Data / Rankings / Physical inactivity in adults / US states

US states by physical inactivity in adults

Arkansas had the highest physical inactivity in adults of 51 states in 2016, at 32.5%. Utah had the lowest, at 15.7%. The median was 23.2%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest32.5Arkansas
Lowest15.7Utah
Median23.251 states

Map of states, 2016

Alabama: 29.4 %Alaska: 19.1 %Arizona: 23.1 %Arkansas: 32.5 %California: 20.5 %Colorado: 15.8 %Connecticut: 21.3 %Delaware: 26.6 %District of Columbia: 16.2 %Florida: 29.8 %Georgia: 29.4 %Hawaii: 20.8 %Idaho: 20.2 %Illinois: 23.9 %Indiana: 26.8 %Iowa: 22.7 %Kansas: 23.5 %Kentucky: 29.8 %Louisiana: 29.1 %Maine: 20.6 %Maryland: 23.2 %Massachusetts: 20 %Michigan: 23.9 %Minnesota: 18 %Mississippi: 30.3 %Missouri: 24.9 %Montana: 19.9 %Nebraska: 22.4 %Nevada: 24.7 %New Hampshire: 19.3 %New Jersey: 29.8 %New Mexico: 20.3 %New York: 26.3 %North Carolina: 23.3 %North Dakota: 22.2 %Ohio: 25.9 %Oklahoma: 28.5 %Oregon: 17.2 %Pennsylvania: 22.9 %Rhode Island: 24.4 %South Carolina: 26.9 %South Dakota: 18.9 %Tennessee: 28.4 %Texas: 25.2 %Utah: 15.7 %Vermont: 19.5 %Virginia: 23.3 %Washington: 17.6 %West Virginia: 28.5 %Wisconsin: 20 %Wyoming: 23.1 %
  • Under 19
  • 19 to 21
  • 21 to 23
  • 23 to 25
  • 25 to 29
  • 29 and over
%, 2016. Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau cartographic boundary files.

All states, 2016

Arkansas: 32.5 %Arkansas32.5Mississippi: 30.3 %Mississippi30.3Florida: 29.8 %Florida29.8Kentucky: 29.8 %Kentucky29.8New Jersey: 29.8 %New Jersey29.8Alabama: 29.4 %Alabama29.4Georgia: 29.4 %Georgia29.4Louisiana: 29.1 %Louisiana29.1Oklahoma: 28.5 %Oklahoma28.5West Virginia: 28.5 %West Virginia28.5Tennessee: 28.4 %Tennessee28.4South Carolina: 26.9 %South Carolina26.9Indiana: 26.8 %Indiana26.8Delaware: 26.6 %Delaware26.6New York: 26.3 %New York26.3Ohio: 25.9 %Ohio25.9Texas: 25.2 %Texas25.2Missouri: 24.9 %Missouri24.9Nevada: 24.7 %Nevada24.7Rhode Island: 24.4 %Rhode Island24.4Illinois: 23.9 %Illinois23.9Michigan: 23.9 %Michigan23.9Kansas: 23.5 %Kansas23.5North Carolina: 23.3 %North Carolina23.3Virginia: 23.3 %Virginia23.3Maryland: 23.2 %Maryland23.2Arizona: 23.1 %Arizona23.1Wyoming: 23.1 %Wyoming23.1Pennsylvania: 22.9 %Pennsylvania22.9Iowa: 22.7 %Iowa22.7Nebraska: 22.4 %Nebraska22.4North Dakota: 22.2 %North Dakota22.2Connecticut: 21.3 %Connecticut21.3Hawaii: 20.8 %Hawaii20.8Maine: 20.6 %Maine20.6California: 20.5 %California20.5New Mexico: 20.3 %New Mexico20.3Idaho: 20.2 %Idaho20.2Massachusetts: 20 %Massachusetts20Wisconsin: 20 %Wisconsin20Montana: 19.9 %Montana19.9Vermont: 19.5 %Vermont19.5New Hampshire: 19.3 %New Hampshire19.3Alaska: 19.1 %Alaska19.1South Dakota: 18.9 %South Dakota18.9Minnesota: 18 %Minnesota18Washington: 17.6 %Washington17.6Oregon: 17.2 %Oregon17.2District of Columbia: 16.2 %District of Columbia16.2Colorado: 15.8 %Colorado15.8Utah: 15.7 %Utah15.7Arkansas: 32.5 %Arkansas32.5Mississippi: 30.3 %Mississippi30.3Florida: 29.8 %Florida29.8Kentucky: 29.8 %Kentucky29.8New Jersey: 29.8 %New Jersey29.8Alabama: 29.4 %Alabama29.4Georgia: 29.4 %Georgia29.4Louisiana: 29.1 %Louisiana29.1Oklahoma: 28.5 %Oklahoma28.5West Virginia: 28.5 %West Virginia28.5Tennessee: 28.4 %Tennessee28.4South Carolina: 26.9 %South Carolina26.9Indiana: 26.8 %Indiana26.8Delaware: 26.6 %Delaware26.6New York: 26.3 %New York26.3Ohio: 25.9 %Ohio25.9Texas: 25.2 %Texas25.2Missouri: 24.9 %Missouri24.9Nevada: 24.7 %Nevada24.7Rhode Island: 24.4 %Rhode Island24.4Illinois: 23.9 %Illinois23.9Michigan: 23.9 %Michigan23.9Kansas: 23.5 %Kansas23.5North Carolina: 23.3 %North Carolina23.3Virginia: 23.3 %Virginia23.3Maryland: 23.2 %Maryland23.2Arizona: 23.1 %Arizona23.1Wyoming: 23.1 %Wyoming23.1Pennsylvania: 22.9 %Pennsylvania22.9Iowa: 22.7 %Iowa22.7Nebraska: 22.4 %Nebraska22.4North Dakota: 22.2 %North Dakota22.2Connecticut: 21.3 %Connecticut21.3Hawaii: 20.8 %Hawaii20.8Maine: 20.6 %Maine20.6California: 20.5 %California20.5New Mexico: 20.3 %New Mexico20.3Idaho: 20.2 %Idaho20.2Massachusetts: 20 %Massachusetts20Wisconsin: 20 %Wisconsin20Montana: 19.9 %Montana19.9Vermont: 19.5 %Vermont19.5New Hampshire: 19.3 %New Hampshire19.3Alaska: 19.1 %Alaska19.1South Dakota: 18.9 %South Dakota18.9Minnesota: 18 %Minnesota18Washington: 17.6 %Washington17.6Oregon: 17.2 %Oregon17.2District of Columbia: 16.2 %District of Columbia16.2Colorado: 15.8 %Colorado15.8Utah: 15.7 %Utah15.7
%. Source: CDC, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankStates2016 (%)Change on 2015
1Arkansas32.5-1.7 pts
2Mississippi30.3-6.5 pts
3Florida29.8+3.6 pts
3Kentucky29.8-2.7 pts
3New Jersey29.8+2.6 pts
6Alabama29.4-2.5 pts
6Georgia29.4+2.1 pts
8Louisiana29.1-2.8 pts
9Oklahoma28.5-4.7 pts
9West Virginia28.5-2.3 pts
11Tennessee28.4-2 pts
12South Carolina26.9+0.2 pts
13Indiana26.8-2.6 pts
14Delaware26.6-2.8 pts
15New York26.3-3 pts
16Ohio25.9-1.1 pts
17Texas25.2-4.3 pts
18Missouri24.9-2.1 pts
19Nevada24.70 pts
20Rhode Island24.4-3.7 pts
21Illinois23.9-0.9 pts
21Michigan23.9-1.6 pts
23Kansas23.5-3 pts
24North Carolina23.3-2.9 pts
24Virginia23.3-1.9 pts
26Maryland23.2-0.9 pts
27Arizona23.1-1.6 pts
27Wyoming23.1-3.1 pts
29Pennsylvania22.9-4.9 pts
30Iowa22.7-3.6 pts
31Nebraska22.4-3 pts
32North Dakota22.2-4.6 pts
33Connecticut21.3-2.2 pts
34Hawaii20.8-1.7 pts
35Maine20.6-4.2 pts
36California20.5+0.5 pts
37New Mexico20.3-2.3 pts
38Idaho20.2-1 pts
39Massachusetts20-6.5 pts
39Wisconsin20-1.6 pts
41Montana19.9-2.6 pts
42Vermont19.5-2.7 pts
43New Hampshire19.3-3.3 pts
44Alaska19.1-2.9 pts
45South Dakota18.9-2.5 pts
46Minnesota18-3.8 pts
47Washington17.6-1.4 pts
48Oregon17.2-1.6 pts
49District of Columbia16.2-3.2 pts
50Colorado15.8-2.1 pts
51Utah15.7-4.6 pts

Other periods

About this ranking

Percentage of adults aged 18 and over who did no physical activity or exercise outside their regular job in the past month, such as running, golf, gardening or walking for exercise. Crude prevalence, not age-adjusted.

CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a telephone survey of adults, crude prevalence. States and DC only: BRFSS publishes the median of the states rather than a national prevalence, so no national value is served. A state that did not meet BRFSS data standards in a year has no value, and CDC withholds estimates from fewer than 50 respondents or with a relative standard error above 0.3. The dataset also publishes 95% confidence intervals. The series starts in 2011, when BRFSS changed its weighting and added cell phones. BRFSS variable _TOTINDA, adults who answered no to any physical activity in the past month.

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). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_TOTINDA%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP054%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2026). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall (US states by physical inactivity in adults, 2016) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_TOTINDA%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP054%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27

MLA 9

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall, US states by physical inactivity in adults, 2016. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15 Sept. 2026, https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_TOTINDA%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP054%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate/us-states?period=2016. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2026. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall. US states by physical inactivity in adults, 2016. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_TOTINDA%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP054%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate/us-states?period=2016.

Harvard

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2026) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall, US states by physical inactivity in adults, 2016 [Dataset]. Available at: https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_TOTINDA%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP054%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate/us-states?period=2016 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_us_states_by_physical_2016,
  author = {{Centers for Disease Control and Prevention}},
  title = {{Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall: US states by physical inactivity in adults, 2016}},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_TOTINDA%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP054%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate/us-states?period=2016. Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?\%24order=\%3Aid\&\%24limit=50000\&\%24where=questionid+in+\%28\%27\_TOTINDA\%27\%29+AND+responseid+in+\%28\%27RESP054\%27\%29+AND+breakoutid\%3D\%27BO1\%27+AND+data\_value\_type\%3D\%27Crude+Prevalence\%27. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
TI  - Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall: US states by physical inactivity in adults, 2016
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/15
PB  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_TOTINDA%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP054%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27
L2  - https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate/us-states?period=2016
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate/us-states?period=2016.
N1  - Publisher attribution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall. https://data.cdc.gov/resource/dttw-5yxu.json?%24order=%3Aid&%24limit=50000&%24where=questionid+in+%28%27_TOTINDA%27%29+AND+responseid+in+%28%27RESP054%27%29+AND+breakoutid%3D%27BO1%27+AND+data_value_type%3D%27Crude+Prevalence%27. Retrieved 2026-10-12. These data are available free from CDC. Use does not imply endorsement by CDC, ATSDR, HHS or the United States Government.
ER  -
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Rank US states by physical inactivity in adults using official data, and cite the source.
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Questions

Which state has the highest physical inactivity in adults?

Arkansas, with 32.5% in 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest physical inactivity in adults?

Utah, with 15.7% in 2016.

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, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Prevalence Data, 2011 to present (dttw-5yxu), physical inactivity in adults, crude prevalence, overall. Retrieved 2026-10-12.

US states: more rankings