Obesity problem in USA

The obesity crisis in the United States may be worse than realized. (© andriano_cz - stock.adobe.com)

WASHINGTON — The South is known for its fine cuisine and delicious barbecue, but a new survey finds it’s also at the center of the nation’s growing obesity epidemic. Researchers have found that many of the country’s most overweight and obese cities are in the southern part of the United States.

WalletHub’s findings (full list below) also paint a concerning picture of health and financial burdens across the nation. With nearly 42 percent of U.S. adults classified as obese, the ramifications extend far beyond individual health, affecting the nation’s economy with obesity-related medical treatments costing around $190.2 billion annually and work absenteeism resulting in approximately $4.3 billion in productivity losses each year.

The study compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metropolitan areas across 19 key metrics, ranging from the percentage of physically inactive adults to future obesity projections and access to healthy foods. This approach sheds light on the cities that are most affected by weight-related issues and underscores the pressing need for public health interventions.

“Obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in the U.S., and it’s costing us big time,” says Cassandra Happe, a WalletHub analyst, in a media release. “In the most overweight and obese cities, residents often lack easy access to healthy food and recreation opportunities, so investing in those areas should help improve people’s diets and exercise regimens, and reduce the financial burden overall.”

obesity obese man belly fat
Over 40 percent of U.S. adults are classified as obese by the CDC. (Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya on Unsplash)

The South Leads The Obesity Epidemic

Topping the list, McAllen, Texas is grappling with severe obesity issues, with 45 percent of its adult population classified as obese. This city not only records the highest percentage of obese adults but also significant numbers of overweight children and teenagers. McAllen’s residents face numerous health challenges, including high rates of diabetes and heart disease, exacerbated by a lack of physical activity and limited access to recreational spaces.

Jackson, Mississippi stands as the second-most overweight city, with alarming obesity rates among children and adults alike. The city records the highest percentage of children between 10 and 17 years-old classified as obese. Health complications such as strokes, diabetes, and high blood pressure are prevalent, painting a grim picture of the community’s overall well-being. Contributing factors to this epidemic include insufficient exercise and poor access to nutritious food.

Ranking third, Shreveport Louisiana’s obesity crisis spans across all age groups, with equal percentages of adults being overweight and obese. The city faces significant health concerns, including the highest rate of high blood pressure and a near top ranking in adults with high cholesterol. A major contributing factor to the city’s obesity problem is unhealthy eating habits, coupled with a lack of physical activity and access to healthy food options.

Rounding out the top five of most overweight U.S. cities is Mobile, Alabama, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Not surprisingly, McAllen, Mobile, and Jackson also rank in the top three of the most physically inactive adults in the nation.

On the other end of the spectrum, the survey highlights the least overweight cities in the U.S. as well. The bottom five include San Jose, California; Denver, Colorado; Boston, Massachusetts; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Seattle, Washington.

Most Overweight Cities in the U.S.

Overall Rank  Metro Area Total Score  Obesity & Overweight Rank  Health Consequences Rank  Food & Fitness Rank 
1 McAllen, Texas 85.54 4 2 2
2 Jackson, Mississippi 84.58 2 6 8
3 Shreveport, LA 83.82 7 4 17
4 Mobile, AL 83.11 10 7 11
5 Little Rock, Arkansas 82.31 5 24 7
6 Knoxville, Tennessee 81.71 25 1 18
7 Memphis, Tennessee 81.65 23 3 4
8 Lafayette, LA 81.64 8 25 15
9 Baton Rouge, Louisiana 81.28 11 5 26
10 Chattanooga, Tennessee 81.15 20 8 13
11 Birmingham, Alabama 81.02 18 12 3
12 Columbia, South Carolina 80.06 21 16 10
13 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 80.03 9 31 21
14 Tulsa, Oklahoma 79.64 6 22 36
15 Fayetteville, AR 79.34 14 26 28
16 Augusta, Georgia 79.31 31 13 6
17 New Orleans, Louisiana 78.91 13 23 25
18 Canton, OH 78.78 39 10 23
19 Wichita, Kansas 78.39 37 17 12
20 Youngstown, Ohio 78.23 22 41 16
21 San Antonio, Texas 78.18 1 33 67
22 Winston, North Carolina 77.77 68 11 1
23 Fort Wayne, IN 77.66 41 18 14
24 Greenville, South Carolina 77.65 36 34 9
25 Dallas, Texas 77.61 12 32 39
26 Myrtle Beach, SC 77.47 32 28 24
27 El Paso, Texas 77.33 3 64 45
28 Louisville, Kentucky 76.83 15 14 64
29 Charleston, South Carolina 76.58 17 57 30
30 Greensboro, North Carolina 76.31 62 15 5
31 Huntsville, AL 76.22 33 91 20
32 Akron, Ohio 76.11 19 60 37
33 Toledo, Ohio 75.94 27 40 31
34 Detroit, Michigan 75.79 58 9 29
35 Riverside, California 75.56 55 19 22
36 Albuquerque, New Mexico 75.54 16 36 52
37 Lexington-Fayette, KY 75.50 30 39 32
38 Nashville, Tennessee 75.40 28 59 27
39 Dayton, Ohio 75.39 40 45 35
40 Columbus, Ohio 74.62 26 43 51
41 Grand Rapids, Michigan 74.54 42 35 48
42 Cincinnati, Ohio 73.78 24 27 82
43 Indianapolis, Indiana 73.33 45 48 40
44 Scranton, Pennsylvania 73.17 59 37 41
45 Richmond, Virginia 73.10 70 20 42
46 Cleveland, Ohio 73.02 34 72 44
47 Providence, Rhode Island 73.02 48 56 49
48 Kansas City, Missouri 72.90 44 63 34
49 Houston, Texas 72.57 29 62 65
50 Charlotte, North Carolina 72.57 60 21 56
51 Virginia Beach, Virginia 72.22 57 30 59
52 Phoenix, Arizona 71.90 49 61 43
53 Reno, NV 71.75 51 47 60
54 Omaha, Nebraska 71.64 38 67 69
55 Des Moines, Iowa 71.47 46 86 53
56 Hartford, Connecticut 71.34 66 53 50
57 Las Vegas, Nevada 71.28 50 29 87
58 Raleigh, North Carolina 71.16 56 46 62
59 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 71.07 43 38 81
60 Durham, NC 70.86 74 80 19
61 Atlanta, Georgia 70.49 47 42 85
62 Allentown, Pennsylvania 70.35 67 77 47
63 Baltimore, Maryland 70.33 64 54 58
64 Asheville, NC 70.19 82 50 38
65 Anchorage, AK 69.77 63 65 61
66 Austin, Texas 69.65 35 79 89
67 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 69.61 52 44 90
68 New Haven, Connecticut 69.41 71 75 66
69 St. Louis, Missouri 69.39 54 66 76
70 Spokane, Washington 68.60 72 78 57
71 Orlando, Florida 68.01 79 49 74
72 Tucson, Arizona 67.50 75 52 84
73 Springfield, Massachusetts 67.39 87 69 63
74 Los Angeles, California 66.93 73 71 79
75 Portland, ME 66.85 85 81 71
76 Tampa, Florida 66.78 69 83 77
77 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 66.75 65 88 80
78 Manchester, NH 66.66 92 51 54
79 San Diego, California 66.21 83 58 86
80 Bridgeport, Connecticut 66.01 81 98 73
81 Jacksonville, Florida 65.84 88 68 72
82 Washington, District of Columbia 65.56 53 76 98
83 Miami, Florida 65.48 76 85 83
84 Chicago, Illinois 65.37 61 92 94
85 Ogden, Utah 65.24 94 70 46
86 Worcester, Massachusetts 65.19 89 95 55
87 Sacramento, California 64.68 77 82 92
88 New York, New York 64.22 79 74 99
89 Boise, Idaho 64.17 91 55 78
90 Provo, Utah 63.75 100 84 33
91 Salt Lake City, Utah 63.22 99 73 75
92 Portland, Oregon 62.07 78 89 97
93 San Francisco, California 62.01 86 97 93
94 Colorado Springs, Colorado 61.83 97 94 68
95 Minneapolis, Minnesota 61.65 84 87 96
96 San Jose, California 60.77 90 100 91
97 Denver, Colorado 60.57 98 99 70
98 Boston, Massachusetts 60.55 96 90 88
99 Honolulu, Hawaii 59.04 93 93 100
100 Seattle, Washington 58.33 95 96 95

Note: With the exception of “Total Score,” all of the columns in the table above depict the relative rank of that metro area, where a rank of 1 represents the worst conditions for that metric category.

Experts are calling on the federal government to enact policies to help battle the obesity epidemic.

“Invest in nutrition education and promoting healthy eating habits in schools, workplaces, and communities,” says Dr. Jeffrey J. Fisher, director of the Allen Foundation Culinary Nutrition Center and associate professor of nutrition and dietetics at Central Michigan University. “Bring back the USDA SuperTracker, an interactive food and physical activity tracking tool. Continue collaborating with the food industry on nutritional labeling to empower consumers to make better food choices. Work with the food industry to encourage the reformulation of products to include more plant-sourced foods.”

Methodology

In order to determine the fattest cities in America, WalletHub compared 100 of the most populated U.S. metro areas across three key dimensions: 1) Obesity & Overweight, 2) Health Consequences and 3) Food & Fitness.

About Matt Higgins

Matt Higgins worked in national and local news for 15 years. He started out as an overnight production assistant at Fox News Radio in 2007 and ended in 2021 as the Digital Managing Editor at CBS Philadelphia. Following his news career, he spent one year in the automotive industry as a Digital Platforms Content Specialist contractor with Subaru of America and is currently a freelance writer and editor for StudyFinds. Matt believes in facts, science and Philadelphia sports teams crushing his soul.

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35 Comments

  1. Ken says:

    HaHa, nice try…lived there for 25 years…what a great city and perfect for raising kids… absolute worst city of all for Food and Fitness? I doubt it.

    Reply
  2. Bobby says:

    CA suffers from the long term migrant crisis with huge families with the parents and 8 kids all massive round balls strolling down main street. It’s a site to see. Imagine the welfare and healthcare costs from diabetes, etc.

    Reply
  3. CLF says:

    The South has the best food.

    Reply
  4. Rick Leland says:

    So sad! Part of the “kill-steal-destroy” plan against humankind. It’s like, why would 40% of a well informed population choose to participate? The allurement of excess. For me? No weapon formed against me will prosper.

    Reply
  5. DAVID says:

    Many cases of obesity and other health issues I believe can be attributed to the type of industries which in the past, and or are now, in southern states. Many which have polluted the environment and the people who have lived in such areas for generations. I remember as a kid reading signs at the lake or river. Dont eat the fish, dont swim in the water. Sometimes you could smell the chemicals and knew without the signs.

    Reply
  6. Duke says:

    WalletHub is always coming up with these nonsense list of things to bash southern cities.

    Reply
  7. Anyone Withabrain says:

    TRUMP WON!!!

    Reply
  8. Olivia says:

    The biggest take away is: Seed oils and corn syrup disproportionately damages Latinos and blacks. The obesity stats closely follows the race stats.
    My observation is Asians and Whites are more likely to be aware of the dangers of seed oil and HFCS and consume much less of it or those ingredients damage differently based on genetics or both.

    The only reason we have an obesity problem is because the processed food industry poisons their customers and governments are bribed and blackmailed to let it continue.

    Reply
    1. ComradeDave says:

      It is not just seed oils and corn syrup, it is all GMO and processed foods not to mention all the hormones pumped into livestock

      Reply
  9. BigFatElvis Koeniger says:

    I call BS on all this. I, too, am 6’6″ and a solid 250 but still considered obese. I have to be down to 216 before I’m normal. That’s insane.

    Reply
  10. Mark says:

    Hey, we can call ourselves Winston… but for the rest of you it’s Winston-Salem.
    (I hope our poor ranking discourages people from moving here. It’s a terrible place to live. You’d hate it.)

    Reply
  11. Mike says:

    The bigger they are The more people their bodies Will feed In FEMA camps.

    Reply
  12. Jimmy Vick says:

    For what its worth, in college I was in world class fitness… Yet according to the BMI (which I’m convinced was conjured up by some little Swiss cyclist) ranked me as technically “Obese” at 6’6″ 250lbs…

    Reply
    1. ET says:

      Obesity is sort of like pornogrophy.
      It can be difficult to define, but you know it when you see it.

      Reply
    2. ComradeDave says:

      Yea, I’m 6’6″ around 250lbs as well, BMI does not take into account muscle mass to fat ratio

      Reply
  13. Boll says:

    How exactly did they count these obese people, knock on doors, phone poll, how?

    Reply
  14. JJ says:

    So when did the Constitution become invalid and we no longer have the right to weigh what we wish?

    Reply
  15. robert says:

    Honolulu is deceptive, the Island of Oahu is really obese, but the Hawaiians can’t afford to live in Honolulu so it skews the results.

    Reply
  16. RM says:

    IT’s all them chitlins and hominy grits.

    Reply
  17. Michael Bol says:

    I don’t know about Hawaiʻi, dey got some big brudders

    Reply
  18. Satan says:

    LOLOL, of course # 1 was Texas. Guarantee to you that obesity rates and belief in angels track almost perfectly.

    Reply
  19. jack mccready says:

    Hard to believe Denver is ranked among the least obese. Lived here all my life and I see nothing but obese people everywhere I go.

    Reply
    1. Fred says:

      Gee I wonder who wrote this article?

      Reply
    2. Mike Childs says:

      I’m guessing you don’t travel much outside of Denver then. I lived in Kansas City for 30 years (with 4 years in rural MO at university), and now 15 years in Denver, with lots of travels all over the country. Denver (and CO in general) is easily one of the most fit places in the country. You’d pretty much have to go to Europe to find significantly lower levels of obesity than Denver.

      Of course that doesn’t mean that no one is obese here, it’s just MUCH less than most of the rest of the country.

      Reply
  20. Fe says:

    The real Americans that are going to take on the US gubament with da shootin irons…
    God help us.

    Reply
    1. Howie Feltersnatch says:

      What? Lol

      Reply
    2. Jimbo says:

      I think you are implying that pro-gun (white?) are the influencing factor for obesity here. However, Whites are the majority race in only 3 of the top 10 cities. If you look at “Obesity in the US” (Wikipedia), socio-economic class and cultural norms are more influential toward affecting obesity than owning a gun. But if you have data to support your supposition, it would be great to see. I like data. Thanks.

      Reply
    3. Htos1av says:

      Those damn Appalachians….were SECRRET BILLIONAIRES in the 18th century and BOUGHT ALL the blacks fro Africa, those DARN Appalachians…

      DON’T be dumber than a democrat…

      Reply