Sebastian Bass // Flickr
1 / 51#51. District of Columbia
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +0.44%
Current obesity rate: 22.60%
Current overweight rate: 30.80%
States where obesity is on the rise
It's no secret that the United States struggles with an obesity epidemic. In 2017, America had the largest total number of obese adults in the world, with slightly more than a third of the adult population—73,872,022 individuals over the age of 18—having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater. This is especially troubling when considering that China, the nation which ranks second (at 65,706,627 obese individuals) has more than four times as many adults as the United States.
A New Year's resolution many Americans make is to take charge of their health. Millions each year end their holiday seasons by cutting calories, hitting the gym and making other positive changes. For some, however, a handful of conditions have made it difficult to stop gaining weight, not least of which is the set of nutritional conditions within their environments.
Stacker looked at data from the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Network in order to rank the states where people are gaining the most weight, and assess which communities may be suffering from overly sedentary lifestyles and a lack of access to healthy food. The states are ranked according to their respective 10-year changes in obesity rates from 2006 to 2016, listed with their current obesity rate (percent of individuals with a BMI of 30+) as well as their current overweight rate (percent of individuals with a BMI of 25+).
Read on to see if obesity is getting worse in your home state.
RELATED: The laziest cities in America
Famartin // Wikicommons
2 / 51#50. Nevada
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +3.20%
Current obesity rate: 25.80%
Current overweight rate: 36.50%
Riverside County, CA—Patrick Nouhailler // Flickr
3 / 51#49. California
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +7.30%
Current obesity rate: 25.00%
Current overweight rate: 36.00%
RJ Matthews // Wikicommons
4 / 51#48. South Carolina
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +9.86%
Current obesity rate: 32.30%
Current overweight rate: 35.10%
Medina County, OH'ÄîBrenda // Wikicommons
5 / 51#47. Ohio
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +10.92%
Current obesity rate: 31.50%
Current overweight rate: 34.80%
Pixabay
6 / 51#46. New York
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +11.35%
Current obesity rate: 25.50%
Current overweight rate: 35.30%
Public Domain
7 / 51#45. Minnesota
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +12.55%
Current obesity rate: 27.80%
Current overweight rate: 37.00%
Bryan Debus // Flickr
8 / 51#44. Michigan
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +12.85%
Current obesity rate: 32.50%
Current overweight rate: 35.00%
Visitor7 // Wikicommons
9 / 51#43. Idaho
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +13.69%
Current obesity rate: 27.40%
Current overweight rate: 37.10%
Nearby Vinita, OK'ÄîThe White Pelican // Wikicommons
10 / 51#42. Oklahoma
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +13.89%
Current obesity rate: 32.80%
Current overweight rate: 36.00%
Nearby Beloit, WI—Jason Dean // Wikicommons
11 / 51#41. Wisconsin
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +15.41%
Current obesity rate: 30.70%
Current overweight rate: 35.50%
Garrett // Wikimedia Commons
12 / 51#40. Utah
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +15.53%
Current obesity rate: 25.30%
Current overweight rate: 35.00%
Nearby Ewa Beach, Oahu, Hawaii—Robert Linsdell // Wikicommons
13 / 51#39. Hawaii
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +15.53%
Current obesity rate: 23.80%
Current overweight rate: 33.80%
Virginia State Route 55—Famartin // Wikicommons
14 / 51#38. Virginia
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +15.54%
Current obesity rate: 29.00%
Current overweight rate: 36.50%
Steve Morgan // Wikicommons
15 / 51#37. Oregon
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +15.73%
Current obesity rate: 28.70%
Current overweight rate: 33.90%
Reinhard Kraasch // Wikimedia Commons
16 / 51#36. Georgia
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +15.87%
Current obesity rate: 31.40%
Current overweight rate: 34.40%
Ken L. // Flickr
17 / 51#35. Massachusetts
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +16.26%
Current obesity rate: 23.60%
Current overweight rate: 36.70%
Jon Platek // Wikicommons
18 / 51#34. South Dakota
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +16.54%
Current obesity rate: 29.60%
Current overweight rate: 37.30%
Nearby St. Louis, MO—Public Domain
19 / 51#33. Missouri
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +16.54%
Current obesity rate: 31.70%
Current overweight rate: 35.60%
Max Pixel
20 / 51#32. Indiana
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +16.91%
Current obesity rate: 32.50%
Current overweight rate: 34.70%
USEPA Environmental-Protection-Agency // Wikimedia Commons
21 / 51#31. Alabama
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +17.05%
Current obesity rate: 35.70%
Current overweight rate: 33.80%
Choess // Wikimedia Commons
22 / 51#30. Delaware
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +18.08%
Current obesity rate: 30.70%
Current overweight rate: 37.30%
Kayamon // Wikicommons
23 / 51#29. Washington
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +18.18%
Current obesity rate: 28.60%
Current overweight rate: 34.80%
UltraView Admin // Flickr
24 / 51#28. Florida
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +18.61%
Current obesity rate: 27.40%
Current overweight rate: 35.80%
Nearby Epping, New Hampshire'ÄîJohn Phelan // WIkicommons
25 / 51#27. New Hampshire
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +18.75%
Current obesity rate: 26.60%
Current overweight rate: 36.90%
Visit Mississippi
26 / 51#26. Mississippi
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +18.79%
Current obesity rate: 37.30%
Current overweight rate: 34.00%
Michel Rathwell // Flickr
27 / 51#25. Wyoming
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +18.88%
Current obesity rate: 27.70%
Current overweight rate: 36.50%
Pat Hawks // Flickr
28 / 51#24. Nebraska
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +18.96%
Current obesity rate: 32.00%
Current overweight rate: 36.60%
Ildar Sagdejev // Wikimedia Commons
29 / 51#23. North Carolina
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +19.55%
Current obesity rate: 31.80%
Current overweight rate: 35.00%
rytis77 // Wikicommons
30 / 51#22. Alaska
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +19.85%
Current obesity rate: 31.40%
Current overweight rate: 35.30%
Maryland Route 231—Joshua Kinard // Wikicommons
31 / 51#21. Maryland
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +20.08%
Current obesity rate: 29.90%
Current overweight rate: 34.70%
Sara goth // Wikicommons
32 / 51#20. Montana
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +20.28%
Current obesity rate: 25.50%
Current overweight rate: 37.30%
Bob Duran // Flickr
33 / 51#19. Kansas
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +20.46%
Current obesity rate: 31.20%
Current overweight rate: 35.60%
Ken L. // Flickr
34 / 51#18. New Jersey
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +20.80%
Current obesity rate: 27.30%
Current overweight rate: 36.50%
Nearby Columbia, Tennessee'Äîjdj150 // Flickr
35 / 51#17. Tennessee
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +20.83%
Current obesity rate: 34.80%
Current overweight rate: 33.80%
Brandon W. Holmes
36 / 51#16. West Virginia
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +21.61%
Current obesity rate: 37.70%
Current overweight rate: 33.30%
OPMaster // Wikimedia Commons
37 / 51#15. Kentucky
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +22.14%
Current obesity rate: 34.20%
Current overweight rate: 34.90%
Larry Johnson // Flickr
38 / 51#14. Colorado
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +22.53%
Current obesity rate: 22.30%
Current overweight rate: 35.80%
Riverrat303 // Wikicomons
39 / 51#13. New Mexico
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +23.58%
Current obesity rate: 28.30%
Current overweight rate: 36.60%
David Wilson // Wikicommons
40 / 51#12. Rhode Island
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +24.30%
Current obesity rate: 26.60%
Current overweight rate: 37.10%
American007 // Wikicommons
41 / 51#11. Iowa
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +24.51%
Current obesity rate: 32.00%
Current overweight rate: 36.70%
Ron Reiring // Wikicommons
42 / 51#10. North Dakota
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +25.59%
Current obesity rate: 31.90%
Current overweight rate: 36.20%
(vincent desjardins) // Flickr
43 / 51#9. Illinois
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +25.90%
Current obesity rate: 31.60%
Current overweight rate: 33.40%
WestportWiki // Wikicommons
44 / 51#8. Connecticut
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +26.21%
Current obesity rate: 26.00%
Current overweight rate: 35.90%
Adam Jones // Wikicommons
45 / 51#7. Pennsylvania
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +26.25%
Current obesity rate: 30.30%
Current overweight rate: 35.10%
Alan Stark // Flickr
46 / 51#6. Arizona
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +26.64%
Current obesity rate: 29.00%
Current overweight rate: 34.20%
Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikicommons
47 / 51#5. Vermont
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +27.83%
Current obesity rate: 27.10%
Current overweight rate: 34.70%
U.S. Department of Defense Photo
48 / 51#4. Texas
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +28.74%
Current obesity rate: 33.60%
Current overweight rate: 34.80%
Kenneth C. Zirkel // Wikicommons
49 / 51#3. Maine
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +29.44%
Current obesity rate: 29.90%
Current overweight rate: 35.30%
Nearby Baton Rouge, Louisiana'ÄîSpatms // Wikicommons
50 / 51#2. Louisiana
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +31.00%
Current obesity rate: 35.50%
Current overweight rate: 33.70%
Bruce W. Stracener // Wikimedia Commons
51 / 51#1. Arkansas
Total 10-year change in obesity rate: +32.71%
Current obesity rate: 35.70%
Current overweight rate: 32.50%
