1 pts
2West Virginia39.1-0.6 pts
3Alabama39+2.9 pts
4Louisiana38.1+2.2 pts
5Indiana36.8+1.5 pts
6Kentucky36.6+0.1 pts
7Delaware36.5+2.1 pts
7Iowa36.5+2.6 pts
9Arkansas36.4-1 pts
9Oklahoma36.4-0.4 pts
11South Carolina36.2+0.8 pts
12Texas35.8+1.8 pts
13Tennessee35.6-0.9 pts
14Ohio35.5+0.7 pts
15Kansas35.3+0.1 pts
16Michigan35.2-0.8 pts
17Georgia34.3+1.2 pts
18Missouri34-0.8 pts
18Nebraska34-0.1 pts
20North Carolina33.6-0.4 pts
21South Dakota33.2+0.2 pts
22North Dakota33.1-1.7 pts
23Illinois32.4+0.8 pts
24Wisconsin32.3-1.9 pts
25Virginia32.2+0.3 pts
26Alaska31.9+1.4 pts
27Pennsylvania31.5-1.7 pts
28Idaho31.1+1.6 pts
29Maine31-0.7 pts
29Maryland31-1.3 pts
31Arizona30.9-0.5 pts
31New Mexico30.9-0.8 pts
33Minnesota30.7+0.6 pts
33Wyoming30.7+1 pts
35California30.3+4.1 pts
36Rhode Island30.1+0.1 pts
37New Hampshire29.9-1.9 pts
38Connecticut29.2+0.1 pts
39Nevada28.7-1.9 pts
40Utah28.6-0.6 pts
41Montana28.5+0.2 pts
42Florida28.4+1.4 pts
43Oregon28.1-0.9 pts
44Washington28-0.3 pts
45New Jersey27.7n/a
46New York26.3-0.8 pts
46Vermont26.3-0.3 pts
48Hawaii24.5-0.5 pts
49Massachusetts24.4-0.8 pts
50District of Columbia24.3+0.5 pts
51Colorado24.2+0.4 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?

Mississippi, with 39.7% in 2020, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest adult obesity rate?

Colorado, with 24.2% in 2020.

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