Adult Obesity Facts

Obesity is common, serious and costly

• More than one-third of U.S. adults (35.7%) are obese. [Read data brief]
• No state has met the nation's Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15%. The number of states with an obesity prevalence of 30% or more has increased to 12 states in 2010. In 2009, nine states had obesity rates of 30% or more. In 2000, no state had an obesity prevalence of 30% or more. [Read article]
• Obesity-related conditions include heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, some of the leading causes of death. [Read guidelines]
• In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs paid by third-party payors for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight. [Read summary]

Obesity prevalence varies across states and regions

• During the past 20 years, there has been a dramatic increase in obesity in the United States and rates remain high.
• By state, obesity prevalence ranged from 21.0% in Colorado to 34.0% in Mississippi in 2010. No state had a prevalence of obesity less than 20%. Thirty-six states had a prevalence of 25% or more; 12 of these states (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia) had a prevalence of 30% or more.
• The South has the highest prevalence of obesity (29.4%) followed by the Midwest (28.7%), Northeast (24.9%) and the West (24.1%).

The animated map below shows the United States obesity prevalence from 1985 through 2010.

The data shown in these maps were collected through the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), on the basis of self-reported weight and height. Each year, state health departments use standard procedures to collect data through a series of monthly telephone interviews with U.S. adults. Prevalence estimates generated for the maps may vary slightly from those generated for the states by the BRFSS as slightly different analytic methods are used.

Obesity affects some groups more than others

• Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest rates of obesity (44.1%) compared with Mexican Americans (39.3%), all Hispanics (37.9%) and non-Hispanic whites (32.6%). [Read article]

Obesity and socioeconomic status

[Read data brief [PDF-1.07Mb]]

• Among non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American men, those with higher incomes are more likely to be obese than those with low income.
• Higher income women are less likely to be obese than low-income women.
• There is no significant relationship between obesity and education among men. Among women, however, there is a trend—those with college degrees are less likely to be obese compared with less educated women.
• Between 1988–1994 and 2007–2008 the prevalence of obesity increased in adults at all income and education levels

Obesity, diabetes, and physical inactivity prevalence by county

Combining county-level estimates for obesity, diagnosed diabetes, and leisure time physical inactivity for 2008 show that counties with high levels of all three conditions are primarily concentrated in the South and Appalachia, while counties with low levels of all three conditions are primarily concentrated in the Northeast and West.

• Obesity                        National Maps | State Maps
• Diagnosed Diabetes     National Maps | State Maps
• Physical Inactivity          National Maps | State Maps

For more, see:

• Facts about County-Level Estimates of Diagnosed Diabetes and Obesity, 2007
• Facts about County-Level Estimates of Leisure-Time Physical Inactivity, 2008

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