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Obesity maps and tables on this page show state-by-state childhood obesity rates for 10-17 year olds for 2003-2011 based on data from the National Survey of Children’s Health.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overall obesity rates remain high and prevalence among 2-19 year olds and adults in the United States has not changed significantly between 2003-2004 and 2011-2012. For very young children, however, data from CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) published in the Feb. 25, 2014 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association do show a decline in obesity prevalence in the 2-to-5-year-old age group from nearly 14 percent in 2003-2004, to just over 12 percent in 2009-2010, to just over 8 percent in 2011-2012.
NCSL annually reports on policy options to address childhood obesity.
Percentage of obese children by state
|
State
|
Overweight (85th to 94th percentile) %
|
Obese (95th percentile or above) %
|
|
Alabama
|
16.4
|
18.6
|
|
Alaska
|
15.9
|
14.0
|
|
Arizona
|
16.9
|
19.8
|
|
Arkansas
|
14.0
|
20.0
|
|
California
|
15.3
|
15.1
|
|
Colorado
|
12.2
|
10.9
|
|
Connecticut
|
14.7
|
15.0
|
|
Delaware
|
15.1
|
16.9
|
|
District of Columbia
|
13.6
|
21.4
|
|
Florida
|
14.1
|
13.4
|
|
Georgia
|
18.5
|
16.5
|
|
Hawaii
|
15.9
|
11.5
|
|
Idaho
|
17.1
|
10.6
|
|
Illinois
|
14.3
|
19.3
|
|
Indiana
|
17.1
|
14.3
|
|
Iowa
|
14.6
|
13.6
|
|
Kansas
|
16.0
|
14.2
|
|
Kentucky
|
16.0
|
19.7
|
|
Louisiana
|
18.7
|
21.1
|
|
Maine
|
17.0
|
12.5
|
|
Maryland
|
16.5
|
15.1
|
|
Massachusetts
|
16.1
|
14.5
|
|
Michigan
|
17.8
|
14.8
|
|
Minnesota
|
13.2
|
14.0
|
|
Mississippi
|
18.0
|
21.7
|
|
Missouri
|
14.9
|
13.5
|
|
Montana
|
14.8
|
14.3
|
|
Nebraska
|
15.1
|
13.8
|
|
Nevada
|
14.5
|
18.6
|
|
New Hampshire
|
10.5
|
15.5
|
|
New Jersey
|
14.7
|
10.0
|
|
New Mexico
|
18.5
|
14.4
|
|
New York
|
17.9
|
14.5
|
|
North Carolina
|
15.3
|
16.1
|
|
North Dakota
|
20.4
|
15.4
|
|
Ohio
|
13.4
|
17.4
|
|
Oklahoma
|
16.5
|
17.4
|
|
Oregon
|
16.5
|
9.9
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
12.9
|
13.5
|
|
Rhode Island
|
15.1
|
13.2
|
|
South Carolina
|
17.7
|
21.5
|
|
South Dakota
|
13.1
|
13.4
|
|
Tennessee
|
13.6
|
20.5
|
|
Texas
|
17.5
|
19.1
|
|
Utah
|
10.5
|
11.6
|
|
Vermont
|
13.3
|
11.3
|
|
Virginia
|
15.5
|
14.3
|
|
Washington
|
15.2
|
11.0
|
|
West Virginia
|
15.0
|
18.5
|
|
Wisconsin
|
15.4
|
13.4
|
|
Wyoming
|
15.9
|
10.7
|
Source: Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health, a project of the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative (CAHMI). State Obesity Profiles, 2011. National Survey of Children's Health. Children age 10-17 are included in this data.
2007 Rates of Obese and Overweight Children
* Obesity is defined as body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile of the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BMI-for-age growth charts. Children with BMI between the 85th and 95th percentile are classified as overweight. BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Children age 10-17 are included in this data.
2007 Rates of Obese and Overweight Children
|
State
|
Overweight (85th to 94th percentile) %
|
Obese (95th percentile or above) %
|
|
Alabama
|
18.2
|
17.9
|
|
Alaska
|
19.8
|
14.1
|
|
Arizona
|
12.7
|
17.8
|
|
Arkansas
|
17.1
|
20.4
|
|
California
|
15.5
|
15.0
|
|
Colorado
|
13.0
|
14.2
|
|
Connecticut
|
13.2
|
12.5
|
|
Delaware
|
19.8
|
13.3
|
|
District of Columbia
|
15.2
|
20.1
|
|
Florida
|
14.9
|
18.3
|
|
Georgia
|
16.0
|
21.3
|
|
Hawaii
|
17.3
|
11.2
|
|
Idaho
|
15.7
|
11.8
|
|
Illinois
|
14.2
|
20.7
|
|
Indiana
|
15.3
|
14.6
|
|
Iowa
|
15.3
|
11.2
|
|
Kansas
|
14.9
|
16.2
|
|
Kentucky
|
16.2
|
21.0
|
|
Louisiana
|
15.2
|
20.7
|
|
Maine
|
15.3
|
12.9
|
|
Maryland
|
15.2
|
13.6
|
|
Massachusetts
|
16.8
|
13.3
|
|
Michigan
|
18.2
|
12.4
|
|
Minnesota
|
12.0
|
11.1
|
|
Mississippi
|
22.6
|
21.9
|
|
Missouri
|
17.3
|
13.6
|
|
Montana
|
13.8
|
11.8
|
|
Nebraska
|
15.6
|
15.8
|
|
Nevada
|
19.0
|
15.2
|
|
New Hampshire
|
16.7
|
12.8
|
|
New Jersey
|
15.6
|
15.4
|
|
New Mexico
|
16.7
|
16.0
|
|
New York
|
15.8
|
17.1
|
|
North Carolina
|
14.9
|
18.6
|
|
North Dakota
|
14.3
|
11.4
|
|
Ohio
|
14.8
|
18.5
|
|
Oklahoma
|
13.1
|
16.4
|
|
Oregon
|
14.7
|
9.6
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
14.6
|
15.0
|
|
Rhode Island
|
15.8
|
14.4
|
|
South Carolina
|
18.5
|
15.3
|
|
South Dakota
|
15.2
|
13.2
|
|
Tennessee
|
15.9
|
20.6
|
|
Texas
|
11.9
|
20.4
|
|
Utah
|
11.7
|
11.4
|
|
Vermont
|
13.9
|
12.9
|
|
Virginia
|
15.7
|
15.2
|
|
Washington
|
18.4
|
11.1
|
|
West Virginia
|
16.7
|
18.9
|
|
Wisconsin
|
14.8
|
13.1
|
|
Wyoming
|
15.5
|
10.2
|
Source: National Survey of Children's Health. NCSH 2007. Data query from the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health website.
Retrieved 02/21/2014 from www.childhealthdata.org.
2003 Rates of Obese and Overweight Children
* Obesity is defined as body mass index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile of the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention BMI-for-age growth chars. BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Children age 10-17 are included in this data.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau. The National Survey of Children's Health 2003. Rockville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2005. Retrieved 12/01/2009 from http://mchb.hrsa.gov/overweight/state.htm.
2003 Rates of Obese and Overweight Children
|
State
|
Overweight %
|
Obese %
|
|
Alabama
|
17.8
|
16.7
|
|
Alaska
|
19.6
|
11.1
|
|
Arizona
|
17.5
|
12.2
|
|
Arkansas
|
16.4
|
16.4
|
|
California
|
16.8
|
13.2
|
|
Colorado
|
12.0
|
9.9
|
|
Connecticut
|
15.0
|
12.3
|
|
Delaware
|
20.7
|
14.8
|
|
District of Columbia
|
16.8
|
22.8
|
|
Florida
|
18.0
|
14.4
|
|
Georgia
|
15.3
|
16.4
|
|
Hawaii
|
13.5
|
13.3
|
|
Idaho
|
15.5
|
10.1
|
|
Illinois
|
15.4
|
15.8
|
|
Indiana
|
17.3
|
15.6
|
|
Iowa
|
13.0
|
12.5
|
|
Kansas
|
16.1
|
14.0
|
|
Kentucky
|
17.6
|
20.6
|
|
Louisiana
|
18.4
|
17.2
|
|
Maine
|
17.3
|
12.7
|
|
Maryland
|
16.6
|
13.3
|
|
Massachusetts
|
15.3
|
13.6
|
|
Michigan
|
14.3
|
14.4
|
|
Minnesota
|
13.8
|
10.1
|
|
Mississippi
|
18.8
|
17.8
|
|
Missouri
|
15.4
|
15.6
|
|
Montana
|
16.2
|
11.1
|
|
Nebraska
|
14.4
|
11.9
|
|
Nevada
|
14.2
|
12.4
|
|
New Hampshire
|
14.4
|
12.9
|
|
New Jersey
|
17.8
|
13.7
|
|
New Mexico
|
12.1
|
16.8
|
|
New York
|
15.6
|
15.3
|
|
North Carolina
|
14.6
|
19.3
|
|
North Dakota
|
14.8
|
12.1
|
|
Ohio
|
16.3
|
14.2
|
|
Oklahoma
|
12.8
|
15.4
|
|
Oregon
|
12.3
|
14.1
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
16.0
|
13.3
|
|
Rhode Island
|
15.1
|
11.9
|
|
South Carolina
|
17.2
|
18.9
|
|
South Dakota
|
13.8
|
12.0
|
|
Tennessee
|
15.3
|
20.0
|
|
Texas
|
13.3
|
19.1
|
|
Utah
|
12.3
|
8.5
|
|
Vermont
|
14.3
|
11.3
|
|
Virginia
|
16.7
|
13.8
|
|
Washington
|
14.3
|
10.8
|
|
West Virginia
|
15.6
|
20.9
|
|
Wisconsin
|
15.9
|
13.5
|
|
Wyoming
|
14.2
|
8.6
|
Source: National Survey of Children's Health. NCSH 2003. Data query from the Child and Adolescent Health Measurement Initiative. Data Resource Center for Child and Adolescent Health website.
Retrieved 02/21/2014 from www.childhealthdata.org
Childhood Obesity Facts
- Approximately 13 million U.S. children and adolescents are obese, with a body mass index at or above the 95th percentile.
- Obesity is a major risk factor for many serious health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers.
- During the past 40 years, obesity rates for children age 6 to 11 nearly tripled—from 5% to 14%—and more than tripled for adolescents age 12 to 19—from 5% to 17.1%.
- Obese adolescents have an 80% chance of becoming obese adults.
- An estimated 61% of obese young people already have at least one additional health risk factor such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
- Childhood obesity health expenses are estimated at $14 billion annually.
- Good nutrition and physical activity can help prevent obesity, but opportunities for healthy choices may be limited. Wealthy communities have three times as many supermarkets as poor areas, increasing their access to fruits, vegetables, and a wider selection of healthy foods. Poorer areas also often have less access to places to be physically active.
- Almost 30% of U.S. children do not exercise three or more times a week.
- More than 75% of high school students do not eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Sources: Ogden, et al. JAMA. 2014;311(8):806-814. JAMA, 295 (13): 1549-1555 and JAMA, 288 (14): 1728-1732.
CDC, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 54, no.8: 203. Pediatrics 103, no.6: 1175-1172.
CDC, Preventing Obesity and Chronic Diseases through Good Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics America's Children;
Key National Indicators of Well-Being, 2007.
Additional Resources