Obesity Rate by State 2026
Obesity Rate
State | Obesity Rate 2024↓ | 95% Confidence Interval 2024 (% range) | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | West Virginia | 41.4% | (39.8, 43.0) |
 | Mississippi | 40.4% | (38.1, 42.7) |
 | Louisiana | 39.2% | (37.4, 41.1) |
 | Alabama | 38.9% | (37.1, 40.7) |
 | Arkansas | 38.9% | (37.2, 40.7) |
 | Indiana | 38.4% | (37.3, 39.5) |
 | Kansas | 37.6% | (36.3, 38.8) |
 | Nebraska | 37.6% | (36.4, 38.9) |
 | Wisconsin | 37.4% | (36.1, 38.7) |
 | Kentucky | 37.2% | (35.5, 38.9) |
 | South Dakota | 37% | (33.8, 40.3) |
 | Ohio | 36.9% | (35.5, 38.4) |
 | North Dakota | 36.8% | (35.2, 38.5) |
 | Oklahoma | 36.8% | (35.4, 38.2) |
 | Delaware | 36.6% | (34.5, 38.9) |
 | Iowa | 36.6% | (35.3, 38.0) |
 | Michigan | 36.1% | (34.8, 37.5) |
 | Texas | 35.6% | (34.0, 37.3) |
 | Georgia | 35.4% | (33.7, 37.1) |
 | Missouri | 34.6% | (33.1, 36.2) |
 | South Carolina | 34.6% | (32.9, 36.4) |
 | New Mexico | 34.5% | (32.1, 37.1) |
 | North Carolina | 34.5% | (32.7, 36.3) |
 | Illinois | 34.2% | (33.1, 35.3) |
 | Nevada | 34.2% | (31.3, 37.3) |
 | Pennsylvania | 34.2% | (32.0, 36.5) |
 | Alaska | 34% | (32.0, 36.0) |
 | Oregon | 33.5% | (32.1, 35.0) |
 | Arizona | 33.3% | (31.4, 35.3) |
 | Maine | 33.2% | (32.1, 34.4) |
 | Idaho | 32.7% | (30.8, 34.7) |
 | Maryland | 32.7% | (31.5, 33.8) |
 | Wyoming | 32.5% | (30.7, 34.3) |
 | Minnesota | 32.3% | (31.4, 33.3) |
 | Virginia | 32.3% | (30.7, 34.0) |
 | Connecticut | 32% | (30.4, 33.6) |
 | Washington | 31.5% | (30.7, 32.2) |
 | New Hampshire | 31.1% | (29.3, 32.9) |
 | Rhode Island | 31.1% | (29.3, 32.9) |
 | Montana | 31% | (29.5, 32.4) |
 | Utah | 31% | (29.9, 32.1) |
 | Florida | 29.6% | (28.1, 31.3) |
 | New York | 29.5% | (28.8, 30.2) |
 | California | 29.1% | (27.6, 30.5) |
 | Vermont | 29% | (27.5, 30.5) |
 | New Jersey | 27.7% | (26.3, 29.0) |
 | Hawaii | 27% | (25.4, 28.6) |
 | Massachusetts | 27% | (25.8, 28.2) |
 | District of Columbia | 25.5% | (23.5, 27.5) |
 | Colorado | 25% | (24.0, 26.0) |
- 2021 Data for Florida proved insufficient for the CDC to calculate an average. However, Florida’s own Department of Health indicates an obesity rate of 28% for that year.
- Similarly, 2023 data for Kentucky and Pennsylvania were not provided.
- Confidence interval (CI) measures the likelihood that the actual value of an estimated or calculated variable falls between two “boundary” values. For example, if a state’s obesity rate is estimated to be 10.0% and its 95% confidence interval is 9.5-10.5, there exists a 95% probability that the state’s actual obesity rate is between 9.5% and 10.5%.
- A 2019 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine projected that 48.9% of US adults would be obese by 2030, and 24.2% will qualify as severely obese.
Obesity in adults is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. The state comparisons here use the CDC’s 2025 Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps, on a page updated September 24, 2026. These BRFSS estimates describe adults aged 18 and older and use self-reported height and weight. Separate national, severe-obesity, and childhood estimates below are labeled with their own survey periods and should not be treated as 2025 state figures.
Obesity is the result of several factors such as overeating, lack of physical activity, poor diet choices, genetics, metabolism, and culture. Americans are more likely to consume simple carbohydrates, convenient fast food, and processed pre-packaged foods. These foods tend to be higher in calories, less filling, and less nutrient-dense, causing people to consume more calories than they need. This caloric surplus combined with a lack of physical activity and exercise causes weight gain over time.
Obesity is associated with increased risks of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Because of its significant health impacts, obesity prevalence is a factor in assessing the healthiest and unhealthiest states.
Adult Obesity Rates by State in 2025
The CDC reported sufficient overall data for 47 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico in 2025. California, Mississippi, and Nevada had insufficient state estimates. Among the 47 reporting states, 40 had obesity prevalence of at least 30%, including 21 at or above 35%. Guam and Puerto Rico also had prevalence of at least 35%. No reported state or territory estimate reached 40%.
The ten lowest reported state estimates were:
| State | Adults with obesity |
|---|---|
| Colorado | 25.7% |
| Hawaii | 26.4% |
| Massachusetts | 27.0% |
| New Jersey | 27.0% |
| New York | 28.5% |
| Vermont | 29.1% |
| Utah | 29.8% |
| Florida | 30.0% |
| Montana | 30.3% |
| Connecticut | 30.4% |
The District of Columbia reported 24.2%, lower than any reporting state, but it is not included in the state ranking. Massachusetts and New Jersey share the same reported estimate.
Alabama had the highest reported state prevalence at 39.7%, followed by North Dakota at 39.1%, Kentucky at 38.8%, Oklahoma at 38.1%, and Tennessee at 37.9%. West Virginia’s estimate was 37.4%. See states with the highest reported obesity prevalence for more detail. These rankings compare point estimates; the survey’s confidence intervals also describe uncertainty in each estimate.
National Obesity and Severe Obesity Estimates
A separate NCHS report based on NHANES found obesity prevalence of 40.3% and severe obesity prevalence of 9.4% among U.S. adults aged 20 and older during August 2021–August 2023. Severe obesity is defined as a BMI of 40 or higher. Unlike BRFSS, NHANES uses measured height and weight. These national estimates differ in survey method, age range, and reporting period from the 2025 state estimates.
For comparisons over time, the report’s age-adjusted severe-obesity estimate increased from 7.7% in 2013–2014 to 9.7% in August 2021–August 2023. The 9.4% figure above is the unadjusted estimate for that survey period; the age-adjusted trend figures use a standardized age distribution.
Obesity by Race and Ethnicity
The CDC’s race and ethnicity maps combine BRFSS data from 2023–2025. Among jurisdictions with sufficient data for each group, obesity prevalence was at least 35% in 36 jurisdictions for non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native adults, 35 for non-Hispanic Black adults, 32 for Hispanic adults, 13 for non-Hispanic White adults, and none for non-Hispanic Asian adults.
These are counts of jurisdictions reaching a prevalence threshold, not national prevalence percentages for each group. Data coverage differs by racial and ethnic group, so the counts should not be interpreted as a ranking of national obesity rates.
Childhood Obesity Uses Separate Data
The 2025 adult maps do not measure childhood obesity. The CDC’s childhood obesity facts page reports historical NHANES estimates from 2017–March 2020: 19.7% of U.S. children and adolescents aged 2–19 had obesity, representing approximately 14.7 million youths. Prevalence was 22.2% among adolescents aged 12–19. These figures describe obesity, not the broader category of overweight, and are not 2025 estimates.
Age and Education Differences
In the 2025 BRFSS maps, 40 states and two territories had obesity prevalence of at least 35% among adults aged 40–59, compared with six states and one territory among adults aged 18–39 and 11 states and one territory among adults aged 60 and older.
The CDC also reported 2025 obesity prevalence of 38.1% among adults without a high school diploma or equivalent, 35.1% among those with a high school diploma or equivalent, 36.8% among those with some college education, and 27.8% among college graduates.
Sources
- Adult Obesity Prevalence Maps, 2025 BRFSS Data - CDC
- Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults, August 2021–August 2023 - NCHS Data Brief 508
- Childhood Obesity Facts, 2017–March 2020 NHANES Estimates - CDC
- Projected U.S. State-Level Prevalence of Adult Obesity and Severe Obesity - New England Journal of Medicine
