Data / Rankings / Adult obesity rate / US states

US states by adult obesity rate

West Virginia had the highest adult obesity rate of 50 states in 2021, at 40.6%. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 24.7%. The median was 33.9% and the figure for the United States was 33%. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Highest40.6West Virginia
Lowest24.7District of Columbia
Median33.950 states
United States33History

All states, 2021

CSVChart (SVG)

West VirginiaWest Virginia: 40.6 %40.6KentuckyKentucky: 40.3 %40.3AlabamaAlabama: 39.9 %39.9OklahomaOklahoma: 39.4 %39.4MississippiMississippi: 39.1 %39.1ArkansasArkansas: 38.7 %38.7LouisianaLouisiana: 38.6 %38.6South DakotaSouth Dakota: 38.4 %38.4OhioOhio: 37.8 %37.8MissouriMissouri: 37.3 %37.3IowaIowa: 36.4 %36.4IndianaIndiana: 36.3 %36.3South CarolinaSouth Carolina: 36.1 %36.1TexasTexas: 36.1 %36.1KansasKansas: 36 %36North CarolinaNorth Carolina: 36 %36NebraskaNebraska: 35.9 %35.9North DakotaNorth Dakota: 35.2 %35.2TennesseeTennessee: 35 %35New MexicoNew Mexico: 34.6 %34.6MichiganMichigan: 34.4 %34.4MarylandMaryland: 34.3 %34.3IllinoisIllinois: 34.2 %34.2VirginiaVirginia: 34.2 %34.2DelawareDelaware: 33.9 %33.9GeorgiaGeorgia: 33.9 %33.9WisconsinWisconsin: 33.9 %33.9AlaskaAlaska: 33.5 %33.5PennsylvaniaPennsylvania: 33.3 %33.3MinnesotaMinnesota: 32.4 %32.4WyomingWyoming: 32 %32MaineMaine: 31.9 %31.9MontanaMontana: 31.8 %31.8IdahoIdaho: 31.6 %31.6ArizonaArizona: 31.3 %31.3NevadaNevada: 31.3 %31.3UtahUtah: 30.9 %30.9New HampshireNew Hampshire: 30.6 %30.6ConnecticutConnecticut: 30.4 %30.4OregonOregon: 30.4 %30.4Rhode IslandRhode Island: 30.1 %30.1New YorkNew York: 29.1 %29.1VermontVermont: 29 %29WashingtonWashington: 28.8 %28.8New JerseyNew Jersey: 28.2 %28.2CaliforniaCalifornia: 27.6 %27.6MassachusettsMassachusetts: 27.4 %27.4ColoradoColorado: 25.1 %25.1HawaiiHawaii: 25 %25District of ColumbiaDistrict of Columbia: 24.7 %24.7
%. Source: CDC. Retrieved 2026-10-09.

Full ranking

RankStates2021 (%)Change on 2020
1West Virginia40.6+1.5 pts
2Kentucky40.3+3.7 pts
3Alabama39.9+0.9 pts
4Oklahoma39.4+3 pts
5Mississippi39.1-0.6 pts
6Arkansas38.7+2.3 pts
7Louisiana38.6+0.5 pts
8South Dakota38.4+5.2 pts
9Ohio37.8+2.3 pts
10Missouri37.3+3.3 pts
11Iowa36.4-0.1 pts
12Indiana36.3-0.5 pts
13South Carolina36.1-0.1 pts
13Texas36.1+0.3 pts
15Kansas36+0.7 pts
15North Carolina36+2.4 pts
17Nebraska35.9+1.9 pts
18North Dakota35.2+2.1 pts
19Tennessee35-0.6 pts
20New Mexico34.6+3.7 pts
21Michigan34.4-0.8 pts
22Maryland34.3+3.3 pts
23Illinois34.2+1.8 pts
23Virginia34.2+2 pts
25Delaware33.9-2.6 pts
25Georgia33.9-0.4 pts
25Wisconsin33.9+1.6 pts
28Alaska33.5+1.6 pts
29Pennsylvania33.3+1.8 pts
30Minnesota32.4+1.7 pts
31Wyoming32+1.3 pts
32Maine31.9+0.9 pts
33Montana31.8+3.3 pts
34Idaho31.6+0.5 pts
35Arizona31.3+0.4 pts
35Nevada31.3+2.6 pts
37Utah30.9+2.3 pts
38New Hampshire30.6+0.7 pts
39Connecticut30.4+1.2 pts
39Oregon30.4+2.3 pts
41Rhode Island30.10 pts
42New York29.1+2.8 pts
43Vermont29+2.7 pts
44Washington28.8+0.8 pts
45New Jersey28.2+0.5 pts
46California27.6-2.7 pts
47Massachusetts27.4+3 pts
48Colorado25.1+0.9 pts
49Hawaii25+0.5 pts
50District of Columbia24.7+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. 1 states with data in other periods have no value for 2021 and are left out rather than filled from another source. 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 40.6% in 2021, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest adult obesity rate?

District of Columbia, with 24.7% in 2021.

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. 1 states have no value for 2021 and are not ranked.

US states: more rankings