Obesity Trends
National Obesity Trends
More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese.
Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese.
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
Trends by State 1985–2010
During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high. In 2010, no state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30% or more.
The animated, obesity trends map below, used with permission from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows the United States obesity prevalence from 1985 through 2010.
| 2010 State Obesity Rates | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | % | State | % | State | % | State | % |
| Alabama | 32.2 | Illinois | 28.2 | Montana | 23.0 | Rhode Island25.5 | |
| Alaska | 24.5 | Indiana | 29.6 | Nebraska | 26.9 | South Carolina | 31.5 |
| Arizona | 24.3 | Iowa | 28.4 | Nevada | 22.4 | South Dakota | 27.3 |
| Arkansas | 30.1 | Kansas | 29.4 | New Hampshire | 25.0 | Tennessee | 30.8 |
| California | 24.0 | Kentucky | 31.3 | New Jersey | 23.8 | Texas | 31.0 |
| Colorado | 21.0 | Louisiana | 31.0 | New Mexico | 25.1 | Utah | 22.5 |
| Connecticut | 22.5 | Maine | 26.8 | New York | 23.9 | Vermont | 23.2 |
| Delaware | 28.0 | Maryland | 27.1 | North Carolina | 27.8 | Virginia | 26.0 |
| District of Columbia | 22.2 | Massachusetts | 23.0 | North Dakota | 27.2 | Washington | 25.5 |
| Florida | 26.6 | Michigan | 30.9 | Ohio | 29.2 | West Virginia | 32.5 |
| Georgia | 29.6 | Minnesota | 24.8 | Oklahoma | 30.4 | Wisconsin | 26.3 |
| Hawaii | 22.7 | Mississippi | 34.0 | Oregon | 26.8 | Wyoming | 25.1 |
| Idaho | 26.5 | Missouri | 30.5 | Pennsylvania | 28.6 | ||
The data shown in these maps were collected through the CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), on the basis of self-reported weight and height. Each year, state health departments use standard procedures to collect data through a series of monthly telephone interviews with U.S. adults. Prevalence estimates generated for the maps may vary slightly from those generated for the states by the BRFSS as slightly different analytic methods are used.