Most Obese & Overweight States in the U.S. — Where Does NY Rank?
Here in America, we're pretty good at eating. Obesity rates have risen steadily over the last 50 years or so, and we've now reached a point where roughly 7 out of 10 adults are overweight or obese... which is, y'know, not ideal.
But not all states are created equal in this department. Some states are more skilled at packing on the pounds than others.
A new study from WalletHub has revealed 2022's most overweight & obese states in the nation. Here's how they conducted their methodology:
In order to determine the most overweight and obese states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states and the District of Columbia across three key dimensions: 1) Obesity & Overweight Prevalence, 2) Health Consequences and 3) Food & Fitness. We evaluated those dimensions using 31 relevant metrics... Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most overweight state.
THERE'S GOOD NEWS FOR NEW YORK
Turns out New Yorkers don't have to feel as guilty reaching for that extra slice of tomato pie or second pint of Utica Club. Because we're actually towards the bottom of this study, ranking #44 out of 51 (including the District of Columbia).
I don't know about you, but I think New Yorkers can look themselves in the mirror with a result like that.
(Click here for a more detailed look at WalletHub's study.)
Here's how the rest of the states broke down:
Overall Rank* | State | Total Score | Obesity & Overweight Prevalence | Health Consequences | Food & Fitness |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | West Virginia | 74.60 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
2 | Mississippi | 72.33 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
3 | Kentucky | 68.99 | 4 | 8 | 5 |
4 | Arkansas | 68.95 | 3 | 17 | 6 |
5 | Alabama | 68.63 | 5 | 11 | 3 |
6 | Tennessee | 67.46 | 6 | 12 | 10 |
7 | Louisiana | 65.66 | 7 | 26 | 4 |
8 | Delaware | 63.99 | 14 | 3 | 22 |
9 | Oklahoma | 63.71 | 8 | 32 | 15 |
10 | South Carolina | 63.43 | 10 | 22 | 2 |
11 | Georgia | 62.27 | 11 | 28 | 8 |
12 | Texas | 62.08 | 9 | 34 | 13 |
13 | Ohio | 61.99 | 13 | 18 | 14 |
14 | Missouri | 61.51 | 12 | 23 | 17 |
15 | North Carolina | 60.13 | 16 | 21 | 18 |
16 | Iowa | 60.10 | 15 | 19 | 33 |
17 | Kansas | 59.98 | 21 | 7 | 36 |
18 | Michigan | 58.32 | 20 | 24 | 21 |
19 | Indiana | 58.12 | 17 | 27 | 16 |
20 | Virginia | 57.71 | 24 | 20 | 7 |
21 | Maine | 57.53 | 34 | 2 | 45 |
22 | Rhode Island | 57.41 | 27 | 9 | 32 |
23 | Illinois | 56.73 | 22 | 41 | 12 |
24 | New Mexico | 56.56 | 19 | 39 | 35 |
25 | Maryland | 56.47 | 28 | 15 | 30 |
26 | North Dakota | 56.12 | 26 | 14 | 40 |
27 | Pennsylvania | 56.02 | 25 | 31 | 20 |
28 | Wisconsin | 55.51 | 29 | 29 | 24 |
29 | New Hampshire | 55.39 | 41 | 5 | 42 |
30 | South Dakota | 54.75 | 18 | 46 | 48 |
31 | Florida | 54.63 | 31 | 36 | 11 |
32 | Nevada | 54.01 | 36 | 30 | 28 |
33 | Oregon | 53.88 | 30 | 33 | 23 |
34 | Alaska | 53.84 | 23 | 43 | 46 |
35 | Vermont | 53.38 | 46 | 4 | 49 |
36 | Montana | 52.71 | 48 | 6 | 29 |
37 | Idaho | 52.71 | 40 | 16 | 44 |
38 | Connecticut | 52.69 | 33 | 37 | 38 |
39 | Wyoming | 52.66 | 39 | 13 | 47 |
40 | New Jersey | 52.43 | 42 | 25 | 37 |
41 | Nebraska | 51.91 | 32 | 40 | 50 |
42 | Washington | 51.17 | 37 | 35 | 43 |
43 | Arizona | 51.12 | 35 | 47 | 25 |
44 | New York | 50.93 | 43 | 38 | 27 |
45 | California | 49.97 | 38 | 49 | 26 |
46 | Minnesota | 48.27 | 45 | 42 | 39 |
47 | Hawaii | 47.00 | 44 | 51 | 41 |
48 | Massachusetts | 45.90 | 47 | 45 | 51 |
49 | District of Columbia | 44.28 | 50 | 44 | 31 |
50 | Utah | 43.47 | 49 | 50 | 34 |
51 | Colorado | 43.23 | 51 | 48 | 19 |