Obesity Statistics in the United States

Obesity, a common and costly health issue that increases risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer, affects more than one-third of adults and 17 percent of youth in the United States. By the numbers, 78 million adults and 12 million children are obese—figures many regard as an epidemic. Adults are considered obese when they are about 35 pounds overweight. In 2013, obesity rates among American adults remained high. No state has an obesity rate below 21 percent and rates have risen in six states—Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Wyoming. In two states obesity rates now exceed 35 percent for the first time and 20 states have obesity rates at or above 30 percent.

Prevalence* of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults by State, BRFSS, 2013

Prevalence of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults BRFSS, 2013

STATE	%	STATE	%
Alabama	32.4	Missouri	30.4
Alaska	28.4	Montana	24.6
Arizona	26.8	Nebraska	29.6
Arkansas	34.6	Nevada	26.2
California	24.1	New Hampshire	26.7
Colorado	21.3	New Jersey	26.3
Connecticut	25.0	New Mexico	26.4
Delaware	31.1	New York	25.4
District of Columbia	22.9	North Carolina	29.4
Florida	26.4	North Dakota	31.0
Georgia	30.3	Ohio	30.4
Hawaii	21.8	Oklahoma	32.5
Idaho	29.6	Oregon	26.5
Illinois	29.4	Pennsylvania	30.0
Indiana	31.8	Rhode Island	27.3
Iowa	31.3	South Carolina	31.7
Kansas	30.0	South Dakota	29.9
Kentucky	33.2	Tennessee	33.7
Louisiana	33.1	Texas	30.9
Maine	28.9	Utah	24.1
Maryland	28.3	Vermont	24.7
Massachusetts	23.6	Virginia	27.2
Michigan	31.5	Washington	27.2
Minnesota	25.5	West Virginia	35.1
Mississippi	35.1	Wisconsin	29.8
		Wyoming	27.8

 

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, CDC.

 

Prevalence of Self-Reported Obesity Among U.S. Adults BRFSS, 2012

STATE	%	STATE	%
Alabama	33.0	Missouri	29.6
Alaska	25.7	Montana	24.3
Arizona	26.0	Nebraska	28.6
Arkansas	34.5	Nevada	26.2
California	25.0	New Hampshire	27.3
Colorado	20.5	New Jersey	24.6
Connecticut	25.6	New Mexico	27.1
Delaware	26.9	New York	23.6
District of Columbia	21.9	North Carolina	29.6
Florida	25.2	North Dakota	29.7
Georgia	29.1	Ohio	30.1
Hawaii	23.6	Oklahoma	32.2
Idaho	26.8	Oregon	27.3
Illinois	28.1	Pennsylvania	29.1
Indiana	31.4	Rhode Island	25.7
Iowa	30.4	South Carolina	31.6
Kansas	29.9	South Dakota	28.1
Kentucky	31.3	Tennessee	31.1
Louisiana	34.7	Texas	29.2
Maine	28.4	Utah	24.3
Maryland	27.6	Vermont	23.7
Massachusetts	22.9	Virginia	27.4
Michigan	31.1	Washington	26.8
Minnesota	25.7	West Virginia	33.8
Mississippi	34.6	Wisconsin	29.7
		Wyoming	24.6

 

Source: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, CDC.

Prevalence reflects BRFSS methodological changes in 2011, and these estimates should not be compared to obesity prevalence before 2011.

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

 

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 Obesity-Attributable Expenditures, by State (2009)

State	(Millions $)
Alabama	$2505
Alaska	$459
Arizona	$2113
Arkansas	$1,254
California	$15,223
Colorado	$1,637
Connecticut	$1,719
Delaware	$592
District of Columbia	$500
Florida	$8,079
Georgia	$4,226
Hawaii	$470
Idaho	$550
Illinois	$6,368
Indiana	$3,520
Iowa	$1,435
Kansas	$1,327
Kentucky	$2,372
Louisiana	$2,383
Maine	$767
Maryland	$3,032
Massachusetts	$3,511
Michigan	$5,349
Minnesota	$2,800
Mississippi	$1,586
Missouri	$3,196
Montana	$379
Nebraska	$1,002
Nevada	$1,048
New Hampshire	$594
New Jersey	$4,447
New Mexico	$663
New York	$11,114
North Carolina	$4,599
North Dakota	$371
Ohio	$6,896
Oklahoma	$1,721
Oregon	$1,678
Pennsylvania	$6,997
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island	$566
South Carolina	$2,291
South Dakota	$409
Tennessee	$3,656
Texas	$10,262
Utah	$953
Vermont	$291
Virginia	$3,387
Washington	$2,977
West Virginia	$1,171
Wisconsin	$3,078
Wyoming	$203

Source: Trogdon, Finkelstein, Feagan, and Cohen, 2011.

Reference:
Trogdon, JG, Finkelstein, EA, Feagan, CW, Cohen JW. State- and payer-specific estimates of annual medical expenditures attributable to obesity.Obesity (Silver Spring). 2012 Jan;20(1):214-20. doi: 10.1038/oby.2011.169. Epub 2011 June 16.

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)

Reference

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.