Health and Healthcare

The 5 Thinnest States in America

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: May 3, 2016 6:57 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 9:58 am

Ballooning weight has been listed as a major cause of heart disease, diabetes and perhaps cancer. That has not prevented some Americans from becoming grossly fat, while some are only obese. Only five states had residents with Body Mass Index (BMI) at or below the range considered “normal,” according to CDC research entitled “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America,” which covered 2014.

Among adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a BMI below 18.5% is considered “underweight” for adults. A BMI of 18.6% to 24.9% is considered “normal.” From 25.0% to 29.9% is overweight, and above 30% is defined as “obese.” The numbers are slightly different for children and teens.

Among the five states, average BMI in Colorado is 21.3%, while it is 22.1% in Hawaii, 23.3% in Massachusetts, 24.7% in California and 24.8% in Vermont. At the other end of the scale, average BMI in Arkansas is 25.9%.

Some comments from the CDC about each of the five states (note that we have dropped the District of Columbia from our numbers):

1. Colorado now has the lowest adult obesity rate in the nation, according to The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America. Colorado’s adult obesity rate is currently 21.3 percent, up from 14.5 percent in 2000 and from 6.9 percent in 1990. U.S. adult obesity rates remained mostly steady — but high — this past year, increasing in Kansas, Minnesota, New Mexico, Ohio and Utah and remaining stable in the rest.
2. Hawaii now has the third lowest adult obesity rate in the nation. Hawaii’s adult obesity rate is currently 22.1 percent, up from 15.7 percent in 2000 and from 8.9 percent in 1990.
3. Massachusetts now has the fourth lowest adult obesity rate in the nation. Massachusetts’s adult obesity rate is currently 23.3 percent, up from 15.3 percent in 2000 and from 10.1 percent in 1990.
4. California now has the fifth lowest adult obesity rate in the nation. California’s adult obesity rate is currently 24.7 percent, up from 18.7 percent in 2000 and from 9.9 percent in 1990.
5. Vermont now has the sixth lowest adult obesity rate in the nation. Vermont’s adult obesity rate is currently 24.8 percent, up from 17.0 percent in 2000 and from 10.7 percent in 1990.

Even in the thin states, people are fat, and getting fatter very quickly.

Methodology: The analysis in State of Obesity compares data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). BRFSS is the largest ongoing telephone health survey in the world. It is a state-based system of health surveys established by CDC in 1984. BRFSS completes more than 400,000 adult interviews each year. For most states, BRFSS is the only source of population-based health behavior data about chronic disease prevalence and behavioral risk factors.

BRFSS surveys a sample of adults in each state to get information on health risks and behaviors, health practices for preventing disease and health care access mostly linked to chronic disease and injury. The sample is representative of the population of each state.