Recent public health crises, namely the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid epidemic, have overshadowed a longer-standing problem in the United States — obesity. Since the early 1960s, the share of American adults under age 75 who are considered obese more than tripled. Currently, an estimated 72.2 million Americans age 20 and up are obese, or 29.7% of the age group.
Obesity status is determined by body mass index, or BMI, a ratio of body weight to height. Americans with a BMI of 30 or higher are considered obese and are at greater risk of diabetes, stroke, hypertension, heart disease, breathing problems, certain cancers, and mortality, according to the CDC. Obesity can also detract from overall quality of life and contribute to depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.
Using data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 24/7 Tempo identified the most obese metropolitan area in each state. Four states — Delaware, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont — have only one metro area. As a result, these areas rank as the most obese in their state by default only.
Though each of the metro areas on this list ranks as the most obese in its respective state, obesity rates vary considerably in these places, from less than 25% to over 40%.
While many factors, including genetics, diet, and medical conditions, contribute to increased risk of obesity, regular physical activity is one of the best ways to help maintain a healthy weight. In most metro areas on this list, the share of adults who do not exercise regularly is higher than the comparable share of adults across the state as a whole. Here is a look at the most physically active cities in America.
By some measures, health outcomes are worse than average in most of these metro areas as well. For example, obesity is a leading risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, and in the majority of metro areas on this list, diabetes is more common than it is across the state as a whole.
Click here to see the most obese metro in every state
Click here to read our detailed methodology
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Alabama: Anniston-Oxford
> Adult obesity rate: 39.7% (Alabama: 36.1%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 31.1% (Alabama: 29.3%)
> Adults with diabetes: 17.0% (Alabama: 14.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 23.7% (Alabama: 21.4%)
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Alaska: Anchorage
> Adult obesity rate: 31.3% (Alaska: 31.9%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 17.8% (Alaska: 19.3%)
> Adults with diabetes: 8.5% (Alaska: 8.3%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 14.8% (Alaska: 15.6%)
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Arizona: Yuma
> Adult obesity rate: 37.9% (Arizona: 27.9%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 24.3% (Arizona: 21.2%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.0% (Arizona: 9.6%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 26.1% (Arizona: 18.6%)
Arkansas: Pine Bluff
> Adult obesity rate: 42.5% (Arkansas: 35.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 34.0% (Arkansas: 30.4%)
> Adults with diabetes: 14.7% (Arkansas: 13.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 28.0% (Arkansas: 23.3%)
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California: Visalia
> Adult obesity rate: 37.2% (California: 24.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 26.3% (California: 17.7%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.9% (California: 8.8%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 28.0% (California: 17.6%)
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Colorado: Pueblo
> Adult obesity rate: 31.0% (Colorado: 22.4%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 23.2% (Colorado: 14.8%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.0% (Colorado: 6.6%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 20.1% (Colorado: 13.8%)
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Connecticut: Norwich-New London
> Adult obesity rate: 30.4% (Connecticut: 26.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 20.5% (Connecticut: 19.9%)
> Adults with diabetes: 9.8% (Connecticut: 9.2%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 13.6% (Connecticut: 13.0%)
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Delaware: Dover*
> Adult obesity rate: 38.4% (Delaware: 32.4%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 30.9% (Delaware: 27.3%)
> Adults with diabetes: 13.9% (Delaware: 11.8%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 21.0% (Delaware: 16.3%)
*Because Dover is the only eligible metro in Delaware, it is the most obese metro by default.
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Florida: Lakeland-Winter Haven
> Adult obesity rate: 36.5% (Florida: 27.2%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 28.9% (Florida: 25.8%)
> Adults with diabetes: 13.3% (Florida: 10.8%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 22.5% (Florida: 19.5%)
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Georgia: Albany
> Adult obesity rate: 39.7% (Georgia: 32.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 32.1% (Georgia: 26.4%)
> Adults with diabetes: 17.2% (Georgia: 12.0%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 24.2% (Georgia: 18.4%)
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Hawaii: Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina
> Adult obesity rate: 24.6% (Hawaii: 24.6%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 17.7% (Hawaii: 19.6%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.3% (Hawaii: 11.1%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 14.7% (Hawaii: 15.4%)
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Idaho: Twin Falls
> Adult obesity rate: 31.5% (Idaho: 29.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 26.1% (Idaho: 20.4%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.0% (Idaho: 9.3%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 19.4% (Idaho: 15.1%)
Illinois: Danville
> Adult obesity rate: 43.2% (Illinois: 29.7%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 29.0% (Illinois: 21.6%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.4% (Illinois: 9.9%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 21.1% (Illinois: 15.9%)
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Indiana: Michigan City-La Porte
> Adult obesity rate: 37.4% (Indiana: 33.9%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 29.5% (Indiana: 26.7%)
> Adults with diabetes: 15.2% (Indiana: 12.1%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 21.5% (Indiana: 18.2%)
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Iowa: Dubuque
> Adult obesity rate: 37.3% (Iowa: 34.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 23.8% (Iowa: 22.6%)
> Adults with diabetes: 8.1% (Iowa: 9.9%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 13.0% (Iowa: 13.5%)
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Kansas: Topeka
> Adult obesity rate: 36.9% (Kansas: 33.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 23.4% (Kansas: 23.9%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.0% (Kansas: 10.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 16.2% (Kansas: 16.3%)
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Kentucky: Elizabethtown-Fort Knox
> Adult obesity rate: 38.8% (Kentucky: 34.6%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 30.2% (Kentucky: 28.7%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.1% (Kentucky: 12.7%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 21.7% (Kentucky: 21.8%)
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Louisiana: Monroe
> Adult obesity rate: 42.0% (Louisiana: 36.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 31.2% (Louisiana: 28.0%)
> Adults with diabetes: 15.0% (Louisiana: 13.0%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 23.8% (Louisiana: 21.4%)
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Maine: Bangor
> Adult obesity rate: 34.2% (Maine: 29.8%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 23.5% (Maine: 20.8%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.3% (Maine: 10.4%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 19.1% (Maine: 17.1%)
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Maryland: Hagerstown-Martinsburg
> Adult obesity rate: 37.6% (Maryland: 31.6%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 27.6% (Maryland: 21.9%)
> Adults with diabetes: 13.6% (Maryland: 11.1%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 19.3% (Maryland: 15.2%)
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Massachusetts: Worcester
> Adult obesity rate: 28.6% (Massachusetts: 25.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 22.4% (Massachusetts: 20.0%)
> Adults with diabetes: 9.4% (Massachusetts: 8.7%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 14.8% (Massachusetts: 13.5%)
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Michigan: Saginaw
> Adult obesity rate: 39.4% (Michigan: 32.4%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 24.7% (Michigan: 23.1%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.5% (Michigan: 11.0%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 19.7% (Michigan: 18.3%)
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Minnesota: Mankato
> Adult obesity rate: 32.6% (Minnesota: 29.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 21.3% (Minnesota: 19.6%)
> Adults with diabetes: 8.2% (Minnesota: 8.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 14.1% (Minnesota: 12.9%)
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Mississippi: Jackson
> Adult obesity rate: 40.1% (Mississippi: 39.1%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 29.2% (Mississippi: 30.4%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.5% (Mississippi: 14.6%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 21.4% (Mississippi: 22.1%)
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Missouri: Jefferson City
> Adult obesity rate: 37.5% (Missouri: 32.5%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 22.7% (Missouri: 25.5%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.3% (Missouri: 11.4%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 18.1% (Missouri: 19.5%)
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Montana: Great Falls
> Adult obesity rate: 31.1% (Montana: 27.1%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 24.0% (Montana: 21.7%)
> Adults with diabetes: 9.8% (Montana: 8.9%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 16.8% (Montana: 14.1%)
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Nebraska: Grand Island
> Adult obesity rate: 37.4% (Nebraska: 33.4%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 27.6% (Nebraska: 22.7%)
> Adults with diabetes: 11.5% (Nebraska: 10.0%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 16.0% (Nebraska: 13.8%)
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Nevada: Carson City
> Adult obesity rate: 30.9% (Nevada: 27.1%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 19.7% (Nevada: 22.5%)
> Adults with diabetes: 11.3% (Nevada: 10.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 20.6% (Nevada: 19.1%)
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New Hampshire: Manchester-Nashua*
> Adult obesity rate: 28.5% (New Hampshire: 28.6%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 21.7% (New Hampshire: 20.8%)
> Adults with diabetes: 9.7% (New Hampshire: 9.6%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 12.2% (New Hampshire: 12.8%)
*Because Manchester-Nashua is the only eligible metro in New Hampshire, it is the most obese metro by default.
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New Jersey: Vineland-Bridgeton
> Adult obesity rate: 36.5% (New Jersey: 27.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 31.7% (New Jersey: 26.6%)
> Adults with diabetes: 12.7% (New Jersey: 9.9%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 25.2% (New Jersey: 15.5%)
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New Mexico: Farmington
> Adult obesity rate: 34.6% (New Mexico: 27.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 22.6% (New Mexico: 19.0%)
> Adults with diabetes: 13.5% (New Mexico: 9.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 23.5% (New Mexico: 20.3%)
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New York: Watertown-Fort Drum
> Adult obesity rate: 36.0% (New York: 26.4%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 25.1% (New York: 23.4%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.9% (New York: 10.1%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 17.3% (New York: 16.3%)
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North Carolina: Goldsboro
> Adult obesity rate: 39.7% (North Carolina: 32.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 28.6% (North Carolina: 23.3%)
> Adults with diabetes: 16.0% (North Carolina: 11.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 23.6% (North Carolina: 18.0%)
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North Dakota: Grand Forks
> Adult obesity rate: 33.6% (North Dakota: 33.9%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 23.7% (North Dakota: 23.1%)
> Adults with diabetes: 9.2% (North Dakota: 9.4%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 15.7% (North Dakota: 13.6%)
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Ohio: Springfield
> Adult obesity rate: 37.0% (Ohio: 33.5%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 29.9% (Ohio: 26.1%)
> Adults with diabetes: 14.1% (Ohio: 12.2%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 20.9% (Ohio: 17.8%)
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Oklahoma: Enid
> Adult obesity rate: 35.1% (Oklahoma: 34.5%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 29.2% (Oklahoma: 27.8%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.1% (Oklahoma: 12.3%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 20.5% (Oklahoma: 20.9%)
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Oregon: Albany-Lebanon
> Adult obesity rate: 34.9% (Oregon: 29.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 21.8% (Oregon: 17.3%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.2% (Oregon: 9.7%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 19.2% (Oregon: 18.2%)
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Pennsylvania: Williamsport
> Adult obesity rate: 38.8% (Pennsylvania: 30.8%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 21.8% (Pennsylvania: 22.0%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.6% (Pennsylvania: 11.0%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 18.5% (Pennsylvania: 17.6%)
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Rhode Island: Providence-Warwick*
> Adult obesity rate: 28.6% (Rhode Island: 28.5%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 23.8% (Rhode Island: 23.5%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.1% (Rhode Island: 10.1%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 16.8% (Rhode Island: 16.5%)
*Because Providence-Warwick is the only eligible metro in Rhode Island, it is the most obese metro by default.
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South Carolina: Sumter
> Adult obesity rate: 40.3% (South Carolina: 34.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 29.2% (South Carolina: 26.0%)
> Adults with diabetes: 14.4% (South Carolina: 13.3%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 21.9% (South Carolina: 17.8%)
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South Dakota: Sioux Falls
> Adult obesity rate: 31.4% (South Dakota: 32.4%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 20.8% (South Dakota: 22.0%)
> Adults with diabetes: 8.8% (South Dakota: 10.1%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 12.3% (South Dakota: 13.4%)
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Tennessee: Jackson
> Adult obesity rate: 40.1% (Tennessee: 33.3%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 31.0% (Tennessee: 27.2%)
> Adults with diabetes: 15.6% (Tennessee: 12.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 23.7% (Tennessee: 21.2%)
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Texas: Texarkana
> Adult obesity rate: 42.7% (Texas: 31.4%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 34.5% (Texas: 23.2%)
> Adults with diabetes: 15.3% (Texas: 10.2%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 23.0% (Texas: 18.7%)
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Utah: Ogden-Clearfield
> Adult obesity rate: 29.2% (Utah: 27.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 17.3% (Utah: 16.7%)
> Adults with diabetes: 8.4% (Utah: 7.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 14.1% (Utah: 14.8%)
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Vermont: Burlington-South Burlington*
> Adult obesity rate: 25.4% (Vermont: 27.0%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 16.6% (Vermont: 18.4%)
> Adults with diabetes: 7.7% (Vermont: 8.8%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 11.8% (Vermont: 12.8%)
*Because Burlington-South Burlington is the only eligible metro in Vermont, it is the most obese metro by default.
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Virginia: Lynchburg
> Adult obesity rate: 35.3% (Virginia: 30.5%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 25.5% (Virginia: 22.2%)
> Adults with diabetes: 13.6% (Virginia: 10.7%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 18.7% (Virginia: 16.6%)
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Washington: Longview
> Adult obesity rate: 37.7% (Washington: 28.6%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 21.7% (Washington: 16.4%)
> Adults with diabetes: 13.2% (Washington: 9.3%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 19.5% (Washington: 15.0%)
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West Virginia: Huntington-Ashland
> Adult obesity rate: 39.6% (West Virginia: 37.8%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 31.3% (West Virginia: 28.0%)
> Adults with diabetes: 15.5% (West Virginia: 15.1%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 23.2% (West Virginia: 23.6%)
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Wisconsin: Racine
> Adult obesity rate: 38.7% (Wisconsin: 31.7%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 22.1% (Wisconsin: 20.3%)
> Adults with diabetes: 10.4% (Wisconsin: 9.5%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 16.4% (Wisconsin: 14.8%)
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Wyoming: Casper
> Adult obesity rate: 31.2% (Wyoming: 29.2%)
> Adults who don’t exercise: 23.6% (Wyoming: 23.1%)
> Adults with diabetes: 9.1% (Wyoming: 9.0%)
> Adults reporting poor or fair health: 15.6% (Wyoming: 15.3%)
Methodology
To determine the most obese metro area in every state, 24/7 Tempo reviewed county-level adult obesity rates from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program’s 2021 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps report.
The adult obesity rate is defined as the share of adults 20 years and older who report a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or higher. We aggregated county-level statistics to metropolitan statistical areas. While the CHR report is from 2021, obesity rate figures published in the report are from 2017.
We used the 384 metropolitan statistical areas as delineated by the United States Office of Management and Budget and used by the Census Bureau as our definition of metros.
Metros were ranked within their state based on the adult obesity rate. Since many metros cross state lines, the metro was assigned to the state of its first-listed principal city. Thus, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area was excluded as it is principally in the District of Columbia.
Additional information on the share of adults who report no leisure-time physical activity, the share of adults diagnosed with diabetes, and the share of adults who report fair or poor health are also from the 2021 CHR.
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