What States Are The Most Obese In The United States?

THURSDAY July 10, 2008–Mississippi is officially the most obese state in the USA, with 30.1% of the population being obese.  That averages out to   be  one in every three persons. 

Surrounding the    Magnolia State (in red on the map) are four of the eight other most obese US states (in brown on this map):  Alabama (30.1%), Louisiana (29.5%), Arkansas (29.3%), and Tennessee (29.0%). I guess the point is, don’t move to the South or you may risk your health and become Obese. 

The other states that rated the highest in obesity are South Carolina (29.2%), Kentucky (28.45), and Oklahoma (28.1%).  The next (26-28% of the population are obese) in line are nine states, three of which are suprisingly Southern States (Texas, Georgia, and North Carolina, another three are within the Great Lakes (Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio) and the final three are in the midwest (Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri).

The skinniest states also tend to find themselves grouped together geographically as well.  Those that were 22-24% fat within the population included Maine and New Hampshire; New York and New Jersey; and California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico.  Utah and Colorado were by far the most lean in terms of population within the US at roughly 20%.  Overall, the Southwest and New England are counting their calories, while the South and many parts of the Midwest are getting fatter by the day.

Remember, obesity is not some term to describe being “overweight.”  It means that you are really so fat that one’s health is affected.  You are defined obese if you have a BMI of 30 or more (it is important to remember when using a BMI that if you are an athlete it may be better to have your body fat tested as the BMI may not be accurate).  The US is the most overweight nation in the world, with over a quarter of its total population being obese.  Obesity has become a global phenomenon, however, it was recently found that for the very first time in history, there are now more oeverweight people than malnourished people in the world.