Data / Rankings / Physical inactivity in adults / US states

US states by physical inactivity in adults

Mississippi had the highest physical inactivity in adults of 51 states in 2022, at 31.9%. District of Columbia had the lowest, at 15.2%. The median was 23.4%. Source: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Highest31.9Mississippi
Lowest15.2District of Columbia
Median23.451 states

Map of states, 2022

Alabama: 29 %Alaska: 21.5 %Arizona: 23.4 %Arkansas: 31.2 %California: 21.9 %Colorado: 16.8 %Connecticut: 23.1 %Delaware: 23.5 %District of Columbia: 15.2 %Florida: 24.4 %Georgia: 23.8 %Hawaii: 21.3 %Idaho: 21.5 %Illinois: 22.8 %Indiana: 27.5 %Iowa: 25.9 %Kansas: 23.3 %Kentucky: 26.4 %Louisiana: 28.3 %Maine: 22.6 %Maryland: 21.2 %Massachusetts: 21.3 %Michigan: 23.9 %Minnesota: 20.5 %Mississippi: 31.9 %Missouri: 25.3 %Montana: 19.6 %Nebraska: 24.7 %Nevada: 26.1 %New Hampshire: 20 %New Jersey: 23.3 %New Mexico: 24.2 %New York: 25.6 %North Carolina: 23.1 %North Dakota: 24 %Ohio: 25.1 %Oklahoma: 29.5 %Oregon: 19 %Pennsylvania: 22.5 %Rhode Island: 24.2 %South Carolina: 26 %South Dakota: 23.4 %Tennessee: 27.7 %Texas: 25.5 %Utah: 16.8 %Vermont: 19.8 %Virginia: 20.9 %Washington: 17.4 %West Virginia: 30.2 %Wisconsin: 21.9 %Wyoming: 22.6 %
  • Under 21
  • 21 to 22
  • 22 to 23
  • 23 to 24
  • 24 to 26
  • 26 and over
%, 2022. 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, 2022

Mississippi: 31.9 %Mississippi31.9Arkansas: 31.2 %Arkansas31.2West Virginia: 30.2 %West Virginia30.2Oklahoma: 29.5 %Oklahoma29.5Alabama: 29 %Alabama29Louisiana: 28.3 %Louisiana28.3Tennessee: 27.7 %Tennessee27.7Indiana: 27.5 %Indiana27.5Kentucky: 26.4 %Kentucky26.4Nevada: 26.1 %Nevada26.1South Carolina: 26 %South Carolina26Iowa: 25.9 %Iowa25.9New York: 25.6 %New York25.6Texas: 25.5 %Texas25.5Missouri: 25.3 %Missouri25.3Ohio: 25.1 %Ohio25.1Nebraska: 24.7 %Nebraska24.7Florida: 24.4 %Florida24.4New Mexico: 24.2 %New Mexico24.2Rhode Island: 24.2 %Rhode Island24.2North Dakota: 24 %North Dakota24Michigan: 23.9 %Michigan23.9Georgia: 23.8 %Georgia23.8Delaware: 23.5 %Delaware23.5Arizona: 23.4 %Arizona23.4South Dakota: 23.4 %South Dakota23.4Kansas: 23.3 %Kansas23.3New Jersey: 23.3 %New Jersey23.3Connecticut: 23.1 %Connecticut23.1North Carolina: 23.1 %North Carolina23.1Illinois: 22.8 %Illinois22.8Maine: 22.6 %Maine22.6Wyoming: 22.6 %Wyoming22.6Pennsylvania: 22.5 %Pennsylvania22.5California: 21.9 %California21.9Wisconsin: 21.9 %Wisconsin21.9Alaska: 21.5 %Alaska21.5Idaho: 21.5 %Idaho21.5Hawaii: 21.3 %Hawaii21.3Massachusetts: 21.3 %Massachusetts21.3Maryland: 21.2 %Maryland21.2Virginia: 20.9 %Virginia20.9Minnesota: 20.5 %Minnesota20.5New Hampshire: 20 %New Hampshire20Vermont: 19.8 %Vermont19.8Montana: 19.6 %Montana19.6Oregon: 19 %Oregon19Washington: 17.4 %Washington17.4Colorado: 16.8 %Colorado16.8Utah: 16.8 %Utah16.8District of Columbia: 15.2 %District of Columbia15.2Mississippi: 31.9 %Mississippi31.9Arkansas: 31.2 %Arkansas31.2West Virginia: 30.2 %West Virginia30.2Oklahoma: 29.5 %Oklahoma29.5Alabama: 29 %Alabama29Louisiana: 28.3 %Louisiana28.3Tennessee: 27.7 %Tennessee27.7Indiana: 27.5 %Indiana27.5Kentucky: 26.4 %Kentucky26.4Nevada: 26.1 %Nevada26.1South Carolina: 26 %South Carolina26Iowa: 25.9 %Iowa25.9New York: 25.6 %New York25.6Texas: 25.5 %Texas25.5Missouri: 25.3 %Missouri25.3Ohio: 25.1 %Ohio25.1Nebraska: 24.7 %Nebraska24.7Florida: 24.4 %Florida24.4New Mexico: 24.2 %New Mexico24.2Rhode Island: 24.2 %Rhode Island24.2North Dakota: 24 %North Dakota24Michigan: 23.9 %Michigan23.9Georgia: 23.8 %Georgia23.8Delaware: 23.5 %Delaware23.5Arizona: 23.4 %Arizona23.4South Dakota: 23.4 %South Dakota23.4Kansas: 23.3 %Kansas23.3New Jersey: 23.3 %New Jersey23.3Connecticut: 23.1 %Connecticut23.1North Carolina: 23.1 %North Carolina23.1Illinois: 22.8 %Illinois22.8Maine: 22.6 %Maine22.6Wyoming: 22.6 %Wyoming22.6Pennsylvania: 22.5 %Pennsylvania22.5California: 21.9 %California21.9Wisconsin: 21.9 %Wisconsin21.9Alaska: 21.5 %Alaska21.5Idaho: 21.5 %Idaho21.5Hawaii: 21.3 %Hawaii21.3Massachusetts: 21.3 %Massachusetts21.3Maryland: 21.2 %Maryland21.2Virginia: 20.9 %Virginia20.9Minnesota: 20.5 %Minnesota20.5New Hampshire: 20 %New Hampshire20Vermont: 19.8 %Vermont19.8Montana: 19.6 %Montana19.6Oregon: 19 %Oregon19Washington: 17.4 %Washington17.4Colorado: 16.8 %Colorado16.8Utah: 16.8 %Utah16.8District of Columbia: 15.2 %District of Columbia15.2
%. 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

RankStates2022 (%)Change on 2021
1Mississippi31.9+1 pts
2Arkansas31.2+0.6 pts
3West Virginia30.2-0.3 pts
4Oklahoma29.5+1.2 pts
5Alabama29-2.5 pts
6Louisiana28.3-1.1 pts
7Tennessee27.7-1 pts
8Indiana27.5+1.6 pts
9Kentucky26.4-4.1 pts
10Nevada26.1+1.9 pts
11South Carolina26+1 pts
12Iowa25.9+1.2 pts
13New York25.6-0.2 pts
14Texas25.5+0.4 pts
15Missouri25.30 pts
16Ohio25.1-0.9 pts
17Nebraska24.7+0.5 pts
18Florida24.4n/a
19New Mexico24.2+1.2 pts
19Rhode Island24.20 pts
21North Dakota24-1.5 pts
22Michigan23.9+0.8 pts
23Georgia23.8+0.1 pts
24Delaware23.5-3.7 pts
25Arizona23.4+0.7 pts
25South Dakota23.4+0.2 pts
27Kansas23.3-0.3 pts
27New Jersey23.3-0.8 pts
29Connecticut23.1+0.2 pts
29North Carolina23.1+0.8 pts
31Illinois22.8-4.4 pts
32Maine22.6-3.9 pts
32Wyoming22.6-0.3 pts
34Pennsylvania22.5-1.7 pts
35California21.9+1.8 pts
35Wisconsin21.9+1.6 pts
37Alaska21.5+1.2 pts
37Idaho21.5+1 pts
39Hawaii21.3+1.3 pts
39Massachusetts21.3+0.2 pts
41Maryland21.2-0.5 pts
42Virginia20.90 pts
43Minnesota20.5+0.3 pts
44New Hampshire200 pts
45Vermont19.8+2 pts
46Montana19.6-1.6 pts
47Oregon19-0.9 pts
48Washington17.4-0.4 pts
49Colorado16.8+0.1 pts
49Utah16.8-0.5 pts
51District of Columbia15.2-0.6 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, 2022) [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, 2022. 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=2022. 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, 2022. 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=2022.

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, 2022 [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=2022 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{centers_us_states_by_physical_2022,
  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, 2022}},
  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=2022. 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, 2022
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=2022
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/adult-physical-inactivity-rate/us-states?period=2022.
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?

Mississippi, with 31.9% in 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Which state has the lowest physical inactivity in adults?

District of Columbia, with 15.2% in 2022.

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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