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Obesity Statistics in the United States

Updated: August 2011

2010 State Obesity RatesPrevalence of Overweight Among Children and Adolescents | State-Level Estimated Annual Medical Costs of Obesity | Obesity and Disease


United States Map of Obesity Trends Among U.S. Adults 2010

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2010

To view a CDC powerpoint presentation on obesity trends over the last ten years, click here.

 2010 State Obesity Rates

State

%

State

%

State

%

State

%

Alabama
32.2
Illinois
28.2
Montana
23.0
Rhode Island
25.5
Alaska
24.5
Indiana
29.6
Nebraska
26.9
South Carolina
31.5
Arizona
24.3
Iowa
28.4
Nevada
22.4
South Dakota
27.3
Arkansa
30.1
Kansas
29.4
New Hampshire
25.0
Tennessee
30.8
California
24.0
Kentucky
31.3
New Jersey
23.8
Texas
31.0
Colorado
21.0
Louisiana
31.0
New Mexico
25.1
Utah
22.5
Connecticut
22.5
Maine
26.8
New York
23.9
Vermont
23.2
Delaware
28.0
Maryland
27.1
North Carolina
27.8
Virginia
26.0
District of Columbia
22.2
Massachusetts
23.0
North Dakota
27.2
Washington
25.5
Florida
26.6
Michigan
30.9
Ohio
29.2
West Virginia
32.5
Georgia
29.6
Minnesota
24.8
Oklahoma
30.4
Wisconsin
26.3
Hawaii
22.7
Mississippi
34.0
Oregon
26.8
Wyoming
25.1
Idaho
26.5
Missouri
30.5
Pennsylvania
28.6
 
 

 Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2010.


Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents ages 2-19 years

Age (years)1


1963-65
1966-702


1971-74


1976-80


1988-94


1999-2000


2001-02


2003-04

2-5

-

5%

5%

7.2%

10.3%

10.6%

13.9%

6-11

4.2%

4%

6.5%

11.3%

15.1%

16.3%

18.8%

12-19

4.6%

6.1%

5%

10.5%

14.8%

16.7%

17.4%

1Excludes pregnant women starting with 1971-74. Pregnancy status not available for 1963-65 and 1966-70.
2Data for 1963-65 are for children 6-11 years of age; data for 1966-70 are for adolescents 12-17 years of age, not 12-19 years.
Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention, NHANES


State-Level Estimated Annual Medical Costs of Obesity

Estimated Adult Obesity-Attributable Percentages and Expenditures, by State (1998–2000)

State

(Millions $)

Alabama

$1320

Alaska

$195

Arizona

$752

Arkansas

$663

California

$7675

Colorado

$874

Connecticut

$856

Delaware

$207

District of Columbia

$372

Florida

$3987

Georgia

$2133

Hawaii

$290

Idaho

$227

Illinois

$3439

Indiana

$1637

Iowa

$783

Kansas

$657

Kentucky

$1163

Louisiana

$1373

Maine

$357

Maryland

$1533

Massachusetts

$1822

Michigan

$2931

Minnesota

$1307

Mississippi

$757

Missouri

$1636

Montana

$175

Nebraska

$454

Nevada

$337

New Hampshire

$302

New Jersey

$2342

New Mexico

$324

New York

$6080

North Carolina

$2138

North Dakota

$209

Oklahoma

$854

Ohio

$3304

Oregon

$781

Pennsylvania

$4138

Puerto Rico

 

Rhode Island

$305

South Carolina

$1060

South Dakota

$195

Tennessee

$1840

Texas

$5340

Utah

$393

Vermont

$141

Virginia

$1641

Washington

$1330

West Virginia

$588

Wisconsin

$1486

Wyoming

$87

Total

$75,051


Source: Finkelstein, Fiebelkorn, and Wang, 2004.
 

References
(NHANES) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000
Finkelstein, EA, Fiebelkorn, IC, Wang, G. National medical spending attributable to overweight and obesity: How much, and who’s paying? Health Affairs 2003;W3;219–226.
Finkelstein, EA, Fiebelkorn, IC, Wang, G. State-level estimates of annual medical expenditures attributable to obesity. Obesity Research 2004;12(1):18–24.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Surgeon General's call to action to prevent and decrease overweight and obesity. [Rockville, MD]: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Office of the Surgeon General, [2001]. Available from: US GPO, Washington. Wolf AM, Colditz GA. Current estimates of the economic cost of obesity in the United States. Obesity Research.1998;6(2):97–106. Wolf, A. What is the economic case for treating obesity? Obesity Research. 1998;6(suppl)2S–7S.


Overweight and obese individuals are at increased risk for many diseases and health chronic conditions, including the following:

Hypertension (high blood pressure)
Osteoarthritis (a degeneration of cartilage and its underlying bone within a joint)
Dyslipidemia (for example, high total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides)
Type 2 diabetes
Heart disease
Stroke
Gallbladder disease
Sleep apnea and respiratory problems
Some cancers (pancreas, kidney, prostate, endometrial, breast, and colon)

Link to Public Health Menu Page.

 

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