Data / Rankings / Physical inactivity in adults / US states

US states by physical inactivity in adults

Kentucky had the highest physical inactivity in adults of 51 states in 2018, at 32.4%. Colorado had the lowest, at 16.4%. The median was 23.8%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest32.4Kentucky
Lowest16.4Colorado
Median23.851 states

Map of states, 2018

Alabama: 30.7 %Alaska: 19.6 %Arizona: 22.1 %Arkansas: 31 %California: 21 %Colorado: 16.4 %Connecticut: 22.4 %Delaware: 26.8 %District of Columbia: 19.6 %Florida: 26.8 %Georgia: 26.2 %Hawaii: 19.9 %Idaho: 20.5 %Illinois: 24.6 %Indiana: 27.4 %Iowa: 22.9 %Kansas: 22.5 %Kentucky: 32.4 %Louisiana: 30.8 %Maine: 22.5 %Maryland: 23 %Massachusetts: 22.4 %Michigan: 23.8 %Minnesota: 20.5 %Mississippi: 32 %Missouri: 26.1 %Montana: 22.7 %Nebraska: 23.8 %Nevada: 25 %New Hampshire: 21.5 %New Jersey: 28.5 %New Mexico: 22.2 %New York: 23.8 %North Carolina: 23.9 %North Dakota: 22.3 %Ohio: 25.4 %Oklahoma: 27.2 %Oregon: 19.3 %Pennsylvania: 24 %Rhode Island: 25.3 %South Carolina: 26.7 %South Dakota: 24 %Tennessee: 30.9 %Texas: 25.6 %Utah: 17.5 %Vermont: 18.9 %Virginia: 22 %Washington: 17.6 %West Virginia: 28.2 %Wisconsin: 21.8 %Wyoming: 21.7 %
  • Under 21
  • 21 to 22
  • 22 to 24
  • 24 to 25
  • 25 to 27
  • 27 and over
%, 2018. 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, 2018

Kentucky: 32.4 %Kentucky32.4Mississippi: 32 %Mississippi32Arkansas: 31 %Arkansas31Tennessee: 30.9 %Tennessee30.9Louisiana: 30.8 %Louisiana30.8Alabama: 30.7 %Alabama30.7New Jersey: 28.5 %New Jersey28.5West Virginia: 28.2 %West Virginia28.2Indiana: 27.4 %Indiana27.4Oklahoma: 27.2 %Oklahoma27.2Delaware: 26.8 %Delaware26.8Florida: 26.8 %Florida26.8South Carolina: 26.7 %South Carolina26.7Georgia: 26.2 %Georgia26.2Missouri: 26.1 %Missouri26.1Texas: 25.6 %Texas25.6Ohio: 25.4 %Ohio25.4Rhode Island: 25.3 %Rhode Island25.3Nevada: 25 %Nevada25Illinois: 24.6 %Illinois24.6Pennsylvania: 24 %Pennsylvania24South Dakota: 24 %South Dakota24North Carolina: 23.9 %North Carolina23.9Michigan: 23.8 %Michigan23.8Nebraska: 23.8 %Nebraska23.8New York: 23.8 %New York23.8Maryland: 23 %Maryland23Iowa: 22.9 %Iowa22.9Montana: 22.7 %Montana22.7Kansas: 22.5 %Kansas22.5Maine: 22.5 %Maine22.5Connecticut: 22.4 %Connecticut22.4Massachusetts: 22.4 %Massachusetts22.4North Dakota: 22.3 %North Dakota22.3New Mexico: 22.2 %New Mexico22.2Arizona: 22.1 %Arizona22.1Virginia: 22 %Virginia22Wisconsin: 21.8 %Wisconsin21.8Wyoming: 21.7 %Wyoming21.7New Hampshire: 21.5 %New Hampshire21.5California: 21 %California21Idaho: 20.5 %Idaho20.5Minnesota: 20.5 %Minnesota20.5Hawaii: 19.9 %Hawaii19.9Alaska: 19.6 %Alaska19.6District of Columbia: 19.6 %District of Columbia19.6Oregon: 19.3 %Oregon19.3Vermont: 18.9 %Vermont18.9Washington: 17.6 %Washington17.6Utah: 17.5 %Utah17.5Colorado: 16.4 %Colorado16.4Kentucky: 32.4 %Kentucky32.4Mississippi: 32 %Mississippi32Arkansas: 31 %Arkansas31Tennessee: 30.9 %Tennessee30.9Louisiana: 30.8 %Louisiana30.8Alabama: 30.7 %Alabama30.7New Jersey: 28.5 %New Jersey28.5West Virginia: 28.2 %West Virginia28.2Indiana: 27.4 %Indiana27.4Oklahoma: 27.2 %Oklahoma27.2Delaware: 26.8 %Delaware26.8Florida: 26.8 %Florida26.8South Carolina: 26.7 %South Carolina26.7Georgia: 26.2 %Georgia26.2Missouri: 26.1 %Missouri26.1Texas: 25.6 %Texas25.6Ohio: 25.4 %Ohio25.4Rhode Island: 25.3 %Rhode Island25.3Nevada: 25 %Nevada25Illinois: 24.6 %Illinois24.6Pennsylvania: 24 %Pennsylvania24South Dakota: 24 %South Dakota24North Carolina: 23.9 %North Carolina23.9Michigan: 23.8 %Michigan23.8Nebraska: 23.8 %Nebraska23.8New York: 23.8 %New York23.8Maryland: 23 %Maryland23Iowa: 22.9 %Iowa22.9Montana: 22.7 %Montana22.7Kansas: 22.5 %Kansas22.5Maine: 22.5 %Maine22.5Connecticut: 22.4 %Connecticut22.4Massachusetts: 22.4 %Massachusetts22.4North Dakota: 22.3 %North Dakota22.3New Mexico: 22.2 %New Mexico22.2Arizona: 22.1 %Arizona22.1Virginia: 22 %Virginia22Wisconsin: 21.8 %Wisconsin21.8Wyoming: 21.7 %Wyoming21.7New Hampshire: 21.5 %New Hampshire21.5California: 21 %California21Idaho: 20.5 %Idaho20.5Minnesota: 20.5 %Minnesota20.5Hawaii: 19.9 %Hawaii19.9Alaska: 19.6 %Alaska19.6District of Columbia: 19.6 %District of Columbia19.6Oregon: 19.3 %Oregon19.3Vermont: 18.9 %Vermont18.9Washington: 17.6 %Washington17.6Utah: 17.5 %Utah17.5Colorado: 16.4 %Colorado16.4
%. 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

RankStates2018 (%)Change on 2017
1Kentucky32.4-2 pts
2Mississippi32-1.2 pts
3Arkansas31-1.6 pts
4Tennessee30.9+0.3 pts
5Louisiana30.8-1 pts
6Alabama30.7-1.3 pts
7New Jersey28.5-0.5 pts
8West Virginia28.2-3.4 pts
9Indiana27.4-2.4 pts
10Oklahoma27.2-5.2 pts
11Delaware26.8-4.2 pts
11Florida26.8-2.4 pts
13South Carolina26.7-1.7 pts
14Georgia26.2-4.8 pts
15Missouri26.1-3.1 pts
16Texas25.6-6.5 pts
17Ohio25.4-4.2 pts
18Rhode Island25.3-1 pts
19Nevada25-3 pts
20Illinois24.6+0.6 pts
21Pennsylvania24-0.9 pts
21South Dakota24-0.9 pts
23North Carolina23.9-1.7 pts
24Michigan23.8-3.4 pts
24Nebraska23.8-1.6 pts
24New York23.8-3.4 pts
27Maryland23-2.6 pts
28Iowa22.9-2.1 pts
29Montana22.7-2.3 pts
30Kansas22.5-5.4 pts
30Maine22.5-2.7 pts
32Connecticut22.4-1.6 pts
32Massachusetts22.4-2.4 pts
34North Dakota22.3-5.3 pts
35New Mexico22.2-2.3 pts
36Arizona22.1-2.9 pts
37Virginia22-4 pts
38Wisconsin21.8-0.6 pts
39Wyoming21.7-4 pts
40New Hampshire21.5-2.4 pts
41California21+1 pts
42Idaho20.5-3.7 pts
42Minnesota20.5-4.1 pts
44Hawaii19.9-3.6 pts
45Alaska19.6-1 pts
45District of Columbia19.6-4.7 pts
47Oregon19.3-2.1 pts
48Vermont18.9-2.7 pts
49Washington17.6-1.6 pts
50Utah17.5-3.6 pts
51Colorado16.4-3 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, 2018) [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, 2018. 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=2018. 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, 2018. 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=2018.

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, 2018 [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=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_us_states_by_physical_2018,
  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, 2018}},
  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=2018. 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, 2018
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=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate/us-states?period=2018.
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?

Kentucky, with 32.4% in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest physical inactivity in adults?

Colorado, with 16.4% in 2018.

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.

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