In Mississippi, over seven out of ten adults were reported to be either overweight or obese in 2018, making it the leading U.S. state that year. Other prominent states, in terms of overweight and obesity, included Arkansas in fourth, Oklahoma in seventh, and Louisiana in tenth place.
Corpulence per state
When it comes to obesity, specifically, percentages were still very high for certain states. Almost forty percent of West Virginia’s population was obese in 2018. Colorado, Hawaii, and California were some of the healthier states that year, with obesity rates between 22 and 25 percent. The average for the country itself stood at just over 31 percent.
Obesity-related health problems
Being obese can lead to various health-related complications, such as diabetes and diseases of the heart. In 2017, almost 22 people per 100,000 died of diabetes mellitus in the United States. In the same year, roughly 165 per 100,000 Americans died of heart disease. While the number of deaths caused by heart disease has decreased significantly over the past sixty to seventy years, it is still one of the leading causes of death in the country.
Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2018
Adjust the presentation of the statistic and data points.
Share the statistic on social media channels or embed the statistic in your
website using "Embed Code", where available.
Cite this statistic and select one of the following formats: APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA & Bluebook.
Print the statistic including description and metadata.
Chart type
Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2018
Share this statistic
You have no right to use this feature.
Make sure to contact us if you are interested in scientific citation.
You can upgrade your account to enable this functionality for all statistics.
This feature is not available with your current account.Request access
Data represent adults who reported having a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 25.0 kg/meters squared. Percentages are weighted to reflect population characteristics.
Date released represents the date figures were accessed.
Statista has been my savior on several occasions.
The site is easy to maneuver and the data is in a format that can
go right into a report or presentation.
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Kaiser Family Foundation. (January 17, 2020). Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2018 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 03, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/266152/people-who-are-overweight-or-obese-in-selected-us-states/
Kaiser Family Foundation. "Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2018." Chart. January 17, 2020. Statista. Accessed February 03, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266152/people-who-are-overweight-or-obese-in-selected-us-states/
Kaiser Family Foundation. (2020). Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2018. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 03, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266152/people-who-are-overweight-or-obese-in-selected-us-states/
Kaiser Family Foundation. "Leading U.S. States Based on Percentage of Adults Who Were Overweight or Obese in 2018." Statista, Statista Inc., 17 Jan 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/266152/people-who-are-overweight-or-obese-in-selected-us-states/
Kaiser Family Foundation, Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2018 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/266152/people-who-are-overweight-or-obese-in-selected-us-states/ (last visited February 03, 2025)
Leading U.S. states based on percentage of adults who were overweight or obese in 2018 [Graph], Kaiser Family Foundation, January 17, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/266152/people-who-are-overweight-or-obese-in-selected-us-states/
Profit from additional features with an Employee Account
Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites.
Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.